Date
6 September 2017
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Going, Going, Gone: Converse launch 2017 art auction, now live

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Date
6 September 2017

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Converse have a long-established history when it comes to inspiring and supporting creatives, so it was no surprise to hear that following the success of the 2016 Lovejoy Art Auction, the omnipresent sneaker company are back with another auction. This year Converse have teamed up with a multitude of established and emerging artists from across the globe, each of whom has contributed a piece of work to the auction. In September, bidding will commence via online auction house Paddle8. The profits will go directly to Artists For Humanity, a Boston-based not-for-profit company whose mission is “to bridge economic, racial, and social divisions by providing under-resourced urban youth with the keys to self-sufficiency through paid employment in art and design.”

There’s a huge range of work on auction from the artists, with many of the pieces valued at between $10,000 — $20,000, but if you’re feeling a little less flash, the bidding for some pieces starts at around $1,000. As for the artists involved, it’s a blockbuster list which includes some of It’s Nice That’s favourite creatives. Keep your eyes peeled for work from Ari Marcopoulos, Cleon Peterson, Stefan Marx, Erik Parker, Pat Falco, Simone Shubuck and many, many more.

Over the next few weeks, It’s Nice That will be hearing from four of the Lovejoy Art Benefit’s most thought-provoking creatives — Hamburg-based Stefan Marx, Montreal-based Dominique Petrin, and Brendon Monroe and Ben Jones, who both live and work in LA — and giving you a little more insight into the work they have contributed to the Lovejoy Art auction.

If you can’t wait until then, Converse have made three films exclusively for It’s Nice That which shine a light on the creative processes of a trio of artists: Drew Merritt,Tara McPherson and Kevin Cyr. We take a trip backstage into the studio of artist Drew Merritt, whose hyperreal works in oil on canvas have helped him through periods of poor mental health. “In the brushstrokes you’ll see me,” he explains. “It saved my life a million times, got me through depression a million times. Putting it visually you can affect a lot of people positively because they realise they’re not alone going through that.”

A second video travels to the working studio of Tara McPherson, who explains her “love and fascination for science”, and how taking an astronomy class in school has inspired her work. Thirdly, we take a trip out around the outskirts of Boston with artist Kevin Cyr, who paints highly detailed images of vehicles, to uncover stories of Boston and the city’s community.

All 49 original artworks created for the Lovejoy Art Benefit have been showcased at the Converse World Headquarters in Boston for the past year. Now they’re available to buy via online auction house Paddle8. All profits raised from the auction will be donated to Artists for Humanity, a Boston-based not-for-profit company whose mission is “to bridge economic, racial, and social divisions by providing under-resourced urban youth with the keys to self-sufficiency through paid employment in art and design.”

Visit the auction page here to see the full selection of artworks being auctioned for Artists for Humanity

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