Source: The Expat magazine January 2011
Get your free subscription and free delivery of The Expat magazine
This article has been edited for ExpatGoMalaysia.com 

Held for the first time at the Alice Smith School, the Art Action Charity Auction jointly organised with The Expat Group was a resounding success.

Several highly renowned and celebrated artists together with staff and students of the Alice Smith School came together and donated their time and artworks for two very worthy causes, the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO). A total of 36 pieces of artwork featuring unique and stunning scenes of Malaysian life, landscapes, abstract work, charcoal sketchings, digital media print, ceramic works, watercolour, acrylic and oil paintings were auctioned, raising over RM 30,000 for the two selected charities.

Make-A-Wish Malaysia grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. A wish experience is a dream come true and is a source of hope and inspiration for children undergoing difficult medical treatments. Even though in some cases there are no cures, this is something positive for the children and their families to look forward to. WAO offers shelter and support to victims of domestic violence and its Executive Director, Ivy Josiah was touched at the outpouring of support in the audience, among the students and the Expat Community. The inaugural Art Auction was launched by Tuan Hj. Azizan Noordin, the Acting Director General of the Ministry of Tourism Malaysia.

“We encourage more events such as this to be held in support of the government’s initiatives and I am pleased that the Alice Smith School and The Expat Group have taken such a positive and innovative step forward. I was informed that plans are already underway to make this an annual event with other international schools. It will link with other international schools in the effort of promoting young talents and also giving our local artists a platform to share their experiences and skills with these young talents to further develop the art industry in Malaysia” said Tuan Hj. Azizan Noordin in his opening speech.

The Alice Smith School and The Expat Group were also honoured to welcome Datuk Tristan Beauchamp Russell of the Boh Plantations Sdn. Bhd. Datuk Russell was present to officially open the new Art Department building.

In Malaysia, Datuk Russell and BOH Plantations is actively involved in nurturing the exciting development of the performing arts scene. BOH Plantations together with virtual publishing house and arts and culture portal Kakiseni.com, introduced the country’s first ever awards ceremony for the performing arts in 2002: The BOH Cameronian Arts Awards.

“We are extremely grateful for these VIPs in taking time out of their busy schedules to mark the occasion of both the new building and our celebration of local professional artists, staff and students through the auction” said Director of School, Mrs Valerie Thomas-Peter. She continued, “Art plays an integral role in the development of students. Here at the Alice Smith School, art not only enriches a student’s experience of life; art can also build a student’s capacity for understanding and develops their ability to navigate the world,” Mrs Valerie Thomas-Peter sums up.

Professional artists who contributed to the cause are Yap Kim Boon, Jake Goh, Lee Sin Bee, Stephanie Kuen, Soon Wai Lai, Liew Ching Choong, Weng Fatt, Tan Yeok Khang and Tan Gaik Hoon.“The idea to hold an Art Auction was to give students and staff the opportunity to use their creative skills to benefit others in our community. We are also extremely grateful to all our sponsors and the local Malaysian artists for their generosity, time and effort in contributing their works,” remarked Expressive Arts Department Leader David Boyle.