Dasha and Ris giving the proceeds of the event to Judy Troilo, Executive Director of The LOFT
May 19, 2018
When finally setting the day of the event for May, 19th, 2018, we pondered what charity we should donate the proceeds to. With Pride Month just around the corner, we decided we would donate to The LOFT: LGBT Community Center in White Plains, NY. We wanted to make sure we would be providing a safe space to those identifying with the LGBTQ+ community within the audience and our own artists. We understand how important it is, especially for developing artists, to have a secure space, free of judgment, to express themselves in our community. We included this post on our Instagram to remind those attending and our artists on how to be an ally to the LGBTQ+ Community and remind them to be respectful to those around them.
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Almost six months passed from our first event in November before we had our second ever Artists For Impact event. We wondered what kinds of things we could add to include more people, so for our second event, we showcased an art gallery! Artists for Impact grew from five performers in November, to eight performers and ten artists (painters, drawers, photographers) in our new gallery.
Before we delve into the event, we want to give a special thank you to MADE: Art Studio for allowing us to use their space again. We are forever thankful for what they provide to the community as well as for helping us to provide a safe space for young artists.
Everyone involved in the event (except Mandy and Dexter, who unfortunately had to leave early)
Our artists included a diverse set of performers from the Rye Neck and Mamaroneck school districts: Tiny Brian (Griffin Wollowitz and Zach DiPalermo) and Vanishing Act (Stella Wunder, Katelyn Sansotta, Guillermo Pons, and Ryan Boron), Ris Igrec with acoustic guitar, ukelele and piano, Shai Wexler with her violin, Stella Wunder with her ukelele, Grace O'Rourke singing, and two spoken word performance by Risa Liebmann and Madison Crane. Our art gallery ranged from photographers, digital artists, drawers, to painters. The gallery artists featured were Dasha Boswell, Anna Boswell, Ruby Liebmann, Emma Finkenberg, Dexter Park, Lucas Pasquina, Ris Igrec, Grace O'Rourke, Stella Wunder, and Mandy Arc.
Vanishing Act (Stella Wunder, Ryan Boron, Guillermo Pons, and Katelyn Sansotta)
We were so lucky to have such a unique group of individuals and talent in the event and were grateful to also have an increase in our audience. At the end of the event and with additional donations, we made a total of $654.00 for The LOFT. The Mamaroneck community is so lucky to have such talented youth and it is our pleasure to provide them with a platform and opportunity to get exposure. We had successfully provided a safe space for everyone and will continue to do so, always. We were so happy to be able to start Pride Month (a week from then) off that way.
Risa Liebmann performed her spoken word
We would like to give a special thank you to The LOFT: LGBT Community Center for their space and the resources they provide to those in our communities for the LGBTQ+ community. Everything they do is so important and special to us. Artists For Impact will forever be an ally of The LOFT. We love you!
Stella Wunder during her solo performance