"AS WE LIVE IT" exhibit came to an end a couple of weeks ago (9/9/11). Today, I went to San Francisco Arts Commission to pick up the remainder of the artwork submitted by our clients. I met up with Amy Le Duc, Gallery Manager and organizer of the exhibit. She told me that this exhibit was the most successful exhibit of its kind in City Hall in over 6 years. Commercially speaking as well.
The boost in recognition & sales peaked after an article by San Francisco Chronicle featuring one of the artists. It was good to know that the artists who sold their work would get 75% of the proceeds. I'm not sure where the rest of the money goes (certainly not to the clinics, but that's okay). I think it is a fair deal for the artists. Thanks again to SF Arts Commission and to Heidi Swillinger of SF Study Center for organizing this exhibit.
Aside from monetary gain by some of our artists, there were so many more intangible benefits generated by this exhibit toward the artists and to the community mental health system in San Francisco. The following "profits" come to mind:
self-expression,
self-assertion,
meaning,
grieving,
celebration,
empowerment,
pride,
beauty,
community-building,
myth busting,
myth making,
inspiration for others,
defiance,
exploration of different ideas,
sharing of perspectives,
seeing old things in new ways,
joy-making,
collaboration,
developing skills,
smashing stereotypes,
provoking,
evoking,
educating,
fun,
and many more.
