Sculptor extraordinaire horses around for charity

14 February 2011

Ra Vincent* has sculpted giant apes, mystical beings of Narnia and evil Orcs during his time working on Peter Jackson’s film projects, but is now embarking on a new challenge – painting a life-sized fiberglass horse for charity Make-A-Wish New Zealand.

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Make-A-Wish grants the cherished wishes of children with life-threatening illnesses. Vincent chose Make-A-Wish as his partnered charity, due to the number of wish kids who visit Weta Workshop - who he works closely with to help design the sets, artworks and digital effects needed to create the fantastical ‘environments’ Jackson’s films are famous for.

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“I’ve been lucky enough to meet some brave kids who have come through Weta as part of getting their wish granted from Make-A-Wish. They always arrive with a big smile on their face and it rubs off on everyone – they are truly inspirational kids! I’m thrilled to be a part of this charity fundraiser for Make-A-Wish,” Vincent says.

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Vincent’s horse is one of 18 involved in the Resene Fastest Art Exhibition, organised by the Auckland Racing Club in the build up to New Zealand’s richest sporting event, Auckland Cup Week. Each horse has its own facebook page where people can vote for the horse they think is best.

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The charity whose horse is most popular will win $5,000 from the Auckland Racing Club. The cut off for this competition is 12pm, Thursday 10 March.

All 18 horses painted by celebrities for charity will be unveiled at Ellerslie Racecourse at the Twilight Summer Series race meeting on Wednesday 16 February. The horses will then go on tour around Auckland for the two weeks following the unveiling, before returning home to Ellerslie. You might see a horse where you least expect!

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The horses will end up being auctioned to the highest bidder at Auckland Cup Week – all funds of which will go to the respective charities.

‘Like’ Ra’s horse on facebook – search: Resene Fastest Art Exhibiton – Ra Vincent

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