Art for Marriage Equality

After months of planning, Marriage Equality's art exhibition and fundraising auction was held on Friday 25th and Saturday 26th of November.

We were delighted with the levels of support we received from so many of Ireland's leading artists, who generously donated their works to be auctioned off in support of Marriage Equality, as well as several art lovers who kindly donated pieces to our event. Thanks to their generosity and support we were able to raise over €12,000 towards our campaign for equality for same sex couples, our families and our children!

We'd like to say a huge thank you to Darina Brennan for her energetic and enthusiastic leadership, and for working so tirelessly to realise her idea of reaching out to the art and art-loving community in Ireland for their support.

We'd also like to thank the Art for Marriage Equality working group, Eamon O'Connor of Adam's on the Green for running the auction, and everyone involved in the night who helped to make it such a success.

The artists and art-lovers involved:

Pauline Bewick (donated by Katherine Zappone) | Terry Bradley (donated by Caroline Downey) | Mary Burke | Loretto Cooney | Diana Copperwhite | Mark P Cullen | Stephen Cullen | Dave Daly | Gabhann Dunne | Hugh Fitzgerald Ryan | Jim Fitzpatrick | Annmarie Greevy | Odile Hendriks | Clinton Kirkpatrick | Aine Macken | Maria Magee | Katrina Maguire (donated by Caroline Downey) | Steven Mannion | Rachel Mathews-McKay | Claudette Matthews | Marc Matthews | Bernie Masterson | Selma McCormack | Ann Meldon Hugh | Claire Noons | Blaithin O'Ciobhain (donated by Grainne Healy) | Dee Parfait (donated by Ann Louise Gilligan) | Tootsie Royale | Sarah Ryan | Will St Leger | Louise Walsh

Two of our artists explain why they supported Art for Marriage Equality:

Steven Mannion:

"When my husband and I got married we had to travel to Canada to do it. I didn't believe that civil partnership was an option because Eamon asked me to marry him, he didn't ask me to civil partner him! When I said I wanted to be with him for the rest of my life, I didn't mean as a legally recognised, cohabiting, same sex, civil partner... I meant as his husband. That's why my husband and I, our family and friends support Marriage Equality and the team who work so tirelessly to achieve it"

Sculptor Ann Meldon Hugh:

"I believe this is an extremely important cause to support. All Irish people should be treated as equal, and all Irish families and children should be given equal rights. Families, human relationships and the interactions of the individual with the environment around them is central to much of my work, so it seems fitting that I should give a piece to a cause that works to improve and stabilise the Irish legal environment for the families of gay and lesbian people in Ireland."

(Art for Marriage Equality was organised by Darina Brennan - read more on our Advocate of the Month for December 2011)