One of the organizers of the annual Moot Court competition is teaming up with a St. Thomas art gallery to produce the event’s first-ever fundraiser. Works from some of the island’s best-known artists go up for bid starting on Saturday.
Moot Court is an academic contest where high school students form teams and argue imaginary legal cases before a panel of judges. The 29th Moot Court, sponsored in part by the Judiciary of the Virgin Islands and the V.I. Bar Association, took place in 2023.
The contest was first held in 1994 to celebrate Law Day. A statement appearing on the Judiciary’s website says the competition serves to promote young talents in public speaking, advocacy, and knowledge of the law.
Members of the winning team are awarded $7,500 in scholarships. Up until now, bar association members have been encouraged to donate to the scholarship fund. Attorney Gregory Adam Thorpe said the auction’s goal is to raise enough money to provide scholarships for other contestants recognized for outstanding performances.
This year marked the first time students other than those on the winning team took home scholarship prizes. “This is the first time in the history of the program. This year they announced they had increased the scholarship award by $10,000,” Thorpe said.
Jane Coombes, owner of Mango Tango Art Gallery, said Thorpe approached her with the idea of holding a fundraiser. “We’ve never done an auction. Adam does all of our design work; he does all the displays,” Coombes said. “He planted the seed in my head and the more I thought about it, the more I thought it was a good idea.”
Prints of works by Don Dahlke and other artists make up the auction’s offerings. All items up for bid can be viewed on the gallery’s website at mangotangoart.com. Auction winners will be announced at the start of the gallery’s holiday art show on Dec. 9.
The theme for Mango Tango’s holiday show is “Donkey Years Ago,” the gallery owner said.
