Changing lives with creativity

Keep A Child Alive ignited Wallace Hall with their fourth annual charity art show and auction for AIDS

Art for AIDS was a multi-faceted exhibit
Image by: Justin Tang
Art for AIDS was a multi-faceted exhibit

A great cause, and the chance to showcase local talent; what more could you want?

From noon until 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Keep A Child Alive (KACA) hosted their fourth annual charity art auction. As a not-for-profit AIDS charity group, KACA’s fundraiser would provide AIDS patients with life-saving Antiretroviral drugs and fund clinics and orphanages in Sub-Saharan Africa and India. With the event raising over $1000 in donations last year, I headed over to Wallace Hall to see what the buzz was about.

After a warm welcome I headed into the auction, met by an overture of music as I took a look at the pieces on display. Art forms from photography and paintings to jewelry and fashion were represented, conveying a variety of messages.

One of the creations that stood out to me, a piece by M. Foster using plastic, fabric and spray paint, seemed to portray the global harms of pollution.

Tania Burr, a third-year bio-chemistry student at the show, described her amazement at the diversity of artistic talent.

“I had no idea what to expect,” she said. “It was nice to see art brought in from all around.”

Some of the photos adorning the walls captured the intricacy and wonder of architecture, while others were shots of grandiose yet solemn giants of nature, such as one of a spectacular waterfall. After stopping to watch a slideshow of pictures from the orphanages and clinics sponsored by KACA, I was captivated by a table presenting a showy and sophisticated jewelry collection by Rita D. Inc.

In addition to featuring artists like Jordan Clarke and Che Kothari from Toronto, I enjoyed hearing much of the art was the product of local creativity. The original idea for the auction was birthed as a way to give students the opportunity to show work who normally wouldn’t be able to.

KACA members Paige Harlock, a second-year religious studies student and Elizabeth Tran, a fourth-year bio-chemistry student, said they had a desire to get more people involved.

“This gives students the chance to participate without necessarily having to join the organization.”

Although I would’ve liked to have seen a bit more information about the cause itself displayed alongside the art, the auction presented a thought-provoking array of pieces revealing a message of not only hope, but encouraging students that their creativity can change lives in a real and profound way.

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