The will to create is uniquely human, and art is a natural right for all of us. It inspires competition, romance, and change. Art is a luxury for both serious and amateur collectors.
The will to create is uniquely human, and art is a natural right for all of us. It inspires competition, romance, and change. Art is a luxury for both serious and amateur collectors. It’s therapy for the unwell, and a privilege sometimes for prisoners. Sadly, art is always the first thing society abandons when budgets get cut, but arts been proven to increase academic success, test scores, and social skills. It’s easy to imagine a world without art, and even easier to explain what said world would be like – Boring!
When I was a student, art class was sometimes the only reason I got on the bus every morning. I was inspired by the relationships I had with my art teachers, and some of them became like mentors that came and went with each year. I often wonder how much more accomplished I might be right now if my mother didn’t have to turn down my invite to the governors school for art, because she wasn’t sure if we’d have a place to live, or food to eat. My childhood without art would have been intolerable, and I’m confident that many mischievous mishaps were subverted by the many pages of doodles that filled my notebooks.
When I first saw an Art180 sign hanging behind glass in a Main Street building somewhere in the bottom, I was curious. Upon further discovery, I was excited to find that they work with underprivileged youth to inspire them to make their community a better place, through encouragement, and self-expression. Art 180’s mission struck a chord with me, and I spent the next year or so looking for a reason to work with their organization. Two weeks ago, the stars aligned after a previously scheduled event was canceled, I was inspired to reach out to the awesome staff over at Art180.
This Sunday at The Camel, Art180 and RVA Magazine will host an event for Richmond’s underprivileged youth. The cost is five dollars, and doors open at six. Art180 will have several reps on hand to help bring awareness to their cause; while selling raffle tickets that could score you art related prizes like Tickets to the Tom Wesselmann exhibit at the VMFA, art supplies, or gift cards to places like Fan Guitar and Ukulele, and Starlite. In addition to cool art swag, we’ve put together a stellar line up of fantastic musicians that include Downbeat Switch, The Northerners, and Toxic Moxie. The music will kick off around 8pm, and we’ll be raffling off prizes till around 9pm, so bring cash, and just in case you’re feeling generous, Art180 will have staff prepared to accept any and all donations. So plan to come out, support a great cause, listen to some awesome music, and do your part to help make your city a better place.
More information about the event can be found here, on the event page.
