On Friday, October 3, 2008 the 1st Annual Artists for Autism Fundraising Gala will kick off Canadian Autism Awareness Month in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Autistic and non-autistic artists from all over the planet are lending their talents in an effort to raise funds for the Autism Society of Nova Scotia’s Summer Camp Program.

The event will consist of a silent and live art auction of pieces by either autistic artists or which attempt to capture autism in a visual way. Due to our special and informal connection to the Artists For Autism Myspace Community, we are offering users in the MySpace Autism Community with a unique opportunity to participate in this local event which we anticipate will receive international attention.

The live auction will feature five signature pieces selected by a committee of individuals from the autistic and artistic communties. Two of the five pieces have already been selected, one from internationally acclaimed autistic artist Donna Williams, and one from Montreal artist Rob Harris (the original piece which has been featured on the MySpace Artists for Autism site since it’s beginning).

We are running a special competition through MySpace to become one of the signature pieces. In addition to gaining international exposure, a cash prize will be awarded in the amount of $200 for each of the selected pieces, along with the opportunity to present your work to the local and international audience either in person or via the Internet. Preference will be given to artists who identify themselves to be on the Autism Spectrum, or to pieces which conceptualize Autism in some way.

We are accepting submissions of photography, painting and/or sculpture with a limit of three submissions per artist. If you are interested in participating, you must submit a high resolution .jpg of the original piece to info@artistsforautism.ca by Friday August 15, 2008 along with a brief artist biography, the title of the piece, and the specs of the piece (i.e. 12X12 watercolour on canvas). We will be announcing the winner the following week, Friday August 22.

If your piece is not selected as one of the signature pieces, you will still have the opportunity to participate. If your piece is short-listed, you will be given the option of donating your piece to be a part of this fabulous event. We will cover all shipping and handling charges, and your piece will be featured in the publication of all submissions, which will be available for sale via the Official Artists for Autism website in time for Christmas 2008.

For more information about the event, and the Summer Camp which it will benefit... visit http://artistsforautism.ca or contact the Gala organizer Charlene Croft (aka Delicious Wolf on MySpace)