The Maine State Society for the Protection of Animals held a silent auction on Sunday in which attendees could bid on photos taken at its farm by 25 professional photographers.
Peg Keyser, advancement director, said the name of the organization, which runs a licensed horse shelter in Windham, is somewhat of a misnomer. Despite having the name for 150 years, it exclusively works with horses and does not receive any state or federal government funding.
The organization accepts horses from across New England that are either brought to it by law enforcement, animal control, or a district humane agent who has seized them from abusive situations. Keyser said a lot of the horses that arrive are in terrible condition, many of them emaciated and having never received routine care. Generally, she said, it has between 35 and 40 horses on the farm at any given time, and due to the condition of the horses, veterinary costs add up very quickly. At the time of the auction, the farm was dealing with several horses who had been rescued from an abusive breeding farm in Vermont.
Keyser said the budget for the organization for a year is $1.3 million, raised through grant writing, requests, donations and fundraising events such as the silent auction, which is in its second year. The auction featured 94 images submitted by 25 photographers over the course of the previous year, each capturing the artist’s interpretation of what happens at the society. All funds from the auction, ticket sales and photography funds went toward taking care of the horses.
One of the main goals of the auction was to raise money for a new intake barn, which was under construction outside the arena where the auction was held. The building, an eight-stall barn, would be used to quarantine incoming horses for 28 days before they are ready to join the resident herd. During this time, they will begin their road to recovery, which involves refeeding, vaccinations and the removal of parasites. Keyser told Lakes Region Now that the barn was expected to be completed by November.
Keyser said that, ahead of the event, the society was $3,500 away from its goal of $1.5 million. The largest portion of the money, she said, came from the McCullough family, who gave the sanctuary a matching gift of $500,000, a match that Keyser said was beyond met. Indeed, the society met that goal during the auction, when Keyser announced to the attendees that an anonymous donation had put it over the top.
Some of the youngest photographers at the auction included 13-year-old Grayson Bell and 17-year-old Alistar Fredette. Bell, the son of a professional photographer, specializes in wildlife photography, and told Lakes Region Now that he really enjoys taking pictures of horses and having them up for auction. Fredette was very happy to be part of all of this.
Portland Press Herald veteran photographers Fred Field and Gordon Chibroski also participated. Field, whose work was featured in the previous auction, praised Keyser for putting her heart into the sanctuary, and said that he was proud to do his part in helping to right the wrong that had befallen the beautiful horses there. Chibroski, a horse owner himself who had four photos on display, said that his wife had helped to raise money for the new intake barn.
Other photographers included internationally renowned Scarborough wildlife photographers Linda and Mike Cullivan; Holly Haywood, chief photographer for the University of New England; and equine photographer Hannah Belanger. Belanger told Lakes Region Now that it felt very right to have something in her niche going toward a good cause.
