Look To The Stars News: Elijah Wood

Elijah Wood DJs At Charity Art Auction

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 13:00:00 -0000

On March 4, 2010, Vanity Fair and BMW partnered with The Art of Elysium to host The Art of Elysium “Pieces of Heaven” Art Auction, in partnership with Christie’s, at the Palihouse Holloway in Los Angeles.

The event was hosted by Amy Smart and Scott Caan, along with Cameron Silver and Jeff Snyder, Laura Villaseñor and Andrew Wilding, Ali Larter and Hayes MacArthur, and Topher Grace.

Additional notable attendees included David Arquette, Rosanna Arquette, Editor-in-Chief of Vanity Fair Graydon Carter, Nicky Hilton, Ryan Kavanaugh, Anna Kendrick, Boucheron’s Masako Kumakura, Rose McGowan, Vanity Fair Publisher Edward Menicheschi, Mark Mothersbaugh, BMW North America’s Vice President Jack Pitney, Louise Roe, Vinessa Shaw, Elijah Wood and more.

Elijah Wood acted as DJ while celebrities, art patrons and LA influentials had a chance to preview more than 50 works of art donated by artists, dealers and private collectors. The unique artwork was available for purchase during a live and silent auction to benefit The Art of Elysium, a non-profit organization which encourages working actors, artists and musicians to voluntarily dedicate their time and talent to children who are battling medical conditions.

Jennifer Howell, Founder of The Art of Elysium, spoke passionately about the organization’s mission and thanked everyone in attendance for their support. She then welcomed Auctioneer Andrea Fiuczynski, President, Christie’s Los Angeles, to the podium to begin the energetic live auction portion of the evening, raising thousands of dollars for the cause.

The event was a continuation of the Annual “Heaven” Gala which takes place the evening before the Golden Globe awards, where the donated works of art are revealed in a limited-edition coffee table book featuring images of the artworks.

BMW’s longstanding commitment to the arts and their “Joy” campaign made them a perfect fit for The Art of Elysium. BMW provided guests with the opportunity to help further support The Art of Elyium by distributing “Share the Joy” cards to each person in attendance. The cards invited guests to test-drive any BMW model at their local BMW center, and as a special thank you, BMW of North America has agreed to make a donation in the guest’s name to The Art of Elysium. Additionally, BMW provided VIP transportation with a fuel efficient fleet of BMW ActiveHybrid 7 and BMW ActiveHybrid X6 vehicles to notables and hosted a special BMW 7 Series car display outside of the venue.

BMW furthered their commitment to The Art of Elysium on February 16, when BMW DesignWorksUSA—a global design consultancy—partnered with The Art of Elysium for an interactive workshop at the Shriners Hospitals for Children, where children got a firsthand glimpse at the magic that goes into designing a BMW.

The Art of Elysium “Pieces of Heaven” Art Auction was part of Vanity Fair’s Campaign Hollywood, the magazine’s annual week-long series of events and one-of-a-kind “moments” leading up to the Academy Awards in support of charitable causes.

Stars To Be In Heaven For Charity Event

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 15:00:00 -0000

The Art of Elysium is holding their Third Annual Black Tie charity gala titled “Heaven” on Saturday, January 16, 2010. The event will take place the night before the Golden Globes and will honor Kirsten Dunst

Artist Shepard Fairey (creator of “Obey Giant” and the force behind the Obama “Hope” poster) is this year’s visionary and will create all visual and conceptual aspects of the themed gala entitled “Heaven”.

“When I was asked by The Art of Elysium to conceive my vision of heaven, I immediately thought of a world where creativity, compassion and connection are celebrated,” he said. “I thought of humanity and nature existing in harmony; after all, humans are part of nature, not above nature, and connected to one another just the same. We need to look out for each other and understand how our actions impact others and the planet we inhabit.”

Kirsten Dunst will be receiving the “Spirit of Elysium” Award at the gala: “Art has always held a therapeutic and fulfilling place in my life, as it allows me to channel any sort of negativity and turn it into something positive. I applaud The Art of Elysium for introducing that idea to the lives of young people who are courageously battling serious and terminal illnesses. The warriors I have gotten to meet through The Art of Elysium have blown me away with their humor, their sophistication and their wisdom. I feel so lucky to be able to spend time with them. They embody a kind of strength rarely seen in most adults. The relationships I have within The Art of Elysium community are very close to my heart and I will treasure them always.”

Kirsten has been an enthusiastic supporter of The Art of Elysium for over six years. In that time, she has been very active in the hospital programs, participating in plays, as well as reading to and doing artwork with the children. Additionally, she has secured considerable financial support for the organization, as well as serving as a valuable partner in working with important corporate sponsors. Both the 2009 Visionary, Jim Sheridan and the 2009 “Spirit of Elysium” award recipient, Eva Mendes will be in attendance to pass the torch to Shepard and Kirsten.

