This month the Hospice Palliative Care Association (HPCA) is celebrating 30 years of support to South African hospices with an innovative auction on social media of unique experiences and artworks sourced from amongst South Africa’s top talent.
This exciting virtual sale showcases artworks donated by leading local artists, as well as unique creative experiences at exclusive venues. It launched on Facebook on 14 October 2017, World Hospice Palliative Care Day, and will run for four weeks.
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A wide range of established and emerging artists working across diverse mediums have pledged their support. Professional artists include Janko de Beer, who was recently nominated for a Global Art Award, world-renowned photographer Klaus Tiedge, internationally-celebrated Dylan Lewis, Mandy McKay who is one of the featured artists in The SA ARTISTS June 2017 edition, Catherine Timotei who recently won the Contemporary Art of Excellence 2017 Award and Marieke Prinsloo-Rowe, a recipient of PPC National Young Sculptors Award.
Art experiences include a night at exclusive Ellerman House, which has its own impressive art collection spanning more than two centuries, and dinner at the chef’s table at Belmond Mount Nelson Hotel including a unique, meticulously drafted drawing of one of Executive Chef Rudi Liebenberg’s dishes. Other lots are an overnight stay at The Orient Hotel as well as the Grande Dégustation Menu for two at Restaurant Mosaic, paired with their wine selection, and two luxurious nights in a deluxe room at the Four Seasons Westcliff.
“The Art with Heart…for Hospice auction and exhibition is an exciting, innovative initiative to support HPCA and hospice work in South Africa,” says Dr Liz Gwyther, CEO of HPCA.
“We are appreciative of the incredible support we have received from artists and other donors as we celebrate World Hospice Palliative Care Day and HPCA’s 30th anniversary with the theme ‘Pearls of Palliative Care’. The online auction will help to promote the care received by patients and families to realise good quality of life and active living, even though patients are living with life-threatening or life-limiting illnesses, and raise much-needed funds.”
Joff van Reenen, Lead Auctioneer and Director of High Street Auctions, which is supporting the Art with Heart…for Hospice initiative, says Facebook isn’t frequently used to host South African auctions yet, but as online platforms go it’s exceptionally user-friendly.
“The bidding process is extremely simple and nobody should be deterred by the fact that this might be the first time they’re bidding in this manner. Hospice helps so many families through the most traumatic periods of their lives, but they can’t do it without funding like the money that’ll be raised through this auction so put those bidding fears aside for an exceptionally good cause.
“Simply go onto the Facebook page, select the lots you want and in the comments section place your bid amount. You’ll receive a notification from Facebook if a higher bid comes in, but pop back onto the page regularly anyway; it’s exciting to watch the bidding wars!”
Van Reenen has also throw down the gauntlet to SA’s corporates to get in on the action, and once they’ve bid for them to challenge their industry competitors to up the ante on other lots. “Make it a matter of company pride and don’t take no for an answer,” he contends.
Hospice is one of the top six NGOs in South Africa in terms of public awareness and support. HPCA was founded in 1987 to support the work of individual hospices and provincial hospice associations, operating in nine provinces and 51 health districts.
Hospice enjoys the dedicated support of local heroes, Lucas Radebe who lost his wife to cancer and Judge Edwin Cameron, an advocate for those living with HIV/AIDS.
The catalogue is available for viewing online at www.hpca.co.za, and the auction has gone live as from 14 October 2017 at www.facebook.com/artwithheartforhospice. For further details please contact Natalie at Jenny Handley Performance Management on rsvp@jhpr.co.za or telephone 021 437 0334.
