Simpson Grierson is hosting Paralympics New Zealand’s Spirit of Gold Collection Tour, an exhibition of Paralympian portraits, as part of a nation-wide tour.
Following the success of high-profile Kiwi artist, Amber Gabrielle Stephens’ portrait of Paralympian Sophie Pascoe, Paralympics New Zealand decided to launch a broader exhibition as part of a campaign to raise awareness for Paralympians on the road to Rio.
“Inspiration first struck when I first met Paralympian, Sophie Pascoe,” said Stephens.
“I was immediately taken by Sophie’s unapologetic drive to meet her sporting potential.
“Following this meeting I knew I had to use my artistic approach to capture the story and raise the profile of these amazing athletes. I visited Paralympics New Zealand in early 2015 and worked closely with them, and eventually the Spirit of Gold® Collection was born.”
Under the firm’s long-term partnership, Simpson Grierson will show the paintings for a week in their support of Paralympics New Zealand in the lead up to Rio.
“We’ve got a huge commitment to long term partnerships, particularly long term partnerships with some key charities and just generally investing in pro bono work,” partner Earl Gray told
NZ Lawyer.
“That’s part of a broader commitment from Simpson Grierson to the country, to our clients, people and communities.
Gray said that Paralympics New Zealand is growing rapidly and hopes the exhibition will have raised a great deal of awareness by the time the paintings are auctioned off mid-next year.
“The idea behind them is that they are a focus for raising awareness of the Paralympics, of raising funds and also raising awareness of para-sport in New Zealand generally,” he said.
“It’s a real win-win, it’s a very interesting client that’s doing positive things.”
The New Zealand Chambers of Commerce will stage more than 10 local events around the country ahead of Rio 2016 to raise awareness for para-sport.
