After a very exciting 7 months….the Elephant Parade London 2010 is here!  If you are in London, or going to London you will be seeing over 250 Elephants on Exhibit as London’s Largest Art Show in History…and London has been around for a VERY VERY Long time!    

 I want to take a moment and thank all the wonderful people who made this happen, and allowed me to be in such wonderful company of Artists, Designers and People who care about a cause like the endangered Asian Elephant!   Firstly I want to thank the Elephant Family/ Elephant Parade in London, all of the Staff and support who selected my entry to be one of the artists! Mark Shand, Mary Powys, Carly Vincent, Diyan Zora, Georgie Dunsford, and who took most of my 10,000 calls! Clearly without them, I would have never been a part of this.  Thanks to Eco Man & Eco Van,  for delivering my Elephant with care, and for Zach Wright Manager at Eco Man/Eco Van for welcoming me to London with his wonderful wife Haley!

 I would like to say I made some very good new friends in London, Artists: Nilesh Mistry, Rosie Brooks, Sam Hacking, Ellen Stewart, Lilly Lewis, and Patricia Shirgley, who kept me company and supported me in the Studio at Elephant and Castle!   Thanks to the Four Season at Canary Wharf who are letting me show one of my paintings in the Lobby, and making me feel like a King!  I also would like to say thanks to the Staff at Selfridges Department store who did not escort me outside when I mentioned the upcoming Elephant Parade, and sale of the miniatures in their Lobby!    One special thanks to my Cousin Peter Gray of Elrond LTD, (IT & Computers in London) for his support, guidance, let of his flat while in London! THANKS PETER!!!!! 

Back here State Side I have several people to thank all of whom, helped get me here.  Firstly my School: Gainesville Middle School, who allowed me to go abroad and work towards this great cause!  I would also like to personally thank the folks who donated their time and money into my trips abroad and covering the entry fee.  I cannot thank you enough! To the Quinlan Visual Arts Center for hosting our Fundraiser to bridge a portion of the gap we needed!  To the Media who took my calls and reported the story to the public, and to all my friends who encouraged me along the way.    To my Wife and Son, my Muse and Motivator, who I do all of this for them and how to show them how much I love them.  I would also like to Praise God, who blessed me with the talents I have and for the path to be clear for this journey in my life…thank  you for your love and blessings!   

 I hope all of you who see the Elephants will find one which speaks to you, and will spread the word of the Exhibit across London this May and June. This Show is about raising awareness of how precious of a planet we have and all the creatures within it. I hope  you take a moment and get a photo standing next to my Elephant “Utopia” (Red with Pyramids) which will be located between the London Eye, on the Embankment, and Hedgeford Bridge.  I’ll do my best to post each and every photo I get!  Email Pics to : ronin478@hotmail.com

Cheers!

 Mitch

Request for Sponsorship: Elephant Parade London 2010 / May 3^rd- June 30th 

          In November of 2009, I was selected to be an artist in the Elephant Parade London 2010, a charity event for the endangered Asian Elephant, and the largest art exhibit in the history of London, England.  www.elephantparadelondon.org

          I am one of six Americans in the show of over 250 international artists and designers. The other five American artists and designers are: Tommy Hilfiger, Alberta Ferretti, Diane von Furstenburg, Issac Mizrahi, and Bruce Weber.

          I am a Middle School Art Teacher, teaching 6^th, 7^th and 8^th grade Art at Gainesville Middle School in Gainesville, Georgia.  I am also an Artist and have exhibited in local Art Shows (paintings and sculptures). The Elephant Parade is my largest show and artistic accomplishment. 

When I was selected I was informed of the fee to participate: 4000 British Pounds = $6400.00.   My wife and I arranged a fund raiser and contacted as many people we knew to help us participate in this charity event.  We ultimately decided to take a loan to cover costs involved, as we did not reach the amount in the timeframe required.

In December of 2009 I flew to London to paint my fiberglass elephant.  I painted 10 hours a day for 7 days, 70 hours total to complete my design entry. My Elephant will be in a great location in London: London Eye, the giant Ferris wheel on the River Thames across from Big Ben and Parliament. The London Eye has about 38,000 visitors per day, so we are very excited about our location, and the potential exposure!

On May 3^rd, over 250 fiberglass elephants will be placed across London. An expected 9 MILLION viewers will experience the Elephants, raising awareness of the endangered Asian Elephant.  A selected number of Elephants will be available for purchase as miniatures, sold at Selfridges Department Store in London.  I am happy to report my elephant made the selection and will be offered in 2 sizes: 20 cm and 30 cm. All sales of these miniature elephants will go to the Elephant Family charity.

Finally, on June 30^th, the elephants in the exhibit will be auctioned off by Sotheby’s. The financial goal for the Elephant Parade is to raise over 2 MILLION British Pounds to go to the Charities involved in saving the Asian Elephant. www.elephantfamily.org

Our request is to find a sponsor who would like to help us financially cover some of our expenses, receive acknowledgement from Elephant Parade, attend the Invite only Auction Night, and be known as a key person in saving the Asian Elephant. 

I look forward to hearing from you, and I will answer any questions or concerns you may have.

Very Respectfully,

Mitch Freeman

I have returned from my trip to London and have confirmed my Elephant in the Elephant Parade London 2010 will be at the London Eye (Farris Wheel) on the River Thames!  I also would like to report miniatures will be made of my design and a coffee table book featuring all of the Artists and designers will be created as well.  All 267 Elephants will be placed on May 3rd all over London, and will be picked back up on 28 or 29 June, in time for the Auction, on 30 June.   If you are in London within the Dates of May 3rd -June 28th, please take a moment and see the Elephants! If you have time, go to the London Eye and see mine.  It will be outside, along the sidewalk of the Thames. 

I would to say thank you again to all the people who helped me reach this opportunity for my Art to reach so many people, and to help a cause so important!    Thank you!   Mitch

In a few days I’ll be back in London for a chance to meet and say hello to some new friends with the Elephant Parade London 2010 Exhibition.  I am looking forward to attending an evening with many distinguished guests, the staff at Elephant Family, Sponsors and Artists for the cause.  I’ll be sharing information of what’s been going on in our school, and news of activities planned.  While in London I do plan on full work days, where I’ll be in the National Museum of Art and the Victoria and Albert Museum.  I’ll be sketching and finding interesting items to share with my students, peers and fellow artists back home.  I also will be getting the details of the Auction Event in late June, as well as the Location of my elephant. I am hoping for a map to post here of all the Elephants on Display!  

Best to all of you!  Mitch