Live Auction – Thursday, April 25, 2013, 7:30 p.m.
The Gallery
99 Sudbury Street, Toronto
The cataloque
ArtBarrage were very proud to once again curate the ArtBarrage 2013 FreeHand contemporary art auction to raise funds for War Child’s vital mission.
The mission to work with war-affected communities, helping children “reclaim their childhood through access to education, opportunities and justice” is needed more than ever in war-torn nations where vulnerable communities are struggling to overcome the trauma of war.
The FreeHand Crew (from left to right): Lorna Read, Jennifer Ivanovs, Emma Cosgrove, Barbara Harmer, Walter Willems, Lee Piazza and Kelly McCray
By incorporating drawings made by children in Afghanistan alongside contemporary visual artists, the FreeHand auction celebrates the War Child community, the visual arts community and the creative process in all it’s many manifestations.
Guest are registering in
Installation view
58 artworks were up for auction, from emerging artists to established career artists like John Brown, Bill Burns and Douglas Walker. It was a well attended event with a mix of seasoned art collectors, War Child supporters and first time buyers. There was work for sale in a variety of mediums: collage, drawing, painting, photography, prints, neon and sculpture. Some of the artists were in attendance. The auction sells doubled the number form last year, which is amazing.
Artwork by John Nobrega
The bidding
Lorna Read, the Chief Operating Officer at War Child Canada wrote to the ArtBarrage: “I wanted to extend a warm thank you again for all of your tremendous efforts that led to the successful event of last Thursday evening. There was a wonderful spirit in the room, and people were not only generous, but they were also very engaged with the cause of War Child and the purpose of the event! I hope that you were all satisfied also with the results of your work. It is wonderful when a partnership develops in such a positive way, and I look forward to many more years of collaboration on an event that is surely only going to continue to grow.”
Auctioneer Stephen Ranger from Waddingtons Auction House
Text: Walter Willems
Photo: Matt Forsythe