2:46 Postcards For Japan

☆☆☆ If you are looking for the GIVEAWAY post, it is HERE ☆☆☆

Zoe sent me a tweet the other day with the Postcards For Japan site so I contacted Becky and asked her to tell us a bit more about the project.

Hi Becky, Thank you for taking the time to answer a few questions, firstly can you tell us a bit about yourself?

I'm an illustrator based in London, studying part-time for a Masters in Children's Book Illustration at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge.

Could you explain what Postcards For Japan is all about?

The exhibition has been organised to raise funds in support of relief efforts in Japan, following the earthquake, tsunami and ongoing insecurity caused by the emergency at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear power plant. We also intend it as a way to express all our best wishes for the people who have been affected by it.

Our even is based on the concept of the Royal Academy's annual Secret exhibition. Emerging and established illustrators and artists have submitted original artwork in the form of postcards, which are sold at auction on the opening night, and during the rest of the week at an affordable price. the work will be exhibited and sold anonymously. In this way, anyone may become the owner of a piece by a well known illustrator, and everyone will be able to buy original artwork to enjoy.

Teachers For Japan, who will receive the funds we raise is a volunteer-run charity working to help children and schools in the affected areas.

How did Postcards for Japan get started?

We first decided to organise this exhibition after the earthquake and tsunami hit, in March. Since it is hard to see useless and unable to help as individuals and as artists, the best way to do something effective seemed to be to get together and raise funds collectively.

Did you have any connection to Japan before you got involved with Postcards For Japan?

A number of students on the MA Illustration at Anglia Ruskin University have come from Japan to study on the program, many of whom have submitted work to this exhibition. The MA program has a long standing relationship with Japan and Japanese illustrators: as well as inviting students from Japan onto the course, Professor Martin Sailsbury has also travelled there to teach. So through personal friendships and professional association, the illustrators involved in the exhibition have established a connection with Japan. This has certainly been an important motivation for offering what support we can to those affected by recent emergencies in Japan.

Who are the illustrators involved with the project and how did you get the involved?
Close to 60 illustrators are involved with the project - a full list can be found on the website, many of them are present or past students on the MA Illustration course; others are professional illustrators with some association to the course, either as tutors or visiting lecturers. David Hughes, Paula Metcalf, Pam Smy and Alexis Deacon have all donated work. It is exciting for us to have work by illustrators of their caliber and reputation involved.

If the readers wants to buy a postcard, how do they go about it?
The postcards will be available for sale through auction at the private view on the 5th of September. But from the 6th of September, those cards that have not yet been sold with be available for sale at £20 each. The postcards can be view at Postcards For Japan. If you are interested in any of the work, please contact me by email at  becky.l.palmer@googlemail.com with the number of the postcard so that I can identify it!

Where  and when will the exhibition be held?
The exhibition will take place at the Michealhouse Cafe, Trinity Street, Cambridge, from the 5th to the 11th of September, in case any of your readers will be close enough to visit! We will also be inviting visitors to the exhibition (especially young guests) to draw their own postcards to send over to Japan along with the money we raise.