Old meets New: Elfreth's Alley goes Art-y

July 1st's Artisans on the Alley event was a great success!  There were a bunch of local artists out on Elfreth's Alley, peddling their beautifully handcrafted wares on the oldest street in the country, and that was a great thing.   

It's a sad thing when something so crucial to our nation's history is in jeopardy - that's why ASW is working with Elfreth's Alley to rally interest and traffic to this national landmark.  I know everyone might not be a huge history buff (I'm sure not), but you don't have to be a historian to know it's important for the history, community, and tourist economy of Philly to make sure we keep our landmarks running!

Elfreth's Alley is working hard to keep its museum and gift shop doors open, through fundraising and events that get people walking in and around these 200 year old houses. I met with Marketing Team member Rachel Anderson to figure out what we could do to help, and it turned into the 1st Annual Artisans on the Alley event, to be held around this time every year.  Artists from all over the Philadelphia area created art specifically highlighting the beauty and detail of Elfreth's Alley, and will now be featured in the EA gift shop.

Are you one of those artists who got kicked off
of 2nd Street vending? 
Well, you're in luck. (sidebar: HOW RUDE WAS THAT!!!)

Because of this event, Art to Save the World is now going to be collaborating with Elfreth's EVERY First Friday to get artists lining the alley with their work.  Just go to http://www.arttosavetheworld.com/event for information and signups. 

be frank handcrafted items

Check out some sweet pics of the night on our Facebook Page:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.218807081489285.48264.107871239249537

AND

Be sure to check out the artists of the night, most of whom now have items for sale in the Elfreth's Alley Gift Shop!

be frank studio
handcrafted items- mini-journals, screen prints & more!

North Massaro
"Wannabes" animal paintings

5 Dollar Fridays
$5 design advice.  no kidding.

Philadelphia Calligraphers 
Pen and Ink sets

Recycled Rowhouses
birdhouses made of found wood

Art Lovin' - the nerd way

I've been watching a lot of Doctor Who lately, which has been a huge exercise in creativity for me (who wouldn't love creating in a world where you aren't bound by space or time?!?).

For those of you who may not know, Doctor Who is a BBC tv show that is the longest running sci-fi show in history, and is all about a funny, mad doctor who time travels in a blue police box called the Tardis, solving mysteries and fighting baddies throught the universe.

Why is this relevant to Art to Save the World? This is why- this is a quote of one of my favorite episodes, in which the Doctor goes back in time to meet Vincent Van Gogh.

I won't go into the whole story, but what you need to know is that the Doctor takes Van Gogh forward in time, to see his artwork in the Musée d'Orsay, and hears a curator talking about his work:

Curator: Well... um... big question, but, to me Van Gogh is the finest painter of them all. Certainly the most popular, great painter of all time. The most beloved, his command of colour most magnificent. He transformed the pain of his tormented life into ecstatic beauty. Pain is easy to portray, but to use your passion and pain to portray the ecstasy and joy and magnificence of our world, no one had ever done it before. Perhaps no one ever will again. To my mind, that strange, wild man who roamed the fields of Provence was not only the world's greatest artist, but also one of the greatest men who ever lived. View the Video

Imagine being an artist, seemingly failing at your work, with the only appreciation coming from... yourself.  Maybe you feel like this now.  But then, imagine meeting someone who truly appreciates your work, values your contribution to the world at large, and can't wait to tell everyone about the genius that you have unleashed upon the world.  That would be pretty awesome, right?

This reminded me of all the reasons I started Art to Save the World.  i walk around this city seeing artist after artist, consistently putting out fantastic work, and I can't wait to share it with the people around me.  In the first year of ASW, I've met some fan-freaking-tastic people, and I've been amazed at the creativity that I've seen. 

Artists, remember - somewhere out there, there's at least one person who will love and appreciate your work - probably lots more than just the one!  You just have to find your audience.


I've seen people discover new artwork, and start following certain artists because of the work we've done with Art to Save the World, and it's definitely one of the most rewarding things I've ever experienced. I get so excited helping people to value local art and seeing artists get their work out there!

I am a firm believer that art CAN change the world - it can change perspectives, bring people together, and convey ideas to people regardless of language and culture.  How powerful is that?! 

