Sussex’s arts calendar will be bolstered by a brand new event next year as Chestnut Tree House children’s hospice and Brighton Dome join forces to host the Big Heart charity art auction in March 2015.
The very first Big Heart auction will include over 200 donated artworks from local, national and celebrity artists, illustrators and photographers including artworks from Raymond Briggs – illustrator of the much-loved The Snowman and Patron of Chestnut Tree House – Dan Baldwin, Jake Wood-Evans, Dion Salvador Lloyd, Pippa Blake, Gary Goodman, Natalie Papmichael and Phillipa Cannan.
Each piece of art will be available for purchase, with all proceeds going towards supporting both Chestnut Tree House – which cares for over 300 terminally ill children in Sussex and South East Hampshire – and Brighton Dome; itself a registered charity committed to providing a groundbreaking arts programme that touches and enriches thousands of lives.
An online gallery – showcasing all participating Big Heart artists and artworks – will be available to view from January 2015. The auction will then go live on eBay for Charity from Thursday 26 February to Sunday 8 March. Alongside the online gallery, Brighton Dome will play host to a public Big Heart exhibition from Tuesday 3 to Friday 6 March. The exhibition is free to enter and will be an opportunity to see first hand artworks from a wide range of artists.
The partnership builds on the collaborative work already begun between the organisations through the Umbrella Club, Brighton Dome’s membership club for children and young people with life-limiting conditions and their siblings and carers.
Over the next few months, artistes and celebrities performing at Brighton Dome will be given a special artists’pack, kindly devised and donated by Lawrence Art Supplies based in Hove, and asked to create their very own masterpiece for inclusion in the Big Heart auction.
Chestnut Tree House and Brighton Dome would love to hear from any professional artists who would like to take part in this exciting new fundraising campaign. Please get in touch with the Big Heart auction team on 01903 871838, email bigheart@chestnut-tree-house.