By Christine de Kock
A FOOTSCRAY artist is holding a fund-raising auction in Maribyrnong to support the 18 Kensington-based artists who lost their work and tools in a fire in January.
Phillipa Willison, is driving the fund-raising effort with a team of artists and is receiving donations for the art auction from across Australia.
“People were pretty devastated after the fire,” Ms Willison said.
“We decided to have a Fabulous Fire Sale Auction not only to raise money but to cheer people up as well.”
Ms Willison said a collection of fine art will be auctioned in April at the Living Museum of the West.
“We have had a donation of a gorgeous Moroccan tent … and an actual artist is being auctioned,” Ms Willison said.
She has already collected about 30 pieces and expects to have about 300 pieces by next month.
She said news of the auction is spreading by word of mouth with a Darwin weaver sending a framed work for the auction and Sydney’s Dean Sewell, who was named Australian Press Photographer of the Year in 1994 and 1998, has sent a large photograph.
Some of Mr Sewell’s previous work has sold for $2000 an image.
Ms Willison said the art community was small and it was not a surprise to see such support.
“We all work together at some point or another – some of the Kensington artists have been involved in the Big West Festival and the Walking with Dinosaurs project involved a number of western suburbs artists.”
She said many artists in the West worked in dilapidated warehouse studios.
“The warehouse fire was pretty bad luck, it could have happened to any of us – many of us work in old buildings that have faulty wiring.”
The auction will be held on 1 April at the Living Museum of the West, Pipemakers Park, Van Ness Avenue, Maribyrnong.
Volunteers are welcome to assist with the project in any capacity.
For details contact fabulousfiresale@yahoo.com.au
Picture: LENWILLIAMS.
