Maggi Hambling CBE donates painting to support special educational needs children from across her home county Suffolk
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One of Britain’s greatest living and controversial artists, Maggi Hambling CBE, has given the special gift of a painting to GeeWizz, Suffolk-based children’s charity, which is being raffled online until Saturday 17th July 2021. The oil on canvas painting, Sunrise, was painted by Hambling in 2020, and measures 10 x 12 inches, with framed dimensions 14 ¼ x 16 inches.
The lucky winner will have the chance to own an original painting by Maggi Hambling CBE with digital raffle tickets available at £20 each, or 6 tickets at £100, available exclusively from www.geewizzcharity.com https://geewizzcharity.com/raffle/1/maggi-hambling-sunrise-painting.
Born in Sudbury, Suffolk in 1945, Hambling first studied locally at Cedric Morris’ and Lett Haines’ East Anglian School of Painting and Drawing at Benton End, Hadleigh, before going to the Ipswich (1962-64), Camberwell (1964-67) and Slade (1967-69) Schools of Art. In 1980 she was appointed as the first contemporary artist in residence at the National Gallery and in 1995 awarded (jointly with Patrick Caulfield) the Jerwood Prize for Painting.
The artist and sculptor has had numerous solo museum exhibitions around the world since 1980 and Scallop, a sculpture celebrating the composer Benjamin Britten on Aldeburgh Beach is one of Suffolk’s most famous landmarks.
Her concern about climate change is reflected in a new collaborative work, with sound artist Chris Watson, founding member of the experimental music group Cabaret Voltaire. As a response to the continued melting of the polar ice caps, the artistic collaboration is currently on display at Snape Maltings until 31st August 2021.
The raffle of her painting Sunrise is being promoted online by GeeWizz until 17th July 2021 with all proceeds funding the installation of a creative space and outdoor arts-related activities within the planned redevelopment of the playground at Thomas Wolsey Ormiston Academy in Ipswich, Suffolk. The school is attended by children and teenagers, from across Suffolk, with special educational needs and high dependency disabilities. The existing playground is currently inaccessible to children in wheelchairs. In building a new, much-needed playground, the funds raised will help create a very special interactive student participant-led area, one that is made possible from Maggi Hambling CBE’s kindness.
“We are so very grateful to Maggi Hambling for donating her thought provoking and inspiring Sunrise painting to support the redevelopment of the playground,” Gina Long MBE, founder of GeeWizz, said. “In light of her strong personal connection with Suffolk, we are delighted that Sunrise will leave such an important, lasting legacy to help nurture creativity, especially at a time when it is so important for vulnerable children and young people to learn and play safely outdoors”.
The total cost to build the new playground is over £400,000 of which Guy Nicholls, owner tru7 Group of companies has donated £100,000 with remaining funds raised by GeeWizz fromEd Sheeran: Made in Suffolk Legacy Auction which featured over 220 highly collectible items of memorabilia, artworks, and experiences went under the virtual, online hammer, attracting bids from around the world. Many local companies are also donating products in kind, in lending their support.
For further information on the exclusive raffle and the playground project, visit www.geewizzcharity.com and follow on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for regular updates.