New York, NY – March 27, 2014 – Franck De Las Mercedes is pleased to partner with The Fabergé Big Egg Hunt, an innovative and engaging fundraising initiative that will see over 250 large egg sculptures – each designed by globally renowned artists, designers and creatives - placed throughout New York City’s five boroughs from April 1st to 26th, 2014.
Franck’s “Post No Bills” egg is a tribute to the walls of New York that are hosts to ads, street art and urban decay. Using a collage technique and acrylic paints, the surface will be layered in a combination of advertisement imagery, original photos and abstract text – creating a bold, raw texture.
High Res Images:
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https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/22925084/12205634164_ef218ff1d2_o.jpg
The general public will be encouraged to participate by finding all of the eggs, with incredible gemstone prizes from Fabergé serving as an incentive. The Fabergé Big Egg Hunt will culminate with a spectacular auction of the collectible and one-of-a-kind egg sculptures, held by Sotheby’s and online via Paddle8.
Created as an innovative and engaging platform to raise funds for Elephant Family and other non-profits, The Fabergé Big Egg Hunt caused a frenzy in London in 2012, set two Guinness World Record titles and ultimately raised over $1.5 million for charity. The 2014 hunt in New York will benefit both Elephant Family and Studio in a School.
Limited edition miniature eggs and other merchandise will be available for purchase at www.thebigegghunt.org.
For more information on The Fabergé Big Egg Hunt please visit: http://www.thebigegghunt.org/
Twitter & Instagram @thebiggegghuntNY; Facebook.com/thebigegghunt
#thebigegghuntNY
Press Contact:
Caroline Curtis
Managing Director, HL Group
ccurtis@hlgrp.com / 212.529.5533
ABOUT FDLM:
Franck De Las Mercedes is a Nicaraguan born artist who grew up in New York City after emigrating to the U.S. in 1985. With a self-obtained education, straight from the aisles of the Mid-Manhattan Public Library of New York, De Las Mercedes has emerged as one of the country's most prolific visual artists in recent years. In 2006, De Las Mercedes conceived “The Priority Boxes Art Series”, an ongoing, internationally acclaimed project that merges art and activism. “The Boxes” have traveled the globe, been taught in classrooms and featured on the iconic LED screens of Times Square.
On 2/18/14 Franck's studio was completely destroyed in a 5 alarm building fire. Fortunately, the "Post No Bills" egg had already been shipped and is the only surviving piece of 2014 work. http://franckdelasmercedes.com/
ABOUT Fabergé:
With a fertile imagination and versatile talent, Peter Carl Fabergé became jeweler and goldsmith to the Russian Imperial Court in the 19th century, creating a vast array of exquisite jewels and objects, including the legendary series of fifty lavish and ingenious Imperial Easter Eggs. His worldwide reputation attracted royalty, potentates, aristocrats, tycoons and the connoisseurs of Europe, Scandinavia, the Middle East and Asia.
Today, Fabergé remains synonymous with consummate design and craftsmanship, creating modern collections of extraordinary jewelry, watches and accessories for a discerning international clientele.
Fabergé continues to explore and epitomize ‘the art of color’, pushing the boundaries of artistry and craftsmanship with superlative colored gemstones and a vibrant enamel palette. The ingenuity of Peter Carl Fabergé in making the most of each gemstone’s unique characteristics, creating beautiful color nuances, remains central to the philosophy of Fabergé today.
ABOUT Studio in a School:
Since 1977, Studio in a School has enriched almost 800,000 children’s lives in New York City’s five boroughs with the creativity of the visual arts. Studio’s unique method brings professional artists into school and community organizations to lead classes in drawing, printmaking, painting, media technology, 2-D applied design and sculpting.
During the financial crisis of the mid-1970s, New York City virtually eliminated the budget for arts education in the public schools. In response, Agnes Gund, philanthropist and President Emerita of The Museum of Modern Art, founded Studio in a School.
Partnering with administrators, artists, supporters and members of the New York City Department of Education, Studio dedicated itself to providing students with a full and meaningful visual arts experience.Studio establishes multi-year partnerships between artists and educators designed to develop age-appropriate art programs, and offers professional guidance to teachers and administrators at participating sites.
Studio provides programs to nearly 200 sites throughout the five boroughs. Every year, 90 professional artists serve almost 30,000 Pre-K through high school students. About 90% of all children who participate in our programs come from low-income homes.
ABOUT Elephant Family:
The Asian elephant – one of the biggest, most intelligent animals on the planet, has declined in numbers by 90% in the past 100 years. Since launching, Elephant Family has doubled the amount of money going their conservation, and invested it with pin point precision - protecting and reconnecting Asia’s most important forests for elephants and for all the animals who share them.
A lifetime of travel imbued Elephant Family’s charismatic Co-Founder and Chairman, Mark Shand, with a love of adventure and a commitment to saving endangered animals. In his own words Mark ‘fell in love’ with a female elephant named Tara one steamy monsoon night, in the jungles of Orissa, Eastern India.
He bought Tara and rode her thousands of kilometers across the north eastern states of India, a journey that, in 2003, fired his determination to start Elephant Family, a charity dedicated to protecting Tara’s endangered wild relatives.
Experts in public art exhibitions, Elephant Family have a track record in high profile fundraising events. After the success of The Fabergé Big Egg Hunt in London in 2012, the charity is perfectly poised for New York which is set to be ‘even bigger, and better’ than London.
