U2’s The Edge, Bob Geldof, fashion designer Paul Costelloe and Tommy Tiernan are among those who have contributed artwork to an annual charity auction for Jack & Jill Children’s Foundation.
Some 3,000 pieces of original art produced by over 1,200 artists will be available on the day of the sale. However, the identity of the artists is kept secret until the sale closes.
Each piece of art is postcard-sized, costs €60, and will provide four hours of specialist in-home nursing care to a sick child, the charity said. Some 374 children, aged six and under, avail of the service each year.
The sale will go live at incognito.ie on Thursday April 22nd from 10am, but the pieces can be viewed on the website in advance.
The sale also includes pieces from artists Adrian+Shane, Maser, Ed Miliano, Luke Reidy, Tracy Sheridan and Helen Steele.
Carmel Doyle, CEO of the Jack & Jill Children’s Foundation, said that Covid had greatly impacted on the charity’s ability to fundraise.
“Each year, Jack & Jill has to raise over €4 million... Less than 20 per cent of our funding comes from Government, and with Covid-19 continuing to restrict the public-facing fundraising that we would normally do, we are relying hugely on the generosity and support of the public for Incognito 2021.”
Nursing team
Tracy Carroll, from Kells in Co Meath, vouches for the benefit of Jack & Jill’s service. Her four-year old daughter, Willow, has received support from the charity’s nursing team since birth. Willow has cerebral palsy, epilepsy and other health concerns.
“Willow suffered a brain injury and we were thrown into an abyss where you have no idea what you’re doing,” says Ms Carroll.
Catherine Fullerton, Willow’s Jack & Jill nurse, has been with Willow since she was three weeks old. “She’s like her second mum,” says Ms Carroll.
“Jack & Jill give you time to just do normal stuff, like having a shower or going shopping, and also to be with our eldest [child], Noah.”
This is the fifth year of the Incognito art sale, and to date the art sale has raised almost €450,000. It is also Ireland’s largest online art sale.