Supporters: Wildflower Sculpture Exhibition
Supporters: Wildflower Sculpture Exhibition
The inaugural Wildflower Sculpture Exhibition was held in 2008. Over the six five-day exhibitions in 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2018, around 27,000 visitors have been welcomed to Round Pond Garden to view and purchase works from Hawke’s Bay and New Zealand artists.
In late November 2018, Mike and Julie Russell donated $100,000 to Cranford Hospice , taking their overall donations from the Wildflower Sculpture Exhibition to to $321,000.
Organiser and host Julie Russell says, “We’re delighted that the effort and work we and all of our fantastic, committed and generous sponsors, team and artists have put into the event is paying such a significant dividend to Cranford Hospice,” she says.
“The last exhibition yielded $70,000 for Cranford, so to have a big increase like this is really heartening. In putting on an event of this size, we ask a lot of our team – which is made up of our family and friends, so I’m sure they’ll take heart from this too.”
During the five days over 7,000 people visited Round Pond Garden, the home of the Mike and Julie Russell, experiencing a field of wildflowers in full bloom, the architectural Mediterranean landscape and the outdoor exhibition which featured over 80 artists from around New Zealand.
Two evening events – the Exhibition Preview and Wildflower Sculpture at Twilight with Midlife Crisis – added to the festivities and the number of people enjoying this unique spring fundraiser. The Saturday of the exhibition saw the Youth Training Orchestra playing on the main lawn plus face-painting and balloon animals for the younger members of the audience, and refreshments flowed throughout the garden for the duration of the event.
Cranford Hospice’s Marketing and Fundraising Manager Sheena Revington says that the biennial exhibition is a showcase of the best of Hawke’s Bay.
“The event is a combination of incredible vision, outstanding talent, beautiful landscaping, and the ‘roll your sleeves up’ attitude that our community has when it comes to supporting one another. Thank you to the Russell Family and to all those that made this possible.”
“Every day Cranford Hospice is supporting 200 patients and their families living in the Hawke’s Bay. The funds raised from the Wildflower Sculpture Exhibition will ensure that we can continue to do this. Last year alone, the team made 23,732 contacts with 863 patients – either at home, on the phone or in our inpatient unit. Of that, more than 9,000 visits were to patient’s homes, from Mahia through to Takapau.”
The Wildflower Sculpture Exhibition is a sister event of the Hospice Holly Trail and the Hawke’s Bay Wine Auction, which took place during the same week and also fundraise for Cranford Hospice.
“We love being able to offer what we can as a family and a community of people to help the Cranford Hospice team deliver the caring and compassionate – and essential – service they provide for Hawke’s Bay,” says Mrs Russell.
“It’s a wonderful cause, very dear to many Hawke’s Bay families, and this donation, plus the fun we saw so many people having during the exhibition have been the big highlights. Kids swinging on the maypole, artists chatting with buyers, people delighting in the wildflowers and engaging with the sculptures, it was fantastic. We’re looking forward to doing it all again in 2020.”
Over 70% of artwork for sale sold during the exhibition, providing excellent paydays for the artists involved, as well as for Cranford Hospice.
Save the Date for the WSE#6: 11-15 November 2020! Read more about this exhibition by checking out their website.
