It’s said that art has the power to heal. Art is therapeutic and meditative, calming and transportive, a connector of people and communities. In the case of Sechelt Hospital Foundation’s Art of Healing, it is also life-giving.
During this year’s Sunshine Coast Art Crawl, the Art of Healing brought artists, their artwork, and art lovers together to celebrate art and community and to raise funds for Sechelt Hospital for the second time. Thirty-six artists each donated a piece of signature artwork on the theme of healing. Each piece was bought by an art patron, the proceeds going directly to Sechelt Hospital Foundation. Thirty-six art collectors took their turns at selecting a piece of art. Drawn at random, the first name picked got to choose from all thirty-six artworks, the next name drawn chose from thirty-five pieces . . . all the way to the thirty-sixth patron, who took home the last piece.
All of the artworks were displayed at an outdoor gallery at the Sunshine Coast Botanical Gardens during the Art Crawl, October 22–24. This gave the public and Art of Healing ticket holders a chance to view the art in person. Pieces from well-known Coast artists such as Marleen Vermeulen, Motoko, John Down, and Gigi Hoeller were on display.
For those who couldn’t quite pony up the $500 for an art-collector ticket, raffle ticket packages of $20, $40, and $60 were available for those who wanted to get in on the vibe, vie for prizes, and find a fulfilling way to donate to health care on the Sunshine Coast. Raffle ticket holders could try their luck at the Art of Healing’s travel raffle prizes, the grand prize being an excursion to Venice, Italy. In the best of times, this is an undeniably enticing win, but even more so in our recent travel-restricted climate. In total, the thirty-six tickets and 8,426 raffle tickets netted over $60,000, which will go to the purchase of a much-needed portable x-ray machine for Sechelt Hospital’s imaging department.
The inaugural Art of Healing was held in 2018 at Sunshine Coast Golf & Country Club in Roberts Creek with phenomenal support and success. As the art event of the season, this writer didn’t want to miss it and brought my then five-week-old baby to the soiree. He slept through it, but that was no indication of how fun the evening was—it’s always a party when Ed Hill is the auctioneer and MC. Returning with much gusto for 2021, the Art of Healing pivoted into a Zoom event and YouTube livestream on Saturday, October 23, with Hill once again directing the proceedings.
You might hear “Zoom event” and think the Art of Healing was your typical remote gathering, the ho-hum kind many of us are familiar with from the past year and a half. But art collectors were invited to engage in a celebratory mood from home this time, with hand-delivered party packs to enjoy while participating in the auction. The event went off without a hitch. Jane Macdonald, executive director of the Sechelt Hospital Foundation, credits technical support from Soundwerks and Vissare Media, both local Coast companies, and new partnerships with Splashdot and 32 Auctions, who helped with the e-raffle and silent auction.
When asked about highlights of the event, Macdonald shares her gratitude to all who participated and to the corporate sponsors, board members, and volunteers who made it all possible. She is especially grateful for how everyone adapted to host both an art exhibit and art event during a pandemic. “Kudos to our friends at the Botanical Gardens who graciously hosted our thirty-six–piece exhibit,” she says. “And some amazing prizes were donated by very special donors who wished to inspire others with the gift of travel! Despite the weather and rolling power outages on the Coast, the spirit of all our exhibit guests and event participants buoyed everyone’s mood.” Reflecting further on the event, Macdonald is already anticipating next year’s fundraiser. “Based on feedback and direction from all participants and artists, we look forward to hosting another Art of Healing in 2023!”
Until then, all the artists from this year’s event will be featured in a monthly rotating gallery at Sechelt Hospital as a special “thank you” and as recognition for supporting the Art of Healing. This year’s artworks are also viewable online at sechelthospitalfoundation.org.
