Artist and former UND professor Jackie McElroy is closing a big chapter of her life and letting go of many treasured belongings.
In order to sell her Grand Forks home and move to her completely furnished home in Arizona, McElroy is selling nearly all of her beloved furniture, decor and artwork. Hennessy's Home Furnishings Staging and Design, 2875 32nd Ave. S., is holding the estate sale through Wednesday.
"It's kind of painful. Most of the furniture was actually my mother's, and I actually inherited it," McElroy said. "I have nobody to inherit it."
McElroy said it's kind of hard to let go because she has collected and lived with the furniture and artwork for many, many years.
One of her favorite pieces is a solid teak wood dining table, which expands to accommodate 12 people. She inherited the 1950s table from her mother.
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"The ironic thing is that my mom never entertained. The most she sat at the table was four or five," she said. "It's just a beautiful piece."
A dancing bear granite sculpture and an end table made of a chunk of polished redwood tree are some of her other favorite pieces.
The sale also includes much of McElroy's original artwork and artwork she has collected and traded. She and her husband have traveled the world and collected a variety of pieces from each of their visits. From Afghans to table clothes, to paintings and small sculptures, the sale includes many pieces from their travels.
"They have an extensive collection of art," Tamara Hennessy, owner of Hennessy's Home Furnishings Staging and Design. "It's very eclectic, various types of art, oil paintings and sculptures. It's quite an exquisite collection."
Hennessy added that it's not just McElroy's art, but it's half of the couple's life.
Although it's painful for McElroy to let go of some of the pieces, she simply doesn't have room for them in her Arizona home.
"I already have a house with furniture in it," she said. "I just hope it all goes to people who really appreciate the stuff."
The sale will take place at Hennessy's Home Furnishings Staging and Design from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. today through Wednesday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.
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Maki covers Arts & Entertainment and Life & Style for the Herald and can be reached at (701) 780-1122, (800) 477-6572, ext. 1122; or jmaki@gfherald.com .
