Yoko Ono, Willy Russell and Paul Curtis join artists to auction work for Alder Hey

Alder Hey Children’s Charity is hoping to raise £100,000 for the 7in10 Mental Health Appeal.
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Yoko Ono, writer Willy Russell and local Liverpool artist Paul Curtis have all donated pieces to be sold at auction in aid of Alder Hey Children’s Charity.

The Brighter Futures exhibition and online auction marks Alder Hey’s first art event, which will be free to access and open to the public at the Merseyside Maritime Museum on March 12 and 13.

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Over 120 items will be displayed including a piece by Yoko Ono called I Love You Earth, designed to make people reflect on their own feeling of responsibility about the environment.

Yoko Ono: ‘I love you Earth’ - limited edition silk screen printYoko Ono: ‘I love you Earth’ - limited edition silk screen print
Yoko Ono: ‘I love you Earth’ - limited edition silk screen print

The work was originally conceived as a song on Ono’s 1985 album Starpeace and later made into a standalone text piece and public artwork.

Award-winning playwright, author and composer Willy Russell has added yet another string to his bow through art.

The Liverpool-born writer has been working on painting and experimenting with line, colour and form.

Willy Russell - April WoodWilly Russell - April Wood
Willy Russell - April Wood
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He exhibited his work in 2015 and 2017 at Kirkby Gallery and a new exhibition Seeing Better will be on display at the Coningsby Gallery in London in November this year.

His piece for auction is called April Wood, created in 2017 using acrylic ink on paper mounted to board.

Art to sum up 2020 and ‘recovery and hope’

Paul Curtis, the artist behind For All Liverpool’s Liver Birds in the Baltic Triangle is auctioning his painting Strength, Hope and Recovery, a piece of art which he says tries to sum up 2020.

A nurse is pictured with wings kneeling in the painting. Curtis says she represents the heroes of 2020 and is kneeling as a reference to reference to another strong image from 2020, the Black Lives Matter movement.

Strength, Hope & Recovery by Paul Curtis. Image: Paul Curtis/Adam Partridge Strength, Hope & Recovery by Paul Curtis. Image: Paul Curtis/Adam Partridge
Strength, Hope & Recovery by Paul Curtis. Image: Paul Curtis/Adam Partridge
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He said: “I tried to position her so that she appears as though she is ready to take off.  The wings have broken free of the wall [which] is symbolic of lockdown, and are now part of her.  Together they represent recovery and hope.

“People often tell me that For all Liverpool’s Liver Birds gives them hope and positivity. They link the image with their loved ones, so hopefully many people will feel a personal connection to the piece."

He added: “Alder Hey helped me a lot as a child with asthma and appendicitis and I’m sure lots of other people have close links and reasons to be grateful for its existence in our city.

“Hopefully people who are interested will be extra generous in order to help out the charity campaign.”

Children and young people help create art

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One exhibit has been created with the help of children and young people at Alder Hey.

British artist Rachael Howard, who is also an Art’s for Health practitioner at Alder Hey, worked with 11 patients at the hospital to create a single piece of art titled My favourite word.

The colourful creation uses screen printing techniques on fabric to portray words that bring each individual patient involved in the project, happiness. Words used include ‘summer’, ‘unique’, ‘animals’ and even ‘Peppa Pig’.

The finished piece was brought together by Rachael and revealed for the first time to patient Aleena 14, who was one of the young people who helped to create it on her ward.

Artist Rachael Howard with 14-year-old patient Aleena and the finished piece of art. Image: Alder Hey Artist Rachael Howard with 14-year-old patient Aleena and the finished piece of art. Image: Alder Hey
Artist Rachael Howard with 14-year-old patient Aleena and the finished piece of art. Image: Alder Hey
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Rachael said: “It’s been such fun sharing the joy of screen printing with the children on the wards.  I asked the children to think about their favourite word which they wrote on paper and cut out to make a stencil to screen print with.

“The beautiful and unique handwriting of each participant was transferred into a print using pigment dyes on brightly coloured cotton fabrics.

“The children blobbed orange dyes onto a screen and used a squeegee to pull the dye across the fabric. Their delighted faces when a print is revealed is a wonderful sight. The collaborative artwork brings together all of the favourite words each child printed, taking shape in the form of a cheerful yellow sun.”

The online charity auction which aims to raise £100,000 for Alder Hey Children’s Charity 7in10 Mental Health Appeal, is open from now until the end of the exhibition.

Once registered, the online auction can be accessed via this link https://live.adampartridge.co.uk/m/view-auctions/catalog/id/290

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