Sell yourself for charity – Lighthouse auction featuring Youngblood’s night October 5 and main auction October 6 at Gipps St Gallery Richmond
The annual Lighthouse auction returns on October 6, and is now calling on emerging and established artists to donate work.
For the first time in the auction’s 8-year history, the industry’s under 25s are asked to ‘make art and make good’ to promote the charity that is a guiding light for 75,000 homeless people.
The annual lighthouse charity auction brings together Victoria’s marketing industry to support homeless children, and will be held at the 27 Gipps Street Gallery (Richmond).
Held over two days for the first time, this year the first evening will be devoted to exhibiting art works from both Agency Youngbloods and final year students from the key Melbourne Art and Photography Colleges.
All works that they create and contribute are to be based on the artists’ interpretation of the purpose and the people of the Lighthouse Foundation with the Best of Show being auctioned off on the overall auction night.
Roger Stephens – managing partner of Fenton Stephens – the agency that has been marketing the event for the last two years said: “For 2011 we wanted to deepen the Advertising Industry association by working with the Youngbloods group and their president Byran Micallef.
We’re making it a night where all Youngbloods are encouraged to attend to see their peer’s creative works and included a live debate on a pressing industry topic. Day 2 will then be dedicated to the more traditional format where an impressive level of high quality works from greats in the industry will merge with works from emerging artists from the art world.”
Like many good ideas, the Lighthouse Auction was conceived in a pub. Back in 2004, Kelly Addis – CEO of Melbourne Advertising Agency Boiler Room – organised a few local creative directors to donate some of their own paintings, auctioned off at The Cherry Tree Hotel in Richmond, with all proceeds going to the Lighthouse Foundation.
Commenting on that inaugural event, Kelly said: “Let’s face it, as an industry, we can sometimes be seen as one that sometimes creates vulgar expressions of capitalism. I thought it would be good to give something back to society and what would be better than to give to those unfortunate kids, who for all sorts of reasons and accidents of circumstance find themselves without a home to live and grow in.”
In 2009, shifting the format somewhat, the auction raised about $25k. Then in 2010, attracting works from ad doyens like Ted Powell, Ron Mather, Fysh Rutherford and Bruce Baldwyn as well as emerging artists such as Bill Luke, they raised an impressive $72k.
From such humble beginnings, at this year’s Lighthouse Art Auction over 400 people are expected to attend, with some 120 pieces of art reaching prices ranging from $100 to around $10,000 being auction off, and is intended to raise around $100k to help the plight of Melbourne’s homeless youth.
About the Lighthouse Foundation
Lighthouse provides homeless young people with long-term, safe, stable family-style accommodation, combined with intensive, tailored support programs so that they can help themselves to health, learn to relate to others and rebuild their lives, developing the skills they will need to take back their rightful place in our community. This successful Model of Care is lived out in nine Lighthouse homes across Melbourne.