Our first-ever Art Auction Fundraiser is entering its final stretch. Since June 6, works generously donated by members of our Sangha community have transformed the zendo into a living exhibition — a shared space for contemplation, conversation, and connection. If you haven’t yet visited in person or browsed the online catalog, there’s still time to explore the collection and place your bids on GalaBid before bidding closes.

This year’s auction was inspired in part by Kikuko Morimoto, whose work — including July Blue (pictured above) — helped plant the seed for BZC sangha member and auction organizer Matthew Menzies, that grew into this fundraiser. Kikuko began practicing with the BZC sangha in 2011, later serving as co-tenzo (head of kitchen) and fukuten (assistant to the tenzo), was lay-ordained in 2017 and underwent priest training at Ancestral Heart Zen Monastery, Sanshin Zen Community, and Tassajara Zen Mountain Center. It’s our joy to welcome her back to BZC for this celebration!

Join us for the Final Auction Celebration on Saturday, July 11, 1:00–3:30 PM, at Boundless Mind Temple (326 Clinton Street, Brooklyn). The afternoon brings together in-person and online bidders for one last chance to view or take home a piece from the show, alongside an artist panel, food, light refreshments, and community.

At 1:30 PM, don’t miss a special artist panel discussion. The panel opens with Kikuko Morimoto, sharing her journey as an artist and the story behind the inspiration for this auction, before we hear from fellow panelists Jane Adhi and Elizabeth Englander:

Kikuko Morimoto, whose luminous, meditative abstractions grow out of a path that wound from painting and filmmaking in Japan through Columbia’s Graduate Film program and Visual Arts department.

Jane Adhi, a Kenyan-American oil painter based in Harlem, whose work explores the sacredness of setting the table and the layered identities she carries between languages and cultures.

Elizabeth Englander, a member of our Sangha and a Brooklyn-based painter whose work has been shown at institutions and galleries including the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, Theta, and House of Gaga.

Whether you’re a longtime Sangha member or bringing a friend who’s never set foot in the zendo, this is a warm, welcoming way to spend a Saturday afternoon — and every bid supports BZC’s community and practice.

Registration is free and helps us plan refreshments and send the Zoom link to remote guests. Please register by July 9, 11:59 PM ET.

This exhibition was made possible by the generosity of our artists: Jane Adhi, Owen Bell, Elizabeth Englander, Christina Goldschmidt, Matthew Menzies, Kikuko Morimoto, Caia Petrov, Yupin Pramotepipop, Loretta Staples, Lauren Thompson, Jessica Weiss, and The Kitchen Table Collective of May 2026 — a group made up of BZC members Heidi Brant, Sara Lamm, and Vipassana Vijayarangan, along with their friends and family.

With gratitude to Matthew Menzies for organizing this wonderful fundraiser, and to all the artists in our community who made it possible.