Forty-five prominent contemporary artists and designers are taking part in an online auction to help raise funds for Milton Keynes Arts Centre.
Each artist has created a unique ceramic plate, the sale of which will help raise money to support an artist-led outreach programme working with children from local communities who have little or no access to arts resources.
The stellar line up of contributors includes Jeremy Deller, Richard Wentworth, Jake and Dinos Chapman (pictured above), Georgie Hopton, Tom Price and Heather and Ivan Morison.
Each have transformed a blank, white ceramic plate into a piece of original work. With prices starting at £100, the auction is sure to attract a lot of attention.
Poppy Sebire, who sits on the centre’s board, said: “Milton Keynes Arts Centre has been going since 1974 and has improved thousands of people’s lives over the years since.
“We did the first of these fundraisers last year and the money it raised helped us replace a broken kiln, work with a local homeless charity on a project helping people living on the streets turn their lives around, and set up a free Saturday morning workshop for local children.”
She added: “If we can raise a similar amount of money this year, it will mean we can continue the homeless charity project and establish an artist-led outreach programme working with kids in communities with little or no arts resources.”
The centre, which is set in the historic grounds of Great Linford Manor Park, includes a gallery in a 17th Century barn, studio space for five creative practitioners housed in historic almshouses, a school house, and creative work spaces. The organisation’s second site, Galley Hill, comprises a number of artists’ studios.
The broad range of work the centre carries out includes exhibitions, live events and educational activities that explore contemporary craft, design and the visual arts.
The auction, which went live this week, runs until 9pm on Saturday 21 March.
For more details visit www.miltonkeynesartscentre.org
