Skip to main content

Boston startup sells works by homeless and disabled artists


Liz Powers has a truly fascinating piece in the Huffington Post about ArtLifting, a Boston-based startup that sells art made by the homeless and disabled. 
"I want to maximize our artists' opportunity to earn their own income. Before we existed, many of the artists we work with had no outlet. The ones that did, were lucky if they could make $20 selling their originals on a street corner. We need to treat these artists with the respect that they deserve. Since we launched just a year a half ago, five of our artists have already gained housing. Original artworks have already sold for as much as $1700."
Liz and her brother launched ArtLifting in late 2013 with $4,000 of their own money. Today, the site features about 800 pieces of art from 52 artists across the United States — everything from smartphone cases and greeting cards to posters and original paintings. Fifty-five percent of the profit from each sale goes to the artist and the rest for the company to cover its costs.
"We want to treat our artists with dignity. They don't want a hand out - they want to earn their own income. As we've heard from many of our artists, the power to earn generates hope. We view ourselves merely as the vehicle that connects them with the countless customers who love their work."
ArtLifting finds its artists through local art teachers working in homeless shelters. Recently, the company landed a $1.1 million in seed funding from investors including Toms Shoes founder Blake Mycoskie.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Irene Saputra's Colorful Stitched Pieces

Embroidery is nowhere near forgotten, and in fact, it's experiencing something of a resurgence as artists around the globe are putting their own unique spins on the craft. Indonesia's Irene Saputra is one of them, and more than 45,000 people on Instagram already follow her.  Handmade from colorful threads stitched onto fabric, Irene's embroideries begin as original illustrations. What I really like about her stitched pieces is that some of them are meant to be worn. Look at an array of her handiwork!
Post a Comment
Read more

The Adorable Sculptures of Yen Yen Lo

These images are from a series of wall sculptures created by Yen Yen Lo . Here you can see her intricately textured ceramic pieces, looking downright adorable. Yen Yen Lo's eye for the unique and whimsical is delightful. Apparently they are not intended for kids under 16. Fifteen-year-olds cannot be trusted with fragile stuff. Get them a Funko Pop instead.
Post a Comment
Read more

Stencils and Subtlety

If there were a Michelin star for public murals, Roamcouch would have it. No debate. His art is an elegant contradiction; it stops you in mid-stride and makes you stare. You argue with what you see. He works with scenes from everyday life, nothing fancy, then drops them into backgrounds full of playfulness and surprise. His murals feel like small rebellions, and they insist on being noticed. Here are some of his recent street art works. Roamcouch has a Facebook page and a website where you can find all his work.
Post a Comment
Read more