Elizabeth Sutton / Joe & The Juice

My name is Elizabeth Sutton. I am a New York City born artist, entrepreneur, and mother and I have teamed up with international coffee and juice brand, Joe & The Juice, to raise money for The Art of Elysium.  In honor of my artwork collaboration with JTJ, which will feature my designs on all cups and t shirts in 17 NYC locations, we have joined forces with The Art of Elysium, an organization whose mission is to empower artists and communities of need to join together and emotionally triumph over their circumstances through art. Joe & The Juice has generously committed to donating $1 of all juice cup sales from their Spring Street location for the duration of the collaboration. I will be hosting a series of limited edition prints giveaways through her social media in order assist in the efforts. All those who donate $5 or more to this page will automatically be entered to win 1 of 3 prints that she will be donating. I am also committing to donating 10% of all art sales from the 67 Spring St location to the organization. 

So what is the reason behind the collaboration and why have we chosen to support The Art of Elysium? I approached Joe & The Juice back in January, a month after I experienced the worst tragedy of my life. Immediately following my birthday celebration at Art Basel in Wynwood, Miami, two of my team members, Pedro Valerino and Juan Salazar, were involved in a fatal car accident. Juan Salas Salazar lost his life at 28 years old and left behind a 3 year old daughter and a young widow.  The accident was the worst experience I've ever been through, and I've been through many. I felt dead inside. So in true ESC fashion, I poured my heart, sorrows, tears, and soul into my work, because that is the only way I know how to heal; how to try and create something positive and beautiful out of something so devastating. I NEEDED something big. One day, I was walking past a new Joe & The Juice storefront, I was inspired by their colors, and felt compelled to reach out. And so it began...

Within days of cold calling the company, I had a meeting with Kasper Garnell, one of JTJ's owners. He gave me the opportunity to feature my designs on the cups of all their NYC stores, and so my healing began. Getting this collaboration literally helped bring me back to life. It gave me something exciting to both create and look forward to, while simultaneously enabling me to give back with my creativity. 

So why am I telling you this sob story? The efforts of organizations like The Art of Elysium help emotionally heal people who have been through some of life's most devastating tragedies. It may be difficult for those who are not in the arts to understand the life changing effects art can have on one's mind and soul but I can personally tell you from experience that art has SAVED my life on multiple occasions. This #ESCxJOE collaboration specifically brought me back to life in a moment when I couldn't quite see the light at the end of the tunnel. But the light is back and I am so grateful to have been given this opportunity. I cannot wait to see what comes of our collaboration, how much money we are able to raise for an AMAZING cause, and I hope people feel inspired.

With Love and Gratitude,
Elizabeth Sutton