“Art can heal. Art can help. Art matters.” This is the slogan of one of the latest print sales rallying around anti-racism causes, and to be honest, we couldn’t agree more. It really has been heartwarming to see how engaged the global creative community has been over the past few months. From supporting coronavirus causes to the Black Lives Matter movement — artists, photographers and designers have shown the power they have as a collective force. And while we barely have any spare walls left in our houses to adorn, we can barely resist another selection of photography from the best artists in the industry. In case you’ve missed out on one or two, here’s a list of three that have emerged in the last week.
Don’t Back Down!
Launched last Sunday, this print sale unites more than 40 photographers rallying around multiple anti-racism causes. According to its founders, it can be tough to see where their power as artists lies in making a tangible difference. “We thought creating a collective site to sell prints to raise money was the perfect solution. We want people to discover new photographers, get amazing art, all while directly supporting amazing artists,” they write in a statement. Photographers selling prints include Jamel Shabazz, Brad Elterman, Danielle Levitt, and many more. The works will be printed by Contact Photo Lab, a Black-owned photography lab in Downtown LA.
Prints are $150 each and all profits are donated to one of three US organisations that will be selected by the customer at check-out: Equal Justice Initiative, Inner City Arts and The Okra Project. Check out their website here.
Anti-Racism Photography Fundraiser
This global print sale is bringing together more than 100 photographers to raise funds for Black British charities and organisations: The Black Curriculum, Black Minds Matter and Exist Loudly. As its organisers state, racism is a deeply rooted British issue and not just an American one. To that end, they’ve decided to operate under the banner of Anti-Racism, which, in their words, is “a call for the creative world, and the world at large, to fight racism everywhere it exists, while empowering the organisations and charities already doing this work.” Photographers include some of i-D’s faves: Hart Lëshkina, Sam Gregg, Mario Sorrenti, Corinne Day and many more.
All prints are £100 each — with some special editions included. All proceeds minus production and shipping costs will go directly to these charities and organisations. See all prints available here.
The Black Queer Fundraising Print Sale
This sale is part of My Queer Blackness, My Black Queerness, an ongoing digital project which aims to denounce the racism and homophobia inflicted on Black queer people “by way of art, film and literature”, taking the form of online film screenings, a digital journal and a print sale fundraiser. The print sale is