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

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

French supermarket promotes 'ugly' fruits and vegetables to reduce food waste

When was the last time you bought a weird-shaped fruit or veggie? A disfigured eggplant, a gnarled carrot, a hideous orange, or a deformed apple? You probably have a hard time remembering because growers usually throw out any misshapen produce, since grocery stores only want flawless (or almost flawless) crops. If there are lumps, bruises, or other deformities, retailers are likely to reject them. To raise awareness against food waste, Marcel Paris introduced a brilliant ad campaign called the Inglorious Fruits and Vegetables . The agency created these posters for Intermarche, France's third largest supermarket chain, to inform people that though these foods might by ugly, they are as good as any others. [h/t: Design You Trust ]
Post a Comment
Read more

Liam Gallagher Answers Vogue's 73 Questions

Dressed in his trademark parka, former Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher participates in Vogue's 73 Questions series while taking a brisk walk through London's Hampstead Heath. The popular video segment is normally rehearsed, with several takes. But Liam's outdoor interview was shot just once with no rehearsal and no advance peek at the questionnaire.
Post a Comment
Read more