The event will take place at 9900 Wilshire Boulevard with cocktails beginning at 7:00 pm followed by Dinner and a Vogue Fashion Show starting at 8:00 pm. The private after party will take place at a location within the venue and will feature a musical tribute to the works of David Bowie, Iggy Pop and Lou Reed with special performances by Billy Idol and Steve Jones with other surprise guests. The turn tables will host various deejays including Elijah Wood, Steve Jones, Chris Holmes and Shepard Fairey.

Founder of The Art of Elysium, Jennifer Howell states, "Heaven on earth for The Art of Elysium is bringing artists to the bedsides of hospitalized children and empowering the artists to give the gift of their creative process. The “Heaven” gala was created to give a visionary the license to create their own personal version of “Heaven” and it is our hope that by experiencing “Heaven” year after year that guests reflect on the mission of the charity and ask themselves what is the best way to give back. We are so grateful to Shepard Fairey for sharing his belief in interconnectivity with us and to Kirsten Dunst for being the true “Spirit of Elysium”. A very special thank you to the Chairman of the Board and Event Co-Chair Ryan Kavanaugh for all that he does to allow us to give our children artistic experiences. A thank you to the Event Co-Chairs Lisa Love, Shawn Stanford and Jean-Christophe Bedos for contributing both their personal time and companies’ support to making this year’s event a tremendous success."

Other celebrities confirmed to attend include Jason Bateman, Rachel Bilson, Kate Bosworth, Sophia Bush, Scarlett Johansson, Ali Larter , Benji Madden, Nicole Richie & Joel Madden, Ashley Olsen, Ryan Seacrest, Bonnie Somerville, Mark Wahlberg, Alicia Witt and many more.

The Art of Elysium is a non-profit organization, founded in 1997 by Jennifer Howell, which encourages actors, artists and musicians to voluntarily dedicate their time and talent to children who are battling serious medical conditions. They provide artistic workshops in the following disciplines: acting, art, comedy, fashion, music, radio, songwriting and creative writing. They work with numerous hospitals and hospices throughout Los Angeles, California and began servicing hospitals in New York, New York in 2009.

For more information on The Art of Elysium please go to www.theartofelysium.org.

For ticket and sponsor information please contact Deborah Marcus at dmarcus@theartofelysium.org.

Elijah Wood Donates DNA To Charity Auction

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 12:30:00 -0000

Lord of the Rings actor Elijah Wood has partnered up with DNA 11 to raise funds for the children’s charity The Art of Elysium through an online auction with eBay’s “Giving Works” program.

DNA 11 will be giving 100% of the proceeds from this art auction to The Art of Elysium. Elijah will provide DNA 11 with some of his DNA and they will in turn produce a unique, one-of-a-kind piece of artwork for the auction.

“I believe that art is the DNA of civilization and the fact that DNA 11 is taking art a step forward and incorporating humanity into canvases illustrates how essential the creative process is to our being. On behalf of The Art of Elysium, I am genuinely thrilled and honored to be a part of their process,” states Jennifer Howell, Founder of The Art of Elysium.

“It’s an honor to be able to collaborate in the creation of this very special art piece with someone as talented as Elijah. We are proud that 100% of the proceeds will be going to such a wonderful and special charity,” states Adrian Salamunovic, Co-Founder, DNA 11.

“I’m really excited to take part in DNA 11’s scientific process for creating a unique and original art piece benefiting The Art of Elysium, a charity that I am truly passionate about,” states Elijah Wood.

DNA 11 is the original creator of DNA 11 Art – the world’s most personal form of art that combines design, technology, science and pop culture. They create contemporary custom portraits from your DNA, fingerprints and lip prints. Each modern piece is as unique as the person purchasing it. The one-of-a-kind pieces can be found in the Museum of Modern Art stores, has been featured in an episode of CSI: New York and can be found in thousands of homes around the globe. For more information on DNA 11 please visit www.dna11.com.

The Art of Elysium is a non-profit organization founded in 1997 which encourages actors, artists and musicians to voluntarily dedicate their time and talent to children who are battling serious medical conditions. They provide artistic workshops in the following disciplines: acting, art, comedy, fashion, music, radio, songwriting and creative writing. They work with numerous hospitals and hospices throughout Los Angeles and have just opened in New York City. For more information on The Art of Elysium please visit www.theartofelysium.org.

To make a bid, click here.

