CAS Rapid Response Fund

**Whilst you are still welcome to donate, the Rapid Response Fund campaign has now closed and we are unable to send out any further facemasks. Thank you all so much for your support!**

What is the CAS Rapid Response Fund?

The CAS Rapid Response Fund, in partnership with Frieze London, will be used to buy artworks by UK-based artists and donated to local museums and galleries across the country, who will use these works to welcome back their communities as lockdown restrictions are relaxed.

The Covid-19 pandemic has had a devastating effect on creative communities nationwide. By buying work from artists, we don’t just support the individual but the whole artist community, the technicians, the art handlers, the small galleries that do so much to support younger artists in turn.

“My design perhaps acknowledges that our emotions are more difficult to see when we wear a mask. The fund will provide incredible support to emerging artists at a time when the art world entirely ground to a halt, but also the technicians, the assistants, the small galleries that do so much to support younger artists in turn.” David Shrigley, artist

We also want to support museums in their place at the heart of communities. All indications are that museums will be among the first institutions to re-open as the lockdown rules are relaxed. Unlike cinemas, theatres and football stadiums, people can visit a museum and continue to observe the social distancing rules. 

Museums can bring people together, they can be a place for solace and contemplation, a place for healing. There is so much concern for our mental health as we endure this collective trauma, and that will continue as we eventually come out of the crisis.  

The museums that we support welcome 21 million visitors a year. The artworks that we buy through the Rapid Response Fund will be chosen to directly help them build stronger communities and reach audiences that do not regularly engage with art. As the Covid-19 crisis shatters the status quo, this is the moment for museums across the country to extend their civic role and help build a happier and healthier society. 

“Throughout this time of isolation and uncertainty, one thing that has been starkly revealed is the vital role that art plays in our lives, providing a creative stimulus and a way to assert our humanity when we need it most. In this light, museums and galleries will be needed even more than they were before when we re-enter the world to rebuild a way of life. It is wonderful to see the CAS drive this new initiative – the CAS are a lifeline in the best of times, and now also in a moment of crisis.” Alistair Hudson, Director, Whitworth and Manchester Art Galleries

How can I help?

**Whilst you are still welcome to donate, the Rapid Response Fund campaign has now closed and we are unable to send out any further facemasks. Thank you all so much for your support!** 

Any donation, no matter how small, will help us support more artists and museums as the crisis hits deeper. Four of the UK’s best-known artists have generously supported the project by designing some very special, limited-edition facemasks to say thank you for your support. £35 will buy one face mask of your choice, £120 will buy a set of all four. Please also help spread the word and encourage others to donate - don't forget to tag us (@ContemporaryArtSociety) on Instagram! 

Linder 

Linder is known for her photography, radical feminist photomontage and confrontational performance art. Emerging from the Manchester punk and post-punk scenes in the 1970s, Sterling focuses on questions of gender, commodity and display.

Eddie Peake

Eddie Peake’s work encompasses performance, video, photography, painting, sculpture and installation. He creates an often-energetic spectacle in which the absurd and the erotic each find a place, and in which the artist plays a central role.

David Shrigley

David Shrigley is an artist best known for his drawings that feature crossed-out words, scribbled, uneven lines, and darkly funny aphorisms about the world. His flat compositions take on the inconsequential, the bizarre, and the disquieting elements of everyday life.

Yinka Shonibare MBE

Yinka Shonibare MBE is a British-Nigerian contemporary artist known for his sculptural installations that explore issues of Post-colonialism. Shonibare often utilizing Dutch wax-printed fabrics in his work, using it to produce dresses, grounds for paintings, and elaborate sculptures.

How will we use the funds raised?

We have seen an incredible outpouring of generosity from the people closest to us, helping to raise £100,000 in just a few weeks. This money will directly support about 10 museums around the country by donating artworks that will help them build stronger communities and reach audiences that do not regularly engage with art. Now we need your help. By helping us reach our £80,000 crowdfunding target, we can support even more artists and a further eight museums. If we get beyond that target we can help even more!

Thank you for considering your donation to the CAS Rapid Response Fund.

Who are we?

The Contemporary Art Society is a charity that identifies the very best art of today and donates it to museums across the UK. Since 1910 we have donated over 8,000 works of art to public galleries, including the very first works for museum collections by artists from Picasso to Damien Hirst, discovering and supporting them in the early stages of their careers. Frieze London has partnered with the Contemporary Art Society since 2016, when the CAS brought its Collections Fund to the fair to acquire significant contemporary works for its Museum Members across the UK. 

A note about the masks

Please note these facemasks are not medical devices or personal protective equipment (PPE). These masks are intended for personal use in non-medical settings and we do not recommend them as a defence for the person wearing the mask against contracting Coronavirus. This product is designed to protect others by reducing spread of Coronavirus from the person wearing the mask.

How to Wear Your Face Mask

Ensure you always wash your masks before use and refrain from touching your face.

When putting on your face mask, hold it over your nose and mouth with clean hands, before pulling the elastic straps over your ears. Adjust it as needed to ensure it completely covers your nose, mouth and chin. Pinch the shape forming nose bridge for a sleek, smooth fit. You will notice the tag and arrow indicator helps show which way up the mask should go. The tag should be on the left hand side so that the higher bridge of the mask is in line with your nose, and the more rounded edge of the mask on your chin.

When removing your mask, pull the straps off your ears and lift the mask away from your face, refraining from touching the front of your mask, as it may be contaminated. Wash your mask every time you use it.

Care instructions

Re-usable, machine wash up to 60°C. Do not tumble dry.