Gift Focus - Jan/Feb 2018 (Issue 105)

8 giftfocus REMEMBERING AND BRINGING ART BACK TO LIFE Ever wondered what has happened to all those artists who worked in various design industries, many now in their 70s and 80s, and what they contributed during their lifetime and in private each building up their own private collections? We pass artwork from one generation to another, yet often don’t quite know what to do with it? Design in its loosest terminology, comes in many shapes and guises, it influences all our lives, it evokes a feeling of curiosity, pleasure and appreciation and yet it crosses over into a wide variety of sectors. Imagine those generations with traditional skills, often lost as the new technologies pave the way. My Magic Art is a company created to help capture our heritage, to bring back to life the most beautiful artwork and designs, and to present them fit for modern yet contemporary homes and offices. With a modest approach, working closely with the artist(s) ensures the best pieces can be sourced to showcase and to be purchased. All artwork by My Magic Art is currently by Sheila Beech, aged 82. The company takes pride in working with local UK businesses to help bring the art to market. Exclusivity and access are key to ensuring the range is set off to its maximum potential. For enquiries please visit the website mymagicart.co.uk or telephone +44 (0)7760 948 324 . industry news MUSEUM SHOP SUNDAY DRIVES INCREASED SUPPORT FOR CULTURAL SHOPS ACROSS THE NATION On Sunday, 26 th November, Museum Shop Sunday took place for the first time ever in the UK. Cultural shops across the nation saw a tremendous spike in online engagement, visitors and sales. Occurring as an alternative to Christmas shopping between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, sales increased both in-store and online across participating venues, with the Imperial War Museums up 145 per cent in online sales from last year. Across the nation, 120 participating museums took to social media, helping #museumshopsunday trend for most of the day. Expanding with their own social campaign, the Bodleian Libraries then achieved their best-ever Twitter engagement with a #EnterThroughTheGiftShop prize draw. Hosted by the Association for Cultural Enterprises (ACE), Museum Shop Sunday aimed to cultivate greater appreciation and support for the UK’s finest cultural scene by encouraging higher public engagement with local cultural institutions, as all sales directly supported each venue. After experiencing an overwhelmingly positive rise on all three success ratings, this global initiative plans to return to the UK in 2018 as an annual tradition on Sunday, 25 th November. “The Association for Cultural Enterprises is proud to be part of this exciting new venture and is delighted to have the opportunity to encourage consumers far and wide to further discover the UK’s cultural shops and their fabulous product ranges.” commented Jill Fenwick, Association for Cultural Enterprises. For further information, please visit acenterprises.org.uk THE WINNERS OF THE UK CALENDAR AWARDS 2017 – THE CALIES – ARE REVEALED! November 29 th 2017, was a significant day for the calendar, diary and advent calendar industry. It was the day when the winners of the first-ever Calies – the UK Calendar Awards – were revealed. A well- attended awards event held at the historic Stationers’ Hall, in the shadow of St Paul’s Cathedral in London, applauded the delighted winners of these major awards. Winners included: Best Charity Calendar - RNLI Gallery from Carousel Calendars; Best Music, Talent or Sports Calendar - The Beatles Collectors from Danilo; Best Entertainment or Humorous Calendar - Hurrah for Gin from Portico Designs; and Best Family Organiser or Planner - Happy Jackson from Danilo. It was an especially significant evening for Gary Beck, co-founder of Calendar Club/Carousel Calendars and Danilo’s founder Laurence Prince, both of whom were presented with a prestigious Calendar Ambassador Award. The award ceremony was hosted by comedian Tania Edwards. Danilo’s founder Laurence Prince and BrownTrout Managing Director Jack Straw shared some insights into the market in two perceptive pre-award speeches. The Calies were judged by a panel comprising retail buyers, marketers and design experts. For further information about the awards, visit the website ukcalendarawards.co.uk

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTA0NTE=