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Arts News & Events
Dishing up celebrities for a super cause
Monday, 21 May 2007
By REBECCA GARDINER
• Howick and Pakuranga Times
COLOURFUL ceramics hand-painted by Kiwi and international celebrities will go under the auction hammer in July.
Ceramic artist Pam McNickle admires Kiwi musician Chris Knox's colourful creation. Times photo Wayne Martin.
Nearly a dozen celebrities including the Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Kiwi musician Chris Knox have painted a plate to raise funds for the Phobic Trust.
Pam McNickle of Howick ceramic studio Crumbles provided the blank plates for the celebrities and says their lively doodles are rare items that should attract a good auction price.
“It’s quite unique to get an international celebrity to paint,” she says.
“It’s creative, it’s colourful and it’s exactly what you want. If they can sell Helen Clark’s sketch for about $4500 then I think they can sell these.”
Events coordinator for the Phobic Trust, Michael Sanders, agrees some of the plates are “spectacular” and says many reflect the personalities of the celebrity artists.
“The Duchess of York one is very much her,” he says.
“Hopefully we’ll get a lot of money for them.”
Ms McNickle says painting ceramics can be an emotional experience and she has dealt with a number of incredibly personal pieces, including special wedding keepsakes and the hand and footprints of stillborn babies.
“I see it as a service as much as a product,” she says.
“It’s not just painting something, it’s the enjoyment and the experience.”
She was approached by the trust earlier this year and was happy to offer her help.
“As a company, it’s something we’d like to do more of. It’s one of those organisations that’s not spoken about — one of the backseat ones that help a range of people.”
Along with raising funds, Mr Sanders believes the auction will benefit the trust by increasing public awareness of phobias and anxiety issues.
“It’s something that over the years many people have pushed aside,” he says.
“The Phobic Trust deals with anxiety, which is what a lot of us have in our lives. It’s important to make people aware that it’s actually alright — you’re not weird.”
To register for the charity ball and auction contact the Phobic Trust on 846-9776.