While at home during this shutdown, I have struggled to come up with an idea to raise some much-needed money for the arts community in Illinois.
"Arts for Illinois is a collaboration between the State of Illinois, the City of Chicago, and the broader philanthropic community, co-chaired by Illinois First Lady MK Pritzker and Chicago First Lady Amy Eshleman.
The COVID-19 pandemic has placed unprecedented strain on the arts and cultural community. In a statewide survey by Arts Alliance Illinois assessing the potential financial impact of COVID-related closures on the creative sector, 328 respondents estimated that their organizations will lose nearly $85 million in revenue due to a suspension of public-facing programs or exhibitions just through the end of April."
To maintain some sense of sanity in this difficult situation I have been going out early, almost every morning, for a walk around my neighborhood, photographing what used to be rush hour. I am calling this series of photos, Life Under Lockdown. I will keep adding images until this crisis is over.
To raise money for the Arts for Illinois Relief Fund I am going to make available an 8.5"x11" hand-signed print of any photo from this series for a price of $15. This will include shipping via U.S. Postal Service. I will then donate all proceeds from any sales of these photos to the Arts for Illinois Relief Fund minus the cost of shipping. It breaks down as follows: Postage is $4.60, $15.00 - $4.60 = $10.40. I will cover the cost of the envelope. This means for every print in this series that is sold for $15.00, I will donate $10.40 to the Arts for Illinois Relief Fund. I will post the progress of the sales as they happen. To make the purchase just click on any image below and there will be a popup that will let you add that image to the shopping cart.
I urge you to go to the Arts for Illinois website for information about this initiative. You can also donate directly, if you wish, at the Arts for Illinois Relief Fund donation page.
I have really missed attending live performances, art exhibitions, opera, concerts, etc. and we have no idea how long this will last. Let's pitch in a few dollars, if you are able, and let the Illinois Arts community know much they mean to us.
