Sculpture Raises $110,000 for Women’s Refuge

Women’s Refuge in New Zealand was presented with a cheque for $110,000 last Thursday (April 4), following the successful NZ Sculpture OnShore exhibition last November.

The exhibition is organised by charitable foundation Friends of Women’s Refuges Trust (FoWR), who have supported Women’s Refuge for many years by sculpture exhibitions, held every two years on Auckland’s North Shore and featuring the work of more than 100 sculptors. Over 17,500 people visited the event.

Presenting the cheque, FoWR chair Alix Bachmann said “Our partnership with Women’s Refuge has not only been in our donations of over $1.3m, but we have also been able to provide a public interface for the organisation, promoting awareness of their valuable work in our community.” She noted Art New Zealand’s summary of the event – “A worthy cause is supported and local artists earn income. Shelter goes viral, and benefits all in its path”.

“At the sculpture event in November last year I was impressed with the amount of work Friends of Women’s Refuges put in to make this a world class experience,” said the National Collective of Independent Women’s Refuges Chief Executive Heather Henare. “Women’s Refuge were able to provide educational information to people who visited and we noticed that several sculptural pieces had a resonance with domestic violence.”

She commented that all Women’s Refuges throughoutNew Zealandhad benefitted from the long term relationship with FoWR. “Without this support, women and children would not have received some of the professional services and quality experiences on offer at our refuges.”

The donation is likely to support the launch of a new project for Women’s Refuge. The project, planned in the retail sector, could create a stream of income to support work not currently funded by other means. If a feasibility study shows benefits, the NZ Sculpture OnShore donation may make this project a reality.

The next NZ Sculpture OnShore exhibition at Devonport’s Fort Takapuna Historic Reserve is planned for November 2014.

Press contacts:

Jillian Ewart for FoWR/NZ SoS  jillian.ewart@xtra.co.nz   09 475 1145 0274 866 017

For Women’s Refuge:  Sue Lytollis  sue@refuge.org.nz 04 802 5078