Brilliance Gala auctions works by Artists for Kids founders Gordon Smith, Bill Reid, and Jack Shadbolt
Inaugural event raises $470,959 for the arts-education charity
Brilliance Gala co-chairs Yoshi Karasawa, Patti Glass, and Ian Wallace. Photo by When They Find Us
THE GORDON & MARION Smith Foundation for Young Artists has announced it raised $470,959 at the first Brilliance Gala.
The tribute to late West Coast icon Gordon Smith benefitted his educational Artists for Kids charity on June 15.
The gala marked the first large-scale gathering in celebration of Smith since his death in January 2020 at 100, with a goal of raising funds to carry forward his vision for years to come.
In 1989, Smith, Jack Shadbolt, and Bill Reid were among the founding members of Artists for Kids, an organization dedicated to promoting art education in schools by bringing professional artists into the classroom. Today, Artists for Kids provides more than 5,000 young people annually with visual-art enrichment programs.
The live auction at the event, hosted by Vicki Gabereau and Fred Lee, featured an artwork by each of the three Patron Artist Founders.
Born in England, Smith moved to Winnipeg at the age of 14 and went on to teach art and art history at UBC. A key figure in Canadian art, the West Vancouverite painted every day, and was honoured with the Order of Canada as well as career retrospectives at the Vancouver Art Gallery.
The gala also inspired the Friends of Gordon Collection, consisting of more than 50 artworks that stand as a testament to Smith’s legacy fostering the exchange of creativity among his peers and the people he met over the years. A range of artists each donated a work for auction that pays homage to Smith, in a reflection of direct creative kinship or mentorship with Smith, or of their own experience with the Smith Foundation and Artists for Kids.
The late Gordon Smith in his studio. Photo courtesy of Artists for Kids
