Limerick artists go incognito to support Jack & Jill charity 

FIFTEEN artists from Limerick, city and county, have donated art works to INCOGNITO 2018, an art exhibition to raise funds for the Jack & Jill Children’s Foundation.

Each of the 1500 original, postcard-sized art pieces will go on sale for €50 each when the exhibition and sale open in The Solomon Gallery, Dublin on Friday, April 6. But the identity of the artist will not be revealed until the purchase is made.

It is a chance to purchase a valuable piece potentially worth thousands from a well-known name for a nominal price,according to the organisers who also point out that it will be the single biggest exhibition in the history of the state.

The works can be seen online from this week www.incognito.ie andwww.jackandjill.ie but there will be two preview days at the gallery on Wednesday and Thursday, April 4 and 5.  Buying will be on a first-come basis from 10am on Friday, April 6.

“We have been quite overwhelmed by the number of artists donating their talent, their time and their gift to Jack & Jill,” Hugh Jellet, chief executive of the children’s charity said this week.

“The standard of work is simply silencing and unveiling the artworks for INCOGNITO 2018 is a very proud day for Jack & Jill.  

“We expect people from all around the country will be queuing outside The Solomon Gallery to purchase their favourite piece: theirs for just €50 and a small price for a big impact for the children we support.

“I am also delighted that the platform INCOGNITO provides to less well-known artists to display their talent alongside the big names. People often talk about ‘affordable art’ and the price tag is still in the late hundreds, so it really is a joy to be able to present original works – for people to buy for themselves or for friends – at a fixed price of just €50, and once you conceal the identity of the artist, it becomes simply about whether you like it or not… and that will bring a huge sigh of relief to many!”

Last year INCOGNITO raised over €80,000 to fund home nursing care for the 350 children under Jack & Jill’s wing and it is hoped to repeat this in 2018.

These are children with severe development delay because of brain damage, children who may never paint a picture themselves; precious children who do better at home, where they are well cared for by their parents with critical support from Jack & Jill nurses.  

Since the  Jack & Jill Children’s Foundation was founded in 1997, it has supported over 2,240 children and their families from across the country including a total of 108 families from County Limerick.