Studio to make original items from its filmmakers available for bidding on eBay to raise money for The Grand Appeal at Bristol Children’s Hospital.
Bristol, U.K. – Aardman has today announced that it will be auctioning 28 lots of original and limited edition art to raise funds for Bristol Children’s Hospital charity The Grand Appeal.
The auction will begin on the evening of Sept. 10 and run for seven days, ending Sept. 17 with artwork ranging from original character studies and full color paintings to sculptures and original props from some of Aardman’s biggest productions.
David Sproxton, Aardman co-founder and executive chairman, said: “This is a brilliant opportunity to purchase some extraordinary Aardman artifacts for a cause close to our hearts, The Grand Appeal.”
Enthusiasts and collectors will be able to get their hands on pieces from the Academy Award-winning studio’s stable of talented filmmakers, artists and model makers, including Nick Park (Wallace & Gromit, Chicken Run), Peter Lord (Chicken Run, The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists) and Richard Starzak (Shaun the Sheep Movie). Items up for bidding include an original drawing of Morph, signed by Pete Lord; a unique artwork by Aardman veteran Andy James, which brings together iconic Aardman characters; as well as a selection of framed props from the 2012 hit film The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists. Also included in the auction are a number of items from projects outside of the studio created by our talented model makers and staff.
This is a rare and exciting opportunity for fans to be able to own their very own stunning piece of Aardman memorabilia while donating money to an incredibly important fundraising campaign. All proceeds from the art sale will go toward the charity’s Emergency Department Appeal, which will transform Bristol Children’s Hospital’s Emergency Department. The department treats around 40,000 ill and injured babies and children every year, and as the Major Trauma Centre for the South West, has around 800,000 children in its care from Land’s End up to Swindon.
Nicola Masters, director of The Grand Appeal commented: “For over 20 years we have had such a special relationship with Aardman. Not only do we work with the studio’s incredible characters, we’re very lucky that the Aardman team has been so engaged in fundraising throughout this time. This auction is a brilliant opportunity to acquire some one-of-a-kind art, while also raising money for sick children and babies across the South West.”
The auction, hosted on eBay, can be accessed here. The auction is part of the fundraising effort by the studio to support its team of cyclists — ‘The Aardriders’ — who will be taking part in The Grand Appeal’s unique Land’s End to Bristol cycle event Sept. 21-24.
The Aardriders are: Claire Cohen, Craig Atkinson, David Sproxton, Jez Parr, Kitty Clay, Michael Salter, Nathan Sale and Richard Edmunds.
Source: Aardman Animations
Tom McLean has been writing for years about animation from a secret base in Los Angeles.
