Art has the power to transform, to illuminate, to educate, inspire and motivate. But more than this, art has the power to connect us to each other like nothing else.

Admiring the beautiful art created by the Orion Organisation Art Programme for its recent fundraising auction, the Atlantis Seafood Products team felt that powerful connection with the vivid splashes of colour and depiction of the area’s surrounding platteland – our home on the fringes of the Swartland – exquisitely portrayed by Orion artist, Noeleen Wiener.

From ‘Home on the Range’ and a ‘River Runs Through’ to ‘Blowing in the Wind’, Noeleen’s colourful and simplistic canvas portrayal of life in the country will be a constant reminder to us of our roots and our community – one in which the Orion Organisation plays a fundamental role and one we are grateful to be able to support as an invested business in the Atlantis community.

The Orion Organisation’s Art Programme has at its heart the desire to develop the potential of its artists so that they may one day become independent and derive an income from their talents. These artists (or clients as Orion Organisation refers to its residents and day visitors) express an interest in or show an affinity for art which is nurtured by the Art Programme, giving them the space to practice and perfect a concept before putting paint to canvas.

Open Monday to Friday, the programme has received a great deal of guidance from renowned South African artist Richard Scott, who along with local artist and the art programme’s capable supervisor, Eslin Deysel, has been working to enhance the respective styles and skill of each artist, and the diversity is incredible to see.

In addition to Noeleen’s eye-catching artwork, this year’s Orion Auction saw the Picasso-style of artist Angelo April, the landscapes of artist Denro-Lee Boois, and pop-art styling of Delay Ficks, among others, take centre stage at the live and virtual event.

This year’s Orion Auction raised a total of R175,000 for the Atlantis-based non-profit which specialises in creating futures for people with disabilities.

A one-stop-shop established in 1982 in Atlantis, Orion Organisation is dedicated to caring and providing for the educational, training and therapeutic needs of children, youth and adults living with physical, psychosocial challenges, intellectual and neurological disabilities.

Atlantis Seafood Products is proud to be able to support the organisation in its mission to help the disabled in our Atlantis community and beyond reach their full potential.

For more information about Orion Organisation, click here.