U2’s The Edge, rock star Bob Geldof, fashion designer Paul Costelloe, comedians Tommy Tiernan and Jason Byrne, TV artist Don Conroy, former Dublin hurling captain, David Sweeney, DJ/artist Mo Kelly, and Nobel prize winner Dr William Campbell, have today been named among the 1,200 artists taking part in this year’s Incognito 2021 in aid of the Jack & Jill Children’s Foundation.
The Incognito art collection is now live at www.incognito.ie with the online art sale taking place on Thursday, April 22 at 10am sharp. What’s unique and exciting about Incognito, is that the identity of the artists behind the 3,000 postcard-size artworks is kept top secret until the sale closes. Each original artwork costs just €60 – with collectors’ items worth so much more – however, the identity of the artist will remain a mystery until the piece is delivered! With last year’s sale selling out in minutes, art lovers are urged to be quick off the mark in 2021!
The 2021 Incognito collection features the work of artists, illustrators and designers from not only Ireland, but 13 other countries around the world, from the USA to Sweden, South Africa to Australia. There’s something to suit everyone’s taste with a broad range of mediums featured, from oils and pastels, to glass and metalwork.
Supporting children, Showcasing artists
Tracy Carroll, from Kells, Co. Meath, is mum to Willow (age 4), who receives support from the Jack & Jill nursing team. Willow has cerebral palsy, epilepsy and other health concerns:
“What should have been just a normal birth became our worst nightmare. Willow suffered a brain injury and we were thrown into an abyss where you have no idea what you’re doing. Willow was sent home and it was thought that she wouldn’t survive. At the time you’re just trying to get your head around what happened, let alone what you now have to deal with. We met Catherine Fullerton, who is Willow’s Jack & Jill nurse, and she’s been with us since Willow was three weeks’ old. She’s like her second mum. Jack & Jill give you time to just do normal stuff, like having a shower or going shopping, and also to be with our eldest, Noah. That was probably one of the hardest impacts. You’re not the mum that he had before and he really needed that extra support.”
For Carmel Doyle, CEO of the Jack & Jill Children’s Foundation, Incognito has the dual benefit of supporting families looking after their very sick children at home, while also showcasing the talents of hundreds of artists:
“From a postcard from The Edge, to a postcard from Robert Ballagh, and the many other postcards in between, I’d like to pay tribute to the 1,200 artists who have given so generously of their time and talent to take part in this year’s Incognito during what has been an extremely difficult time for the arts world. My hope is that in offering their beautiful art as a currency for care, that we can also help shine a spotlight on their work and introduce new audiences to their genius.
“Each year, Jack & Jill has to raise over €4 million to continue doing what we do supporting families to look after their sick children at home, where they belong. Less than 20 per cent of our funding comes from Government, and with COVID-19 continuing to restrict the public-facing fundraising that we would normally do, we are relying hugely on the generosity and support of the public for Incognito 2021. Each piece bought from Jack & Jill means four hours of specialist home nursing care for one of our 374 children.”
2021 will be the fifth year of Incognito which to date has raised almost €450,000 for Jack & Jill’s home nursing care for very sick children. This equates to more than 28,000 hours of specialist home nursing care provided by Jack & Jill nurses and carers the length and breadth of the country.
For more information on Incognito 2021, visit www.incognito.ie or follow us on Instagram @jackandjillcf, on Twitter @jackandjillcf, and on Facebook @2021Incognito, using the hashtag #Incognito21
