When Beth P wrote a blogpost relating her degree in economics to Firstgiving’s services, I was impressed and inspired to do the same using my major at Boston University: Art History. So how am I going to relate online fundraising to the History of Art?

"Along the Shore" by Addison Palmer

The painting displayed above is entitled “Along the Shore,” by talented artist Addison Palmer and will be the grand prize in a raffle to raise money for lung cancer. Dusty Donaldson, a survivor of this disease herself, created the event, as well as a Firstgiving page, where every $5 donated counts as one raffle ticket. Then, at the Triad Free to Breathe 5K Race/Walk & Rally on November 15th, the artist himself will draw the winning name from a pool of all entries and present the work of art.

Another event that is bringing together the two realms of art and fundraising is an art auction in support of Doctors without Borders. The event is being called Art Knows No Borders and aims to raise awareness of the effects of war, ethnic conflicts, and genocide, focusing particularly on the stalemate struggle over Nagorno-Karabakh. The night will take place November 18th and include special performances, music, and a silent auction of over a hundred pieces of artwork!

Art raffles and auctions are not new ideas, but very effective ways to raise money. Yet, writing about these types of fundraisers is not quite the same as making a direct connection to art history, so I’d like to push it still further.

Many agree that one, if not the greatest aspect of art is that it is essentially undefinable. Each time some critic or historian attempts to have it classified and understood, a contemporary artist does something to turn the new perspective on its head. The only explanation I have ever heard that has come close to encompassing even the most bizarre exhibitions was said by one of my professors. He stated, “Art can be anything that has been deliberately changed for a reason.”

This seems to fit. When Gustav Klimt painted “Le Baiser,” he took the oil paint medium and changed it into forms on canvas to express the moment of a kiss. When Duchamp stuck a bicycle wheel on top of a stool during the Dada movement, he changed the location and orientation of those objects for the purpose of expressing what art can be.

So who says there cannot be an art to fundraising? Isn’t it just a thing, like compassion, that is expressed through different means? Whether it be through a funny mustache, the selling of artwork, or bathing in a fountain, people are expressing their desires to fight disease, poverty, disorder, and disaster in a creative and effective ways.

Hey, it may be a bit of a stretch, but I dare you to argue it…

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 21st, 2008 at 11:40 am and is filed under Fundraising News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.