Artists for Peace and Justice announces the second edition of FIERCE CREATIVITY, a four-day selling exhibition at PACE Gallery featuring work from 45+ leading contemporary artists who are committed to extraordinary impact. Curated by Chuck Close and Jessica Craig-Martin, every piece of artwork in the collection is poised to change lives: 100% of proceeds from the exhibition will benefit Artists for Peace and Justice.
Says Jessica Craig-Martin, “It would not have been possible for me to ask people to contribute if I did not believe in the effectiveness of Artists for Peace and Justice and in the new template it brings to the charity world. These artworks are the fuel for a simple but powerful weapon: education. It is a cause that I believe all artists should be involved in, as there are none of us who could refute every child's right to a good and free education.” FIERCE CREATIVITY will create a ripple effect that extends far beyond the exhibition itself.
Founded by filmmaker Paul Haggis, Artists for Peace and Justice (APJ) is a non-profit organization that encourages peace and social justice and addresses issues of poverty around the world. APJ's immediate goal is to serve the poorest communities in Haiti with programs in education, healthcare, and dignity through the arts. Driven by the belief that primary school education alone does not provide the training and skills necessary to climb out of endemic poverty, APJ has made a major strategic investment in secondary and higher education in Haiti. APJ schools provide full scholarships to every student.
FIERCE CREATIVITY's presenting partner is BOVET 1822, the long-term strategic partner that has committed to five million dollars to APJ over five years. FIERCE CREATIVITY is co-presented by VHERNIER, a long-term partner of APJ who was the founding partner of FIERCE CREATIVITY last year. Together with BOVET, the two luxury houses allow 100% of sales to benefit APJ programs. The price of each artwork is set by its respective artist and honored by APJ. APJ extends special thanks Jessica, Chuck, BOVET 1822, VHERNIER, all the participating artists and committee members, and PACE Gallery.
This year’s participating artists are Rita Ackermann, Huma Bhabha, Sanford Biggers, Cecily Brown, Tom Burr, Chuck Close, Anne Collier, Jessica Craig-Martin, Michael Craig-Martin, Martin Creed, Gregory Crewdson, John Currin, Urs Fischer, Liam Gillick, Katy Grannan, Damien Hirst, Jonathan Horowitz, Jasper Johns, Joan Jonas, Alex Katz, Julian Lethbridge, Malerie Marder, Mary Ellen Mark, Adam McEwen, Josephine Meckseper, Marilyn Minter, Rob Pruitt, Martin Puryear, Theo Rosenblum and Chelsea Seltzer, Mika Rottenberg, Jackie Saccoccio, David Salle, Joel Shapiro, Laurie Simmons, Lorna Simpson, Kiki Smith, Billy Sullivan, Rirkrit Tiravanija, Jack Tworkov, Charline von Heyl, Kara Walker, William Wegman, Aaron Young, and Zhang Huan.
The 2014 exhibition committee members are Hope Atherton, Anne Bass, David Belle, Stefania Bortolami, Cecily Brown, Gavin Brown, Ivy Crewdson, Clarissa Dalrymple, Stacy Engman, Mark Fletcher, James and Maya Frey, Thelma Golden, Paul Haggis, Jan Hashey, Kim Heirston, Julian Lethbridge, Tobias Meyer, Yasuo Minagawa, Pascal Raffy, Jeanne Greenberg Rohatyn, Amy Sacco, John Silberman, Amy Todd Middleton, Carlo Traglio, Peter Tunney, Leo Villareal, and Yvonne Force Villareal.
Says Chuck Close, “I joined Artists for Peace and Justice because their model is so unique. Witnessing the bureaucratic deadlock after the earthquake in Haiti, APJ quietly took matters into their own hands and started building schools in direct partnership with Haitians. We have been getting things done where big organizations are not, and I am proud to make even more progress thanks to the commitments of the artists participating in this exhibition.”
The sale will run from October 21st, 2014 through October 25th, 2014.
