Buying art for good

May 7, 2013 2:55 PM

I'm moving into a new apartment and want to decorate my walls with some art. I really don't have anything in mind, and I thought a good way to help me decide might be to find art coming from sources where the purchase benefits a good cause. Maybe something like art made from students where the purchase goes towards the school, or something else where the money I spend ends up doing more than just going to the art store or website I buy it from. Really open to any ideas here. I'm in NYC if that helps.
posted by rastapasta to Media & Arts (10 answers total)

Cooper Union End of Year Show is pretty cool, with many pieces on sale, particularly if you talk directly to the students who are showing their work.

If you like a particular student's work, you can also then commission them to make you art- I have a few friends who got their start as full time artists from commissions based on their EOY show work.
posted by larthegreat at 2:59 PM on May 7, 2013

Not sure if the pieces can be purchased online, but I really like Project Onward It's a collective based out of Chicago and all of the artists have developmental delays and nor mental illness. If you're in the area the studio is in the cultural center. The artists work is many different mediums and have multiple styles.
posted by missriss89 at 3:24 PM on May 7, 2013

Just saw that you're in NYC. I'm sure there is a similar group there....
posted by missriss89 at 3:25 PM on May 7, 2013

I agree with larthegreat, about purchasing student work. As the daughter of an artist, I'd suggest that you buy directly from the artist, as opposed to an art gallery. Galleries are certainly useful for getting exposure, but they also take a large cut of the money from sales. Supporting artists benefits the arts, which feels like a good cause to me.
posted by therumsgone at 3:31 PM on May 7, 2013

Definitely buy directly from the artists if you can, and as a student artist myself, please consider buying from students. A lot of young people have great work that just needs to be appreciated- even showing them that their work is valuable enough to be purchased goes a long way in affirming to them that they really can do this.
posted by drd at 3:53 PM on May 7, 2013

I used to buy a lot of art from novica.com, which is now owned by National Geographic. It sells the work of artisans from around the world. I have some stunning paintings from Ghana.
posted by shoesietart at 4:03 PM on May 7, 2013

If you want original art, definitely buy directly from the artist.

If you're more interested in inexpensive prints, there are a bunch of small independent businesses that offer prints (sometimes editioned, sometimes not) by artists who range from up and coming to well established but not superstars. They often donate a share of proceeds to charity. Tiny Showcase and The Working Proof both do this, and I think 20x200.com as well, although the shop is currently down for maintenance so I can't check.
posted by The Elusive Architeuthis at 4:24 PM on May 7, 2013

The Exceptional Children's Foundation of Los Angeles. They have an online store. And if you are ever in the Los Angeles area, they have open houses every year where you can meet the artists.
posted by nanook at 4:52 PM on May 7, 2013

These Ape-stract paintings are endorsed by Jane Goodall, support a good cause, and are reasonably priced.
posted by Sophont at 6:02 PM on May 7, 2013

100cameras.org gives kids in a community (so far South Sudan, NYC, Cuba and India) cameras, then sells prints & merchandise from their photos. All the proceeds go back to the local community to fund education/healthcare needs.
posted by tangaroo at 9:00 PM on May 7, 2013