NEW YORK— Foregoing the sit-down dinner more de rigueur on the arts-organization benefit circuit, the Public Art Fund tried something completely different for their annual fund-raiser this year: bowling. Their May 19 event “Arts, Billiards, and Bowling” traded the trappings of traditional benefits for those more casual and fun: T-shirts rather than ball gowns, make-your-own burgers and mini hotdogs in exchange for plated chicken, and Lucky Strike Lanes instead of the Lighthouse at Chelsea Piers. The best bowler in each lane received a trophy designed by artist Keith Edmier (the overall winner received a larger version), and every guest went home with a Lawrence Weiner–designed bowling shirt.

“I think that nonprofits have to be so much more creative with benefits” now that the economy is in turmoil, said Nazli Parvizi, commissioner of community affairs for New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. “Everyone’s sick of the same dinners. Going bowling is a way to still celebrate the artwork and the artists, which is what the Public Art Fund is all about, but at the same time it’s something I’ll never forget.”

The fund has been presenting artists’ projects, commissions, and exhibitions in public spaces around New York for over 30 years. The spring benefit and silent auction is one of its biggest annual fund-raisers.

At this year’s event, guests included well-known collectors like Adam Lindemann and Jill Kraus, and even Mayor Bloomberg made a surprise appearance.

One guest who had been to three of the fund’s previous benefits pointed out that this year’s less-formal approach encouraged contact among different sorts of attendees, particularly within bowling teams made up of both artists and collectors.

The silent auction, which is the true barometer of the benefit’s success, was also a hit. This year’s auction sold 31 out of 38 pieces, compared to last year, when three-quarters of 25 works found buyers. Total sales reached $100,000, surpassing last year’s tally of $74,000, although this year's auction included artworks with a wider value range, whereas last year the fund set minimum bids at $1,000. Including sold-out ticket sales, which ranged from $300 for an artist’s ticket to $15,000 for a benefactor spot, the benefit raked in $350,000.

Public Art Fund has not released final auction prices for individual works, but it did say that the biggest sale of the evening was Tony Oursler's Untitled Red (2009), which also bore the highest estimate, $50,000.

Other standout works on offer included Olafur Eliasson’s Double Destiny (2009), a mobile made of wood, magnets, steel, wire, and paint, estimated at $25,000; Roxy Paine’s Study for Synapse (2009), an India ink and graphite on paper piece valued at $6,000; and Pipilotti Rist’s The Help (2004), a four-color print cutout on fabric, estimated at $3,000.