The Art Room is a local charity sponsored by The Duchess of Cambridge which helps children through art therapy is working in partnership with the Columbia Threadneedle Foundation and joining forces with Selfridges’ in a new campaign ‘Says Work It’. This project launching on 29 April 2015 is designed to highlight changes in the way we work and how craftsmanship is embracing new technologies.
Three exciting in-store projects for The Art Room will profile and celebrate the work of this leading charity. For six weeks, The Art Room will have a major presence in Selfridges: an installation of chairs transformed by artists, designers and architects, suspended in the main Atrium space; a pop-up Art Room in the Ultralounge; and a window on Duke Street co-curated by Art Room students and directly inspired by their work. The project will raise funds for the work of The Art Room and is supported by long-term partner, the Columbia Threadneedle Foundation.
“Working with Selfridges has been a wonderful collaboration and an amazing celebration of creativity by many contributors. Not only do we have the pop-up Art Room which demonstrates our working practice and allows people to experience it for themselves, plus the incredible installation of transformed chairs by some exceptional and generous artists and designers; but we also have a window, co-curated by our own students, to champion their sense of self-empowerment. I hope people will come to see and enjoy what we do, and join in the celebration by bidding for the chairs online at Paddle8.” Juli Beattie, Founder Director, The Art Room
The chairs will cascade through the Selfridges’ Atrium in an installation entitled Re-work It produced and curated by Fair & Co. The installation, consisting of different transformations of the Ernest Race BA2 chair will expand in size as more and more of the chairs are added over the duration of the project. From 22 May they will be auctioned in aid of The Art Room through online auctioneers Paddle8, culminating in a live auction event at Selfridges on 9 June 2015. www.paddle8.com/TheArtRoom
Contributing to the installation are:
Henny Acloque · Emma Alcock · Jasmine Alexander · Bill Amberg · Assa Ashuach · Liz Bailey · Edward Barber & Jay Osgerby · Barnaby Barford · Emmie Van Biervliet · David Blandy · Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec · Francesca Bristol · Spectator Camp · Sarah Campbell · Daniel Chadwick · David Chipperfield · Sebastian Conran · Sophie Conran · Fiona Curran · Hugo Dalton · Cara Delevingne in collaboration with Storm Athill · Tom Dixon · Miranda Donovan · Henry Estorffe · Stuart Ferris · Stuart Finlator – Race Furniture · Nancy Fouts · Foxall · Cosmo Fry · Designers Guild · Jasmine Guinness · Lulu Guinness · Hamish & Lyons · Nicky Haslam · Zebedee Helm · Stephane Hof · Patrick Hughes · Kassandra Isaacson · Jenny Jones · Patrick Kinmonth · Tomas Klassnik · Joseph Kosuth · Danny Lane · Liane Lang · Langlands & Bell · Hervé Léger · Chris Levine · Lulu Lytle for Soane Britain · Dan Macmillan · Makerversity · Mlinaric, Henry & Zervudachi · James Moores · John Morgan · Annie Morris · Susan Moxley · David Murphy · Charlotte Olympia ·
Ordinary Architecture Limited Angela Palmer · Korky Paul · William Peers · Jake Phipps · Martha Read · Ian Ritchie Architects · Ab Rogers · Royal Drawing School · The Rug Company · Rose Russell · Rolf Sachs · Francesca Shakespeare · Jess Shaw · Yinka Shonibare MBE · Jason Shulman · Jane Simpson · Pippa Small · Paul Smith · Jenny Van Sommers · Matt Stanwix · Seth Stein Architects · Alice Temperley · Rose Uniacke · Bouke de Vries · Hannah Weiland of Shrimps · Richard Wentworth · Douglas White · Marcia Williams · Lucy Wood · Lisa Wright
The Art Room uses art as therapy to unlock the inherent potential of society’s most vulnerable children. Aged from 5-16, they are referred to one of our Art Rooms because the challenges they face make it difficult for them to engage with learning and the school environment, and can mean they are often at risk of exclusion. In The Art Room they work with specially trained practitioners to develop their self-confidence, personal and social skills.