Cardboardshelter.org aims to raise both awareness of, and funds for The Big Issue Foundation by bringing together artists from around the UK to contribute towards the first CardboardShelter.org exhibition.

We have invited 30 artists to each produce a piece of work on an A4-sized piece of cardboard. The idea of the cardboard canvas is a nod towards the material which provides shelter to many homeless. The collection will then be displayed in an exhibition and pieces will be available for purchase at £40 each. Therefore, if every item were to be sold, over £1,000 would be raised for The Big Issue!

The exhibition will be at The Art Works Gallery in Newcastle upon Tyne, on Thursday 27 November 2008 from 6pm to 10pm, in the run up to Christmas: one of the most difficult times of the year for homeless people.

The artists submitting work for this event are:

45RPM (whAT), Otick (TNS, AAGH), Prefab77, Mr Pinks, China Mike, Hutch, Mr Penfold, Dred (RWC), Cons.Pinc, Sainty (WHAT), Oodaloop, Faunagraphic, Eight-Bit, Cheo, Dugdaman, Andrea Joseph, The Krah, Miss Led, Brave One, Dave Whittle, Alex Woodscalp, Asboluv, Defacto23, Drew Millward, Rocket01, Chiba, G Man, Green Cheese Art, Mr La Rue, BOO cru, Andrew J Harvey, Lee Ferguson, DBO, Neil Richardson, Monique Jivram, Archi-Maris.

From the owner of Lazarides galleries in London and Newcastle, this substantial 262 page book is full of artists you should know. A lot of the work has been seen before on Flickr and the like, but you just can’t beat a book! Covering work inside and out, personal favourites come from David Choe, Lucy McLaughlin, Blu and Mode2. Cover price is £14.99 but readily available for a bargain price of £8.99.

Love stuff like this!

From the AtheistCampaign.org website…

The Atheist Bus Campaign launches today, Tuesday October 21 2008. With your support, we hope to raise £5,500 to run 30 buses across the capital for four weeks with the slogan: “There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.”

Professor Richard Dawkins, bestselling author of The God Delusion, is officially supporting the Atheist Bus Campaign, and has generously agreed to match all donations up to a maximum of £5,500, giving us a total of £11,000 if we reach the full amount - enough for a much bigger campaign. The British Humanist Association have kindly agreed to administer all donations.

With your help, we can brighten people’s days on the way to work, help raise awareness of atheism in the UK, and hopefully encourage more people to come out as atheists. We can also counter the religious adverts which are currently running on London buses, and help people think for themselves.

As Richard Dawkins says: “This campaign to put alternative slogans on London buses will make people think - and thinking is anathema to religion.”

Almost perfect, but maybe they should drop the “probably”…

We have asked 30 artists from around the UK to produce a piece of artwork on an A4-sized piece of cardboard for a gallery exhibition in Newcastle upon Tyne. Each piece will be sold for £40 and the proceeds will be contributed to The Big Issue Foundation. The idea of the cardboard canvas is a nod towards the shelter used by many homeless people.

Check the website CardboardShelter.org for more information.

“They started in San Francisco, spread throughout the States and are now appearing in cities worldwide ghostly white bikes adorned with fresh flowers that mark the spot where a cyclist has been killed. As they begin to appear across Britain, Geraldine Bedell talks to the creators of these poetic shrines and the victims families.”

More here and here.