A new art fair featuring work by international and North London artists including Pink Floyd collaborator Storm Thorgerson will help a state primary school raise funds for art and drama lessons.
The Highgate Art Fair runs from November 9 to 10 at Highgate Primary School and will display work by around 40 artists in its Victorian hall.
Organisers hope it will become a fixture in Highgate's cultural calendar, with all proceeds from a charity auction of donated art going to the PSA at the North Hill school.
Headteacher and art fair organiser William Dean said funds would pay for the school's dedicated art and performing arts teachers and their extensive arts curriculum.
"It's been a lot of work to make sure it goes well and makes money for the school," he said.
"The idea came from one of our parents, whose family business does exhibition stands including for the Affordable Art Fair in Hampstead. I asked him 'why aren't you doing the Highgate Art Fair?' And he said 'there isn't one'. So I said 'there is now'.
Featured artists and collectives include the late Belsize Park artist Storm Thorgerson, who created iconic album artwork for Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and Wings.
"We talked about the logistics and our parent generously agreed to sponsor us," added Mr Dean.
"Since then the idea has grown and we have everything from painting to ceramics, to printmaking with the widow of Storm Thorgerson exhibiting her late husband's brilliant creativity.
"The money will be spent on protecting our creative curriculum - the money from state education doesn't cover that so we have to raise additional funds to provide a specialist art teacher working with small groups of children in a dedicated studio space, and a music and performing arts teacher and to make sure the children get the education we want them to receive."
Alongside the main exhibition will be a display of children’s art, and over the weekend community workshops sponsored by Hampstead art materials shop Cass Art - including painting, pottery and collage sessions.
Mr Dean added: "It will be very exciting for the children to have the opportunity to visit the exhibition and see it being put up, then to see their work alongside that of established artists."
Also exhibiting are Clarendon Gallery, EDiT Gallery, James Lloyd, Yanko Tihov, Liron Kroll, David Wightman, Pato Bosich, Frances Costelloe, Simon Gazzard, Melissa Lipkin-Berman, Brigitte Heard, Kate Stilitz, Louise Solway Chan, Sophy Wollaston, Sophia Marinkov-Jones, Nick Jenson, Marie-Claire Porter, Theresa Pateman, Barbara Jackson, Marcus Coates, Eloisa Henderson, and Nir Segal.
Highgate Art Fair is sponsored by Aubury’s, which produces and constructs stands at galleries and exhibitions including Saatchi Gallery, Start Art Fair, British Art Fair and Art Riot.
Further details are available at highgateartfair.co.uk. Children go free and general admission tickets for adults are available at Eventbrite.
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