The 2024 Art Of Elysium 25th Anniversary Heaven Benefit Honors Neil Gaiman

The Art of Elysium has announced the celebration of its 25th Anniversary Heaven benefit, set to take place on the eve of the Golden Globes in Los Angeles. Esteemed storyteller Neil Gaiman has been chosen as the recipient of this year's Visionary award.

Each year, the event's theme, "Heaven," is brought to life by a chosen visionary who conceptualizes their personal idea of paradise. This year, the task is bestowed upon the award-winning Gaiman, an artist whose canon deals with fantasy, divinity, and humanity across mediums.

“Celebrating 25 years of The Art of Elysium and our mission of art heals is surreal to say the least.  Choosing a visionary to conceptualize their idea of HEAVEN has never been more important than at this milestone.  This is our first HEAVEN since the COVID pandemic and it is the largest celebration to date.” shares Jennifer Howell, the organization's founder, “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."

The tradition of rotating through visionaries across various fields has seen illustrious names take the mantle, including Marina Abramovic, Shepard Fairey, John Legend, Vivienne Westwood & Andreas Kronthaler, and Stevie Wonder. Every year, the Heaven event has hosted a pantheon of artists, performers and philanthropists raising funds that go to the arts programs that serve individuals in the midst of emotional life challenges like illness, hospitalization, displacement, confinement, and/or crisis, which include the medically fragile and those dealing with social, emotional and mental health issues.

Born in Hampshire, UK, in 1960, Neil Gaiman has been a significant figure in the literary and entertainment industry, residing in the United States since 1992. He's lauded for the iconic ‘Sandman' series and his diverse portfolio that encompasses prose, poetry, film, journalism, comics, song lyrics, and drama. With accolades such as the Newbery, Carnegie Medals, Hugos, and Nebulas, his remarkable contributions have been globally recognized .  Neil Gaiman is Professor in the Arts at Bard College, a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Refugee Agency UNHCR and has been committed to supporting First Amendment Rights for over 30 years.

Neil Gaiman says "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."

His notable works extend to screenplays for the BBC TV series "Neverwhere," "Mirrormask" for the Jim Henson Company, "Beowulf" co-written with Robert Zemeckis, and producing the film "Stardust." Additionally, Gaiman's directorial pursuits include "A Short Film About John Bolton" and Sky Television's "Statuesque." His penned episode for "Doctor Who," titled "The Doctor's Wife," garnered significant acclaim, and his books "Good Omens," “American Gods,” and "The Sandman" have successfully transitioned to hit television series.

As we commemorate the 25th anniversary of this cherished charity event, all eyes are set on Gaiman's rendition of heaven, promising an evening that is as magical as his vast body of work.