James Haddrell: Artist’s support for charities during the COVID-19 pandemic
Along with so many others, working from home is starting to get difficult.
Some days the barriers are linked to technology, some days it gets depressing not being in a theatre when that’s been my life for decades, and some days I’d just rather spend with my family – but for some, home is either a dangerous place, or something they don’t have at all.
The charities Crisis and Refuge are currently working to support the homeless and the victims of domestic abuse whose situations have become so much worse during the COVID-19 pandemic but charities have also found themselves impacted by the situation with donations dwindling in the face of mass uncertainty over jobs.
Artist Sian Bonnell, Artist/Printer Charlie Meecham and Producer Tracy Marshall – all members of arts collective TRACE – decided that they could do something to help.
Harnessing the energy, generosity and goodwill of their photography friends and colleagues the trio have produced an online art fair offering affordable work by international photographers in aid of the two charities.
The works – donated by 50 artists as diverse as Martin Parr, Helen Sear, Sian Davey, Peter Mitchell, Maryam Wahid, Ben Soedira, Daniel Meadows, Susan Derges, Jem Southam, Brian Griffin, Jillian Edelstein, Tom Hunter, Joy Gregory, Tish Murtha, Clare Strand, Nigel Shafran, Ken Grant and many more – are now available to order for a limited time from www.traceportfolio.com.
The works are hugely diverse, from the negative abstraction of Alicia Hart to the Edward Hopper styled pub interior of Hannah Starkey or Carolyn Mendelsohn’s glimpse of childhood – and many more besides.
Each A4 print will be sold for just £50 plus postage/packing and proceeds will go to the two charities, both of which have endorsed the campaign – Crisis who work directly with those experiencing homelessness to provide vital help and support to rebuild lives, and Refuge who support more than 6,000 clients daily, helping them rebuild their lives and overcome many different forms of violence and abuse.
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