The Campaign for Drawing’s, Now We Are Ten: 10th Anniversary exhibition has opened at the Idea Generation Gallery in Shoreditch, London. The exhibition shows the unique work produced by some of the UK’s best-known and up-and-coming artists, illustrators and cartoonists since The Campaign for Drawing’s inauguration in October 2000.

Sixty new works have been donated for the exhibition – which will culminate next week with an auction – by high-profile artists and illustrators such as Quentin Blake, Lord Foster, Gerald Scarfe, John Bellany, Will Alsop, Paula Rego and Chris Orr. The focus of the exhibition will be twelve vast drawings that have been commissioned for Big Draw events over the past nine years alongside a collection of satirical illustrations largely informed by Britain’s sociopolitical events of the time by renowned cartoonists including Steve Bell, Dave Brown and Martin Rowson.

The Auction of the Decade will take place on the evening of the 17 September and will include all of the exhibited drawings. It is the culmination of 10 years of extraordinary creativity, enthusiasm and dedication giving bidders the opportunity to pick up works of art by campaign patrons such as Quentin Blake, Andrew Marr, Gerald Scarfe and Posy Simmonds. All proceeds from the auction will help to support and raise funds for the Campaign’s programmes in the future.

Live events, such as the Battle of the Cartoonists hosted by Andrew Marr on 12 September and a series of School Workshops between the 14-18 September will help to raise awareness about the campaign’s aims and encourage the use of drawing as a medium for thought, creativity, innovation and social and cultural engagement. One of the workshops will be run in conjunction with Blueprint’s Paper City: Urban Utopias exhibition and will cover themes such as; cities, environment, transport and the future.

Event organiser Sue Grayson Ford says: “After ten hugely successful years, it seems only right to show off the fantastic work The Campaign has generated. We hope this exhibition and generous support from artists, potential buyers and loyal supporters will secure the Campaign’s programmes for at least the next ten years”.

The Campaign for Drawing’s exhibition will be at the Idea Generation Gallery between 8-20 September. The exhibition is open between 10am–6pm Monday to Friday and 12 midday–5pm weekends. Admission is free.