Spark the Arts: Honoring Evan
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On December 16, 2020, the world suddenly lost one of its brightest lights, Evan James Sparks, a compassionate, loving, funny, smart, talented young man, who was deeply loved. The immediate and constant outpouring of love and support to his family and friends are a tribute to the immense impact Evan had on the lives of so many others.
Many have asked how they can honor his memory through a donation or charitable gift. After much thought and encouragement from close friends, Evan’s parents have given permission for the establishment of a fund in his name and have decided the best way to honor their son is to support projects by independent artists. From a young age, Evan – who wrote his first screenplay in fifth grade -- believed in the art of storytelling to entertain, provoke thought, make change, and help people feel, whether to be scared, laugh, cry, love, or heal. He started with special effects tutorials and became a creator of, and collaborator on, narrative short films, music videos, and documentaries. He loved filmmaking, and admired and respected all of the arts, from photography to writing and poetry to theatre to music. He mentored and was mentored and surrounded himself with incredible talent in order to collaborate, learn, and become a better storyteller and filmmaker.
Evan was to be in his final semester at Florida State University’s College of Motion Picture Arts, a program in which he was fully immersed and completely dedicated. He was set to graduate with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film Production, with a specialty in directing. He had plans to get started in the professional industry he loved, while also working on collaborative independent film projects, already in development with production planned for the summer and beyond. Those projects will hopefully still move forward. In the wake of his passing, there have also been discussions by some of his film school family to create a documentary of his life in the coming year.
Independent projects beyond those developed in film school require time, logistics, travel, and production costs, as well as participation in film festivals, which gets the work seen. Any collected funds will go directly to the Sparks family to enable young adult artists to pursue their artistic endeavors while being lifted and supported by Evan’s memory, to bring meaning, enlightenment, thought, beauty, and joy to the world. The goal is to distribute donated funds in the next one to five years to projects and artists who have the talent, training, motivation, and responsibility to see their projects through with the same passion for their art that Evan had.
Thank you for any donation that you desire to make to honor Evan Sparks’ legacy, but please know that prayers are enough. The Sparks family greatly appreciates all the love and support extended to them during this life-altering circumstance. It has meant the world.
Many have asked how they can honor his memory through a donation or charitable gift. After much thought and encouragement from close friends, Evan’s parents have given permission for the establishment of a fund in his name and have decided the best way to honor their son is to support projects by independent artists. From a young age, Evan – who wrote his first screenplay in fifth grade -- believed in the art of storytelling to entertain, provoke thought, make change, and help people feel, whether to be scared, laugh, cry, love, or heal. He started with special effects tutorials and became a creator of, and collaborator on, narrative short films, music videos, and documentaries. He loved filmmaking, and admired and respected all of the arts, from photography to writing and poetry to theatre to music. He mentored and was mentored and surrounded himself with incredible talent in order to collaborate, learn, and become a better storyteller and filmmaker.
Evan was to be in his final semester at Florida State University’s College of Motion Picture Arts, a program in which he was fully immersed and completely dedicated. He was set to graduate with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film Production, with a specialty in directing. He had plans to get started in the professional industry he loved, while also working on collaborative independent film projects, already in development with production planned for the summer and beyond. Those projects will hopefully still move forward. In the wake of his passing, there have also been discussions by some of his film school family to create a documentary of his life in the coming year.
Independent projects beyond those developed in film school require time, logistics, travel, and production costs, as well as participation in film festivals, which gets the work seen. Any collected funds will go directly to the Sparks family to enable young adult artists to pursue their artistic endeavors while being lifted and supported by Evan’s memory, to bring meaning, enlightenment, thought, beauty, and joy to the world. The goal is to distribute donated funds in the next one to five years to projects and artists who have the talent, training, motivation, and responsibility to see their projects through with the same passion for their art that Evan had.
Thank you for any donation that you desire to make to honor Evan Sparks’ legacy, but please know that prayers are enough. The Sparks family greatly appreciates all the love and support extended to them during this life-altering circumstance. It has meant the world.
Organizer and beneficiary
Margy Dolan
Organizer
Oak Park, IL
Jennifer Sparks
Beneficiary