New Zealand Artists come together to raise funds for Gumboot Friday

Turua Gallery announces its support of Mike King’s charity Gumboot Friday with an art auction taking place on Friday 12 May. With Mike King MCing the event, the auction will be held at the Babylon Store, 15 Turua Street, St Heliers, Auckland.

Fifteen New Zealand artists have come together to help raise funds for Gumboot Friday, a charity that is set up to help connect young people with counsellors or therapists. Auction venue Babylon are also donating a planted set in a handmade vessel from artist Nina Chechelashvili. 100% of the proceeds from the auction will be donated to Gumboot Friday.

With an array of artists donating their work for the auction, viewings will take place at the gallery from midday Thursday 11 May until the auction begins on Friday 12 May. Doors will open from 5.30 pm and the auction will commence at 7.00pm. Phone bidding is also offered for people out of Auckland.

Mike King states, “Having the support of the New Zealand public means everything to us at Gumboot Friday. With the funds raised, we're able to provide free counselling for children and young people, which is crucial in helping them deal with small problems before they become big, life-threatening issues. By addressing mental health issues early on, we can prevent them from escalating and ensure that children have the tools they need to lead healthy, fulfilling lives. It's a powerful way to make a real difference in the lives of young people, and we're grateful to everyone who supports our cause.”

Turua Gallery owner Melissa Wallace states, “The idea was born from a desire to help support our youth and the amazing work Mike King and his team do. There is so much need for mental health support right now with such horrendous waits, meanwhile our young people are struggling. We want them to know they are cared about and seen so we decided to bring together the generosity of our wonderful artists with the generosity of our amazing community, both near and far to support Mike’s work.”

Auckland-based artist Dr Rachael Mayne is one of the fifteen artists donating a piece of her work to the auction. Dr Mayne is also a Clinical Psychologist specializing in eating disorders so feels strongly about supporting Gumboot Friday, commenting “Helping youth is something I’m very passionate about and the reason I became a Clinical Psychologist. Having worked in multiple sectors in the industry having a charity like Gumboot Friday is so important for many reasons - the least I can do is support Turua’s initiative by donating one of my pieces.”

Confirmed artists for the auction are:
Abbey Merson

Bec Robertson

Carmel van der Hoeven

Carrie Broomhall

Georgina Hoby Scutt

Harriet Millar

Helen Bankers

Jamie Adamson

Kirsty Nixon

Kylie Rusk

Michel Tuffery

Nina Chechelashvili

Rachael Mayne

Sara Langdon

Tony Ogle