Concrete Playground

Some say the reason Firstdraft is Sydney's oldest artist-run initiative, having survived 23 years in a town notorious for severely short-lived independent venues, is because of its rotating director program which means none of the administrators stay on for longer than two years, and energy is always fresh.

We think it might also have something to do with their fine programming and ongoing support of local emerging artists and curators. They've been handing out big breaks since way way back, and are firmly rooted as an integral part of Sydney's creative heart and soul. But now they need a little something back: $20 000 for council-ordered renovations which must take place in the next few months.

Meet the Save First Emergency Fundraiser Auction. You get: original artworks by the likes of Mike Parr, soda_jerk, Del Katherine Barton, Sarah Goffman, Simon Kennedy and Brett East. Firstdraft gets: to stay afloat. Sound fair? Fellow galleries and former Firstdraft directors and artists have rushed to donate artworks for auction, which will be hosted by MCA director Elizabeth Ann Macgregor on September 3. The hammer starts banging at 6pm and previews of the works are available from noon on September 2.

Image: Michaela Gleave, Proposed Model for Conversational Arrangement, 2009, Box mounted digital print, 54 x 40cm