Artworks donated by local artists helped raise a total of P1.4 million in an online auction that aims to raise funds for United Nations’ Childrens Fund (Unicef) projects in the Philippines.
“Auction for Action” was launched on Ebay Philippines to raise funds for Unicef projects by selling works of Filipino artists in contemporary art (painting and photography), design, furniture, fashion and jewelry.
The result of the auction exceeded our expectations. What is so magnificent is the generosity shown by the artists by donating these works of art to Unicef. The proceeds from this auction will enable us to reach the most disadvantaged children,” said Unicef country representative Vanessa Tobin.
The online auction went live for 11 days with a Michael Cacnio piece getting the highest bid price at P100,000. Meanwhile, Mich Dulce’s Adam Ant hat received 91 bids, the highest in the auction set.
The projects would mainly focus on providing food, education and health services to children born to poor families who have no access to such services, added Tobin.
TV host Daphne Oseña-Paez, who also serves as Unicef special advocate for children, organized the event and invited local designers to donate their works for the project.
Oseña-Paez said she thought of the auction as a means to raise awareness about the plight of children in remote villages and offer an avenue for people to reach out to them.
She added that a lot of young Filipino artists are very open to donating their works for a good cause.
Adoree and Richmond Uy of Makati City were the winning bidders of Popo San Pascual’s Blue Elephant painting, one of the most coveted items at the auction. The couple read about the auction in Oseña-Paez’s blogs and posts on Twitter.
“We’re not only getting a nice piece of art but also helped a lot of children through Unicef, so we consider this one of the best investments we’ve made,” said Uy.
Furniture collector Christine Tan of Cagayan De Oro City now owns Reg Yuson’s Mozzarella seats.
“I bid for Reg Yuson’s Mozzarella seats because of their modern shapes and colours. They fit the interiors of my house. I researched on these pieces before I bid, and I found out that Reg took some time to come up with the technology to create the seats,” said Tan.
Other artists and designers who donated their works for the auction were Seb Chua, Kenneth Cobonpue, Araceli Limcaco Dans, Kristine Dee, Janina Dizon, Tom Epperson, Accessory Lab, Ito Kish, E. Billy Mondoñedo and Ramon Orlina.
Works of Debbie Palao, Giacomo Pirozzi, Ling Quisumbing Ramilo, Benji Reyes, Joey Samson, Vito Selma, Victor Sollorano, Paul Syjuco, Ricky Toledo and Chito Vijandre of FIRMA/Felicity were also donated for the auction.
(source: Yahoo News)
