Twenty years ago, Access Gallery asked a simple question: What if an art fundraiser felt like it belonged to not just those who could afford a ticket?

At the time, we hosted the kind of high-end fundraising auction that was common in the nonprofit arts world. Guests dressed up, champagne flowed, expensive hors d’oeuvres were served, and collectors searched for bargains on work by established artists. The event raised important funds, but it never felt like us. Too often, the artists and community we exist to serve weren’t the people filling the room.

That realization sparked a different idea, one that felt like Access Gallery through and through.

When Access Gallery opened its space in the Art District on Santa Fe, the organization set out to create a fundraiser that felt more accessible and welcoming. Every artwork would cost the same. Admission would be affordable. Seasoned collectors, first-time buyers, artists, families and neighbors could all share in the experience of collecting original art.

That’s how 99 Pieces of Art was born.

The concept has remained remarkably simple for two decades: 99 original works of art, each priced at $99, with admission for $9.99. The straightforward pricing removes some of the barriers around buying art and makes collecting an original piece feel approachable.

What has grown over the years is the community that makes the event possible.

Today, 99 Pieces of Art brings together work by Access Gallery artists and artists from across the Denver metro area and throughout the United States. Each artist creates an original 10-by-10-inch piece, filling the gallery with 99 works that reflect a wide range of styles, ideas and perspectives.

From the beginning, Access Gallery artists have remained at the center of the exhibition while sharing the gallery walls with artists from across the community. At least 25 percent of the work is created by artists with disabilities, roughly mirroring the percentage of the general population with a disability. Every piece is presented in the same 10 × 10-inch format and priced at $99.

That has always been an important part of the event. There is no hierarchy on the walls. Instead, visitors are invited to respond to the artwork itself, discover something they connect with and experience the excitement of taking original art home.

For twenty years, 99 Pieces of Art has shown that some of the best ideas are also the simplest: original artwork, a room full of people, and a community where everyone is invited to take part.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of 99 Pieces of Art.

Join us Friday, September 18, from 6–9 p.m. for an evening featuring 99 original works by Access Gallery artists and artists from Denver and beyond.

Admission is $9.99, every artwork is $99, and every piece purchased goes home with its new collector that night.

Twenty years later, the idea remains simple: bring artists and community together, make collecting original art approachable, and create an event where everyone can take part.