Tayyaba
To celebrate its 25th anniversary, The Art of Elysium, a nonprofit organization providing transformative art-healing experiences, has announced its annual Heaven Benefit. Neil Gaiman is set to receive this year’s Visionary Award for his contribution to the art of healing through the organization!
Neil Gaiman: Writing & Art Of Elysium Annual Benefit
Every year, an assigned visionary describes their particular version of paradise to bring this years Art Of Elysium benefit theme, “Heaven,” to reality. This year, the responsibility is handed upon Gaiman, whose literature deals with fantasy, divinity, and humanity across mediums, with the ceremony planned to take place in Los Angeles on Jan. 6, the night before the Golden Globes.
Gaiman, whose works of fiction including Good Omens, American Gods, and The Sandman have become blockbuster television programs, additionally penned screenplays for Neverwhere and Mirrormask, authored an episode of Doctor Who, collaborated on Beowulf with Robert Zemeckis, and produced the picture Stardust. Gaiman’s other directorial endeavors include A Short Film About John Bolton and Sky Television’s Statuesque.
“Choosing Neil as the visionary for Heaven is the most personal ask I have ever made. I have been a fan of his work for as long as I can remember and believe him to be one of the most creative forces in our lifetimes. He creates worlds, he makes people laugh and cry at the same time, and he constantly reminds each of us of the gift of free will. I am honored beyond words that we will be dancing in his wondrous heaven in 2024.”
Jennifer Howell
What did Neil Gaiman say about his concept of Heaven for the benefit?
In a personal statement, the writer said: “For me, heaven is two things that are, perhaps, the same thing: Heaven is both a library, the place where we go for knowledge, for wisdom, for advice and for stories, and heaven is also a refuge, somewhere that we can go, whoever we are, for safety and protection. Heaven contains librarians and refugees, shelters the helpless, and gives them — us — somewhere quiet to sit and read or listen.”