An open call for Art from the Heart: Maggie’s Oxford charity exhibition

Clare Crombie, Kew Gardens, 2019, mixed media, 58 cm x 82 cm £400 (Oxford)

Our friends at Zuleika Gallery in Woodstock are inviting entries for their 2021 charity exhibition 'Art from the Heart', which this year is in aid of Maggie's Oxford.

The virtual charity exhibition 'Art from the Heart' will feature work by artists living and working in the UK and aims to raise money for Maggie's Oxford while also supporting artists. 50% of all sales will be donated to Maggie's Oxford, with the other 50% going directly to the artist.

Patrick Hughes b.1939, Love, 2021, Archival inkjet on somerset satin, image size 33 x 41 cms, Paper size : 46 x 54 cms. Edition of 30. £500 in aid of Maggie’s Oxford.

The exhibition will be guest curated by Tim Sayer, Journalist, Collector and Director of Zuleika Gallery, Lena Fritsch, Curator of Modern & Contemporary Art at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, Amanda Jewell, Curator of the Sewell Centre Gallery, Radley College, Deborah Laidlaw, Chair of the Campaign and Centre Fundraising Board at Maggie’s Oxford. Paul Hobson, Director of Modern Art Oxford, will be selecting his favourite work in each category.

The exhibition builds on the overwhelming success of last year’s charity online exhibition, which raised over £7,500 for NHS Oxford Hospitals Charity.

So how did it all start?

Zuleika Gallery, which was founded in Oxford in 2015 by Lizzie Collins, focuses on Contemporary and Modern British Art. Lizzie was due to open a new gallery space in Woodstock in 2020, but this was interrupted by lockdown measures ensuing from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lizzie, together with Hannah Payne, Senior Director of the gallery, knew they wanted to do something to support artists - and the wider Oxford arts community - and the NHS, at such a challenging time, and they also knew that they had the means, and digital capabilities, to host effective online exhibitions.

Lin Kerr, The Bee Lover, 2021, Oil over text on panel, 25 cm x 20 cm, £250 (Chilton)

Justine Formentelli, Troublemaker, 2020, acrylic on canvas, 100 x 80 cm, £1800 (London)

So they came up with the idea to host a 100% non-profit online exhibition that allowed artists to display their artworks through their platform. This offered the artists the potential to sell to a wide audience whilst, at the same time, raising funds to support the NHS Oxford Hospitals Charity.

They collaborated with Amanda Jewell, curator of Sewell Centre Gallery at Radley College, to co-curate the exhibition. And although the trio were overwhelmed by the response they received from artists across Oxfordshire, they selected over 130 entries for the exhibition. Professor Janina Ramirez, University of Oxford, judged ‘best entry' for the exhibition, and Kate Bryan, Global Head of Collections, Soho House, was also a guest judge.

According to Hannah, "This year, as we have entered the third lockdown, we wanted to do another fundraising exhibition but this time open it up wider to a UK Open Call, as we know that artists and the NHS are still very much in need of support. We have an esteemed panel of judges on board this year, and we’ve selected Maggie’s Oxford as our charity which has been important to us at Zuleika, as it has been for so many in Oxfordshire."

Maggie’s Centres, a network of centres built beside NHS hospitals across the UK, aim to create a home-from-home with light, warmth, access to nature and domesticity. Maggie’s Oxford, located at The Patricia Thompson Building at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford, strives to offer the best possible support to anyone with cancer and their families free of charge.

From top to bottom (left to right)

Sophie Basilevitch, Crane Wife, 2020, Linocut, Edition of 15. £180 (Oxford)

Lucy Saggers, Swine Gill, 2019, limited edition black and white digital photograph printed and signed by the artist on pure cotton heavyweight fine art paper, 34 x 51 cm, £160 (North Yorkshire)

Paula Cave, Embrace, 2020, bronze resin, 29 x 16 x 16 cm (Cumnor, Oxford)

Beatrice Hoffman, Stretched Forward 2, 2020, bronze resin, 16 x 45 x 14cm (Garford, near Oxford)

The centre provides a breathing space away from the hospital, and professional support in a calm, uplifting and friendly space. Co-founder Maggie Keswick Jencks knew, from her own experience, the importance of art, architecture and gardens in creating a healing space for those affected by cancer.

As we know, one of the many casualties of the COVID pandemic has been a cut in financial support for many charities, and Maggie’s has suffered much like other organisations. The Oxford Magazine is happy to support Zuleika Gallery in calling out to the big-hearted artists that made things happen last year to join them again in trying to make a difference by supporting this wonderful and life-enhancing organisation.

Entries for Art from the Heart: Maggie's Oxford charity exhibition are welcomed in painting, sculpture, print, ceramic and photography, and the deadline for entries is 01 March.

The exhibition will be launched online on 20 March 2021 and will be available to view until 05 April 2021. In line with government guidelines, the gallery is closed physically. The gallery will operate a virtual viewing appointment booking system, and the exhibition will also be available to view online.

Artwork selected by Dr Janina Ramirez as 'Best Entry' last year Anthony Hinchliffe, The blind boy and the arsonist, 2020, oil on canvas, 102 x 76cm. £2,650 (Sold) £2,650

All artworks that are shown above (except Anthony Hinchliffe, The blind boy and the arsonist) are available for sale Art from the Heart: Maggie's Oxford charity exhibition. Please contact Lizzie Collins or Hannah Payne at Zuleika Gallery for more details.

The post An open call for Art from the Heart: Maggie’s Oxford charity exhibition appeared first on The Oxford Magazine.

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