Sussex Nightstop charity art auction with the Brighton Artists Open Houses Festival

The Artists Open Houses charity online art auction is now live and runs throughout May 2023.

38 artists have donated 39 artworks to the charity auction and with starting bids ranging from £12.60 to £300 this is an affordable and accessible art auction.

Artworks include a broad range of media, including acrylic, oil, watercolour, pencil, ink, pastel, glass, mixed media and wood. Production methods include painting, screen printing; line drawing; photography; lino block; lino print; lino cut; print; monotype, jewellery and carbon engraving.

People can view art in the AOH Festival in artists’ homes, as well as online, and place bids throughout May, with automatic notifications sent if you’re outbid and an opportunity to increase your bid if you want to.

Art has been inspired by an eclectic range of experiences:

physical – from Brighton icons to midsummer and calm horizons; the South Downs and nature around us, to North African stained glass doors/windows and aboriginal art.emotional and spiritual – from Buddhism to friendship, love, music, mythology; social injustice; dreams – the power of imagination and everyone’s need for care and nurture.

personal – from the energy and charisma of a 90’s American wrestler to a son’s journey from the UK to Turkey dressed as Frodo the Hobbit.

Artists have been overwhelmingly supportive to Sussex Nightstop’s cause:

“This cause makes me very grateful for the roof over my head and the night I spent at the wonderful hotel, A Room with a View, overlooking Brighton Palace Pier. Our room had a roof terrace and my husband said ‘there you go, paint’. Little did we know that only a couple of weeks later he would suddenly pass away. I’m sure he would approve if this painting could raise money for Sussex Nightstop.”Christa Hook, artist

To view the fantastic range of artworks and make your bid, please visit easydonate.org/AOH

The partnership between Artists’ Open Houses and Sussex Nightstop is a perfect marriage…. Both organisations are part of a national movement, made successful in Sussex by the community.

Sussex Nightstop is a small charity with a big impact. Its service reminds people at the most desperate of times that people care, which builds confidence and belief – important ingredients in a young person’s ability to maintain the good stuff in their life, seize new opportunities and bring about positive change for themselves.

The Nightstop offer would not be possible without the kindness of its volunteers who, like the artists, open up their houses with a welcoming smile, a generous spirit and a good cup of tea! Recruited with care and trained robustly, they give young people in need the opportunity be themselves in a judgement-free environment.

With around half of Sussex Nightstop’s young guests in education or work, they are unreflective of the stereotypical homeless person, personified by Brighton’s very visible rough sleeping population, with numbers second only to London. While Nightstop’s guests recuperate in host homes, a service co-ordinator connects them with local services and supports their journey into safe and suitable accommodation.

The 15th anniversary fundraising campaign with Artists’ Open Houses will provide much needed funds and the more they raise, the greater impact their service can have on young lives.

A fundraising appeal runs alongside the AOH Festival (6-28 May) and an online auction featuring works from participating artists runs 1-31 May.

You can donate to our SLEEPSAFE fundraiser with AOH online at platform.nationalfundingscheme.org/ZZSAFE?charity=ZZSAFE#.ZFpTChHMLIU or you can give by text using the numbers and reference below:To donate £3, text ZZSAFE to 70331To donate £5, text ZZSAFE to 70970To donate £10, text ZZSAFE to 70191

You can view and bid for a piece of fabulous art from talented local artists at easydonate.org/AOH

platform.nationalfundingscheme.org/aoh?charity=AOHFundraising, payments and donations will be processed and administered by the National Funding Scheme, operating as DONATE, a charity registered in England and Wales (1149800) and Scotland (SC045106). In addition to any text donation, you will incur your standard network message charge (based on your service provider rates). For Terms & Conditions, see easydonate.org