The Art For Bales charity art event is back this weekend (Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 October), with all proceeds going to the Aussie drought-relief organisation, Rural Aid.
200 Australian artists, from across the country, are donating original artworks to be sold via Instagram in what is a win-win for everyone. Buyers will procure a beautiful piece of original art, while helping out our rural communities, who are currently living through one of the worst droughts in Aussie history.
“The whole concept has snowballed fantastically in a year, from co-founder Kate Pittas and I donating the sale price of a painting to buy a bale, to it becoming this collective effort that’s gone viral in the online art world,” says Art For Bales co-founder Andrea Hamann who launched the inaugural event last year which raised an impressive $77,000.
“With Art For Bales, our goal is threefold: raising the funds, raising awareness of just how badly the drought is affecting people outside the cities, and – from a mental health perspective – letting affected communities know that we haven’t forgotten about them,” says Andrea.
Prices for the works start at a very affordable $30 and go right up to $4,500 for the more serious collector. Participating artists include Sulman Prize finalist and Hawkesbury Art Prize winner Ben Tankard, Paddington Art Prize winner Kiata Mason, along with Alexandra Plim, James Lai, Joan Blond, Thomas Bucich, Maggi McDonald, Tracy Dickason and Ana Young.
“From droughts to fires, the thought of having to deal with one natural disaster after another is difficult to contemplate but that’s what these farmers go through,” says Rural Aid chief executive officer, Charles Alder of the charity that supports our farmers in many ways, providing everything from bales of hay to mental health services. “The demand for mental health support is unprecedented right now,” says Charles.
How to participate:
- Head here and browse the page to see the artworks available for purchase.
- From 12:00am AEDT on Saturday 19 October, once you’ve decided which artwork you’d like to purchase, visit the Instagram page of the artist and comment ‘SOLD’ on their post. The first to comment ‘SOLD’ buys the artwork.
- Organise payment, receipt and shipping with the artist directly.
- The artist will then send Art For Bales a receipt of their donation to Rural Aid, to the amount of the sale.
- Share your artwork and spread awareness using the tags #artforbales2019 and #artforbales.
For more on Art for Bales | Contemporary Indigenous Australian artist Natalie Jade
