Ahead of the latest exhibition at Wyken Vineyards, we talk to Belinda Gray, founder of breast cancer charity Art For Cure, about how her own diagnosis has led her to sell over £3m worth of art in the name of fundraising – and all with no experience in the art world!
After her own battle with breast cancer, Belinda Gray felt a deep need to donate to cancer research. Art For Cure is the product of that need – a unique breast cancer charity raising money for leading UK research through the sale of art and sculpture at exhibitions and online.
Belinda moved to Woodbridge from London with her young family 25 years ago. ‘My roots have always been in Suffolk,’ Belinda says. ‘It’s where my grandparents lived and endless summers were spent on the coast, tearing around on our bikes and crabbing at Walberswick.
‘I love Suffolk for its feeling of being away from urban life but still so accessible to cities. I love it for its variety of people, its creatives, entrepreneurs and those deeply affiliated with country life.
‘The arts are incredibly important here, with a huge selection of venues from acoustic spaces like Snape Maltings to small, pop-up gallery spaces that artists can hire.’
And it was the arts that were to inspire Belinda after nearly a year of treatment for breast cancer in her mid-forties.
‘I had to give back,’ she explains.
‘Perhaps as a cathartic way of coming to terms with all that had happened and with a sense of huge gratitude – it would bring me some closure.’
Despite knowing nothing about selling art, Belinda admired the work of many Suffolk artists whose work she had collected. ‘Converting our house and garden to hang paintings and position sculpture outside was a mad but possible way of fundraising!’
Belinda invited friends and family and 30 artists to exhibit at the first event in May 2014. Furniture was stacked up in her barn and her family home was brimming with art. Belinda admits she was worried no one would turn up, but all fears were relieved when 2,000 people came through the door!
They raised an incredible £100,000 over that weekend. When an artwork sold, a percentage of the sale would become a donation from the artist. ‘It felt an amazing amount to raise,’ Belinda remembers. ‘When everyone asked when the next exhibition would be, I knew it was something to pursue. Art For Cure was rather naively born – becoming a registered UK charity the following year.’
Belinda ran a gardening school before her diagnosis, and after that first exhibition she faced a big decision: should she restart her business or devote herself to Art For Cure? ‘A cancer diagnosis is initially shattering; life changes overnight,’ she says. ‘You dig deep and build resilience, seeking support from people who understand. Thinking about the women in Suffolk who were being diagnosed with breast cancer every day, just as I had been, made my decision to develop Art For Cure on a voluntary basis an easy one. Knowing we could help fund support services, as well as national research, to make their journey a little easier felt deeply rewarding.’
From having a personal interest in art and sculpture to decorate her own home, to now staging a renowned yearly public exhibition, Belinda admits it has been a learning curve. But 13 years on, and with a dedicated team of 10 people working on a voluntary basis, everyone is now contributing their skills to create bigger and better events.
‘Each year we try to find unique venues and ever-changing artists to offer new collections,’ Belinda says. ‘With one in seven women and some men being diagnosed with breast cancer here in the UK, there is enormous loyalty amongst those visiting our events, as somebody knows someone or is personally affected by it.
‘At all our exhibitions I am quietly approached by people who want to talk about their connection to breast cancer – maybe going through treatment, about to embark or maybe they’ve lost someone. The counselling side has really developed in Suffolk through our donations, and I have met many people who felt it was the only space they could really talk openly.
‘One special memory I have is when a man walked into an exhibition with his young children and set eyes upon a painting that completely reflected the wife and mother they had recently lost. Great comfort was gained buying the artwork, and I’m sure it now hangs in a very special place in their home.’
Of course, it’s also the incredible artists who keep visitors coming back – most of whom are Suffolk based. The team scour major art fairs, galleries, degree shows and sculpture exhibitions to discover artists across a range of prices.
‘I have always selected artworks that I would like to own, rather than attempting to select styles broadly to suit every art taste,’ Belinda explains. ‘Finding new artists is always exciting, and seeing their confidence develop with some great sales is rewarding.’
Belinda’s hard work and determination haven’t gone unnoticed – she received an MBE from Princess Anne at Windsor Castle. ‘I have never sought accolades for starting Art For Cure, but that was a proud day,’ she says.
‘I often reflect on what we have achieved as a team. With no experience, to sell over £3m of art in Suffolk is pretty amazing, but that is also down to the loyalty of the buyers and all our other supporters, sponsors and volunteers that make it all happen.
‘It is of huge importance that people are aware of where our donations are made and the great value of the breast cancer support services or advancement in research that our contributions make.’
Looking forward to this year, the next exhibition will be held at Wyken Vineyards May 1 to June 28, and it will be predominantly outdoor sculpture, curated by Julia Scowsill and Jacqui Mayne.
Belinda says: ‘Wyken Vineyards is the most beautiful setting for a sculpture exhibition – it has been my number one place to visit in Suffolk for inspiration. The glorious gardens will be bursting with colour and variety in design and planting, creating so many spaces to exhibit a wide selection of stunning sculptures from over 30 national sculptors.’
Belinda hopes that while sculpture may be a new area for some people, to be able to see it in the setting of Wyken’s many themed gardens will help inspire visitors to understand how art outside can hugely enhance their own spaces.
‘Wyken Vineyards is also a vibrant and stylish place to visit, and a collection of art to buy will hang in the award-winning Leaping Hare restaurant – next to its beautifully curated lifestyle shop,’ she adds. ‘We are hugely grateful to the Carlisle family for allowing us to exhibit here, in what is a new West Suffolk location for the charity.’.
Art For Cure’s Wyken Vineyard Exhibition runs May 1 to June 28.
artforcure.org.uk
wykenvineyards.co.uk
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‘I love it for its variety of people, its creatives, entrepreneurs and those deeply affiliated with country life’
good cause