Stay tuned for more frequent blogging about the artists you should know and love in Philadelphia!

The best photoshoot ever.

Hello wonderful people of the world!

I wanted to share a little bit about our photo shoot night with the women at Dawn's Place.  It was truly an amazing night, both for the women at the shelter and for the artists who came and used their skills for it.  

The reason I started Art to Save the World was because I saw tons of artists in the city, all wanting to share their art with the world, and a lot of them have no great outlet to do so.  I've always believed that the best artwork makes the world a better place and shares a new perspective. My goal was to find artists, and connect them to do-gooder opportunities - figure out a way for all of us to use our talents for awesome causes!

Last night was all of those things.  

The women who live at Dawn's Place are all rescued from commercial trafficking - that is, women who have been sexually exploited, and have no where else to go.  The staff at DP helps them to find jobs, connect with their families, and take classes - anything and everything that aids these ladies in putting their lives back together.  

I've been working with the shelter for about a year now, visiting when I can just to spend time with the women there.  When I started I thought "it'll be awesome, I can hang out with them,  hopefully bring a little sunshine into their lives".  Little did I know that they would do that for me, just as much as I did for them.  

The shoot was full of laughter, smiles, and self-images being restored - each of the women walked away with beautiful pics of themselves dolled up and lookin' pretty for the camera, and those of us who helped out all walked away with some perspective and our hearts full of love for these fantastic women.

Happy Hour Benefit at Public House: Thursday March 3rd

Come out and help support Art to Save the World by attending our Happy Hour Benefit at Public House in Philadelphia from 7-9pm (at 18th Street between Arch and Cherry).   The more people we get to attend the better our chances to win funding towards our projects in addition to helping our organization between a full fledged non-profit.  Plus, who doesn't like Happy Hours? Come by and find out more about our organization and meet some great people in the process.  Hope to see you there!

Doing Good, Feelin' Good

On Valentines Day, packed up all of the handmade cards, gift certificates (donated generously by friends of ASW and The Connect Church), and candies into baskets and trucked them over to Dawn's Place. It's funny how apprehensive I still get sometimes about "doing good" for others, especially ones I don't know well. Will they appreciate the gifts? Will it be strange to receive things from people they don't know from Adam?

They did. It wasn't. It was a heartwarming experience, and I was darn lucky to be a part of it.

The women at the shelter, including a handful from the Philadelphia area and that were rescued from Indonesia, were downright floored by the generosity and caring that went into each little valentine. They raved about the detail and the hard work that clearly went into each one, and were so excited to know that there were people out there that took the time to make them.

Looking around the room, I saw instant smiles, "oohs" and "ahhs", and genuine happiness. Even the Indonesian women were talking excitedly, and though I didn't have a clue what they were saying, I could tell it was along the lines of "these valentines rule!". And to think, all it took was a few spools of ribbon, some construction paper, and a lot of glue!

I took a moment to do an inventory of my own feelings, and was struck by how much this little outreach was affecting ME. I was excited at their reaction, which made me even more jazzed for the plans to come - a photoshoot night with the ladies... art therapy sessions... my mind was spinning with ideas not only for Dawn's Place, but for events and projects all over the city. I wanted to share this bit of joy I got from the experience with other people, and create more opportunities for this kind of community interaction.

 I've found that through doing good, I felt good, and that in turn got my creative juices flowing. There's got to be a medical explanation for that, but for now I'll say - the best way to come up with new ideas, it to take the skills you have and put them to use however possible. The 5-year-old that helped make valentines doesn't exactly have a huge resume of marketable skills, but she had some colored pencils and the desire to help people, and that made a huge difference in the lives of those women.

As we continue to figure out exactly how Art to Save the World is going to evolve, what we can do to make an impact on our community, and the ways we can support local art, I am most looking forward to those kind of connections we are making along the way - real, human relationships, that give people happiness and hope.

Thanks to all the people who helped out creating valentines, especially:
Margo Mangione
LuRey Photography
Sharon Rice
Julie Wilgus
Sarah Wilgus and
Kate Naylor, for picking out the delish candy treats!