The Liberal Arts gallery & Art in the community

Good day, I hope you are well. I am reaching out to you today to ask for your help. When I first began this project I was working as an outreach counselor for over 23 years in Holyoke, ma, with adults with mental illness and drug and alcohol issues. I recently left that position to concentrate my energies on the formation of a non-profit called Art in the community.

In December 2020, I opened the Liberal Arts Popup gallery at 236 Pleasant St in Northampton, ma. It began and continues to exist in an old forgotten garage in my community. It was started as a grassroots movement to help local artists who were struggling during the pandemic. We began with 12 local artists and now two years later house the work of over 50 local artists. Initially, our objective here at the gallery was to provide an avenue for local artists, writers, creators and musicians to play, display and sell their work, in a safe welcoming environment. From the beginning of this project, it became clear that we were also providing another very important resource for our community; the gallery offered a safe welcoming place for people to meet, gather and socialize during and after the height of the pandemic when many were feeling alone and isolated. It is a space where we encourage people to build new friendships, a place for members of our community who suffered from isolation and loneliness during covid meet new friends and begin to come together and form healthy support networks and help others who are in need of encouragement and positive social interactions through the concept of art and music. To date, I have funded this project myself and have kept the venue alive with the help of a handful of committed volunteers who understand the importance of community. Due to the increasing costs of our endeavors, I am reaching out to the community to help us to continue our goals of empowering individuals to grow and enrich their lives through the arts. Thank you for your attention to this matter, we appreciate you.