Featured Video: Stars Talk About The Art of Elysium

Thu, 05 Feb 2009 13:59:00 -0000

Written by Myrlia Purcell

Look To The Stars’ Michelle Vink caught up with Elijah Wood, Alicia Witt, Sophia Bush, Eva Mendes, Shephard Fairey, Amy Smart, Rosanna Arquette, CEO of Cartier Frederic de Narp, and Jennifer Howell, founder of The Art of Elysium, at the organization’s 2009 Black Tie Charity Gala.

Find out what the stars had to say about why they volunteer with the children’s charity here.

Bid Now For Christmas Gifts

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 11:21:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

The countdown to Christmas has begun, and celebrities are doing their best to make holiday shopping easy this year. Several charity auctions have already kicked off to raise money for good causes, including one that may be eBay’s largest sale of celebrity items… ever!

The BID 2 BEAT AIDS online auction will open on December 1, World AIDS Day, and will feature over 1000 specially signed items, ranging from posters to iPods. The annual auction will raise money for LIFEbeat, the music industry’s AIDS fundraising and service charity, and in the past has raised up to $175,000.

The array of memorabilia up for sale this year is simply colossal, with perhaps the most interesting items being a series of “Lend a Hand to LIFEbeat” cards that feature the handprints of over 100 celebrities. Stars such as Britney Spears, Jack Black, and Kathy Griffin traced around the outlines of their hands and decorated their artworks for the auction, and the finished products will make a unique addition to any Christmas stocking.

Also included in the auction is a selection of signed musical instruments. Rapper 50 Cent has donated the tambourines he used during his performance at the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards, and Metallica and the Foo Fighters have both donated guitars. There are also over 200 official RIAA gold and platinum record awards up for sale, from artists such as Annie Lennox, Jon Bon Jovi, Michael Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, and Green Day. Rare tour crew jackets from Guns N Roses, Cher, George Michael, and Prince are also available.

There are a stack of autographed CDs and DVDs on offer in the auction, from Mariah Carey, Elton John, Rihanna, Fall Out Boy, Maroon 5, Amy Winehouse, and Val Kilmer, as well as books signed by Madonna, Bill Clinton, Rosie O'Donnell, Martha Stewart, Stephen Colbert, and Ethan Hawke. Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Elijah Wood, and Usher have all signed posters for the auction.

For those people after something a little different, the auction also includes an iPod designed by Yoko Ono, a box of cereal signed by Will Ferrell, Borat’s hat signed by Sacha Baron Cohen, and a Spiderman action figure autographed by Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst.

And if nothing mentioned so far whets your appetite, there are also signed items from Jessica Biel, Jessica Alba, Nelly, Joan Collins, John Travolta, Kanye West, The Cure, Jay-Z, Cameron Diaz, Victoria Beckham, Robin Williams, Hilary Duff, Jason Alexander, Jack Nicholson, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Adam Sandler, John Legend, Jessica Simpson, Whoopi Goldberg, Aerosmith, Denzel Washington, Good Charlotte, James Blunt, Jeremy Piven, Matt Damon, Heath Ledger, Norah Jones, Razorlight, Wyclef Jean, and many more… far too many to list here.

More information and a full list of items can be found at www.bid2beataids.com.

As if this wasn’t enough choice for Christmas shoppers, there are also several other auctions and events on the go at the moment. The biggest of these is the 10th Annual Collaborating For A Cure Benefit Dinner and Auction, a massive black tie gala to be held on November 29. It also happens to be one of the highest grossing charity events held every year in New York, and last year raised over $4 million for the Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation, a non-profit organization that has provided over $55 million in grants to cancer research, and has been instrumental in the development of new cancer drugs.

The gala dinner and live auction will be held at the 69th Regiment Armory on Lexington Avenue, New York City, and over 1200 guests are expected to attend. The host for the evening is Chevy Chase, and attendees will be treated to a very special performance by Glenn Frey and Joe Walsh, members of 70’s rock group, the Eagles.

Selected items up for auction on the night as well as online include dinner with Chevy Chase, the chance to play tennis with Andre Agassi, and a meet and greet with Aerosmith.

More information can be found at www.charitybuzz.com.

Also on the Charitybuzz website is an auction to raise funding for Stand Up For A Cure, an organization dedicated to lung cancer research and awareness.

The auction runs from November 28 until December 12, and features unique items such as the chance to have Andrea Bocelli perform in your own home, the opportunity to have Patti LaBelle host your cocktail party, and VIP tickets to see Céline Dion at Madison Square Gardens.

And if you still can’t find a suitable gift, have a look at the Have A Heart Auction on Charitybuzz. All proceeds from the auction, which features the chance to meet Avril Lavigne, a copy of “An Inconvenient Truth” signed by Al Gore, and a “Godfather II” DVD signed by Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, will benefit HEART, an organization that aims to foster compassion and respect for all living beings.

But you have to be in quick, as the auction ends on November 29.

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