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.

Comments

Joie de vivre

Emily Powell has made a name for herself with her series of simple, colorful and exuberant paintings. Her passion pours out directly onto the canvas, inspiring the viewer to do something fun. Emily has exhibited with the Royal Society of Art and collaborated with MoMA and British Museum. Whether it's a coastal landscape, a cute animal, or an explosion of florals, her paintings will surely light up your day.

Hand-Painted Movie Posters by Tony Stella

In the 70s and 80s movie theaters in Manila were usually standalone buildings with nice seats and red curtains. To sell tickets, cinemas needed to advertise their offerings. But they did not have the original posters, or the means to print alternatives. So they made their own, commissioning local artists to hand-paint them. I really miss those hand-painted posters and billboards, which conveyed an artistry that was a form of visual hyperbole. But hand-made objects always have a way of returning. In this digital age, people will always look for things made by hand. I recently stumbled across the work of Tony Stella, whose genuinely cool movie posters have caught the eye of film enthusiasts and art lovers worldwide. He likes to work in watercolor and ink wash but sometimes he will make an oil painting, depending on the film. Tony's very active on social media, and his Tumblr blog contains a massive collection of illustrated movie posters that are often better than the original. ...

Artist reuses vintage envelopes to create remarkable biro portraits

Both my brother and I thought of ourselves as artists when we were kids. He the kind that could actually draw and paint, and me the kind that pretended that I could actually draw and paint. At least once a year (until I was 14 or 15) we bought art supplies at our favorite bookstore. We got paint brushes, watercolor sets, color pencils, crayons and paint tubes. But, soon I realized, I wasn't artistic and creative enough to pursue a degree in fine arts. And no amount of expensive equipment can make me a better artist. Sabi nga sa Tagalog, "nasa Indian yan, wala sa pana." Take, for example, Mark Powell. The London-based artist draws incredibly detailed portraits of elderly people using only a standard ballpoint pen. Know what I love more about Mark than his awesome drawings? His canvases. The University of Huddersfield graduate uses old envelopes, maps, books and newspapers to create incredible life-like illustrations. His obsession with vintage paper document...

finding cain

Search This Blog