The high bidder is someone local who wants to remain anonymous, the Amherst Cinema executive director said.
AMHERST — An anonymous bidder paid $5,100 for a piece of marquetry created by furniture maker Silas Kopf to raise money for the Amherst Cinema.
Kopf, who lives in Northampton and has an Easthampton studio, created the marquetry depicting the now-closed Pleasant Street Theater in Northampton, and it was offered for sale on eBay this month.
“The winning bidder was someone local (who wants to remain anonymous),” said Amherst Cinema executive director Carol M. Johnson. “The bidder told us that he/she saw the full-size replica in our lobby, went to see the original work on display in the R. Michelson Galleries, ‘and fell in love,’ ” she wrote in an email.
“We were absolutely thrilled with the $5,100 auction price! The winning bid both gave honor to Silas’ work as an artist and provided meaningful financial support for our nonprofit,” Johnson wrote.
The money raised will be used to support the theater's annual fund and to help a program that teaches third graders visual literacy, Johnson said. She said the theater is converting to digital, which is an expensive technology.
Kopf helped lead a fund-raising drive to save the Pleasant Street Theater from closing in 2007. Amherst Cinema operated it until closing it earlier this year.
In an interview last month, he said that losing the Pleasant Street Theater created a void. He said losing the Amherst Cinema "would be a huge hole ... They’re doing a good job, and I want to see it thrive.”