|
25th August 2010
Continue story below:
A child might be quite pleased to be cast as a ‘witch’ or a ‘wizard’ in our Harry Potter loving culture. This is not the story in Akwa Ibom Nigeria. Four to six children are stigmatised as ‘witches’ every day. The stigma causes them to be abandoned by their family and friends and inevitably leads to an abominable and dangerous life on the streets. Akwa Ibom has the highest rate of child trafficking in Africa. 95% of street children are so-called witches. Stepping Stones is a charity set up in 2003 to rescue the lives of ‘witch’ children. Recently featured in a Channel 4 documentary, it has a model school that provides an education to 200 children a year and provides shelter, healthcare and a scheme to reunite children with their families. To support Stepping Stones, and other charities, over forty leading artists have teamed together for the Art of Giving. This major new art world event will be held at the Saatchi Gallery, London 7-9 October and comprises an exhibition, a silent auction and an open art competition. The Exhibition On show are works by some of the biggest names in the contemporary art world such as Turner Prize winner Mark Wallinger, American artists Jeff Koons and Leonardo Drew, internationally renowned photographer, Terry O’Neill and British artist Gavin Turk. All works are for sale with the profits going directly to charity. The Silent Auction A silent auction will sells works by major artists specifically to raise money for Stepping Stones and the witch children of Nigeria. This has been organised by Toby Clarke, of FAS London, one of the most established galleries in Mayfair. Most of the works have NO RESERVE PRICES, with the exceptions only being the production cost of making the work. You simply leave your name and your top bid with the organiser. The artists whose work will be up for bidding include: Beezy Bailey, Jonathan Baldock, Dan Coombs, Johnnie Clarke, Leonardo Drew, Steve Goddard, Hassan Hajjaj, Tony Heywood, Vivienne Koorland, Henry Krokatsis, Penny Lamb, Che Lovelace, Oliver Marsden, Jason Martin, Zac Ove, Gavin Turk and the list is growing bigger every day. Charities As well as Stepping Stones, the charities supported by the Art of Giving are: Crisis/Michael AZ Art Foundation, CHASE, Elsa Trust and GAWPT, Music Makers, Independent Age, House of Fairy Tales and One Drop Foundation. Further information on Stepping Stones can be found at www.steppingstonesnigeria.org Celebrities The Art of Giving is supported by celebrities from film, television and fashion including Vic Reeves, Derren Brown, Jane Seymour and Terry de Havilland. Please contact Artsinform for more information.Saatchi Gallery, Duke of York’s Building, Kings Road, London SW3 4SQ, 7-9 October 2010
|
