Villa Maria hosted a launch, auction and exhibition for its first Art Calendar on 2 September 2009.

The calendar was created to provide the Villa Maria community with an opportunity to showcase their work, as well as raise much-needed funds for our many art programs.

There was much excitement as the launch day of the first Villa Maria Art Calendar drew near. Since late May, artworks arrived at the Marketing office on a daily basis, eventually surrounding the team.

Some of the pieces were large and dramatic, while others were small and exquisite. All expressed the creativity of the people who access Villa Maria’s programs across Disability, Education and Senior Services.

Individual and group artists aged nine to ninety, submitted 48 pieces ranging from glorious abstracts through to evocative landscapes using many mediums including canvas, sculpture, textiles and ceramics.

The difficult task of selecting thirteen pieces for the calendar was undertaken by an expert selection panel comprising Chris McAuliffe, Director, Ian Potter Museum of Art, University of Melbourne; Paul Ryan, Designer and Director, Care Marketing; and James O’Brien, Archibald Prize entrant and St Paul’s College staff member.

The special launch event, auction and two-day exhibition was held at Richmond Uniting Church Gallery 314, with many of the artists in attendance. At the launch, Beryl Raufer, Acting Deputy CEO, announced the 13 artworks and presented certificates of achievement to the artists. To help raise additional funds, an auction was conducted by auctioneer Michael Fry of Nelson Alexander who encouraged some spirited bidding.

We hope to turn the Villa Maria Art Calendar into an annual event, but we need the help and support of all members of the Villa Maria community. Our target is to sell 1,000 calendars in the lead up to Christmas with all proceeds from the calendar being equitably distributed to the participating programs so they can supply their budding artists with the resources they need to pursue their passion.

The beautifully produced wall calendar is selling for just $20 and comes in a decorative presentation/postage sleeve, making it a perfect Christmas gift. Villa Maria’s collection of Christmas Cards is also available for sale. To place an order for the cards or the calendar, call Sharon McCormack 03 9855 7641 or preview and order online at: www.villamaria.com.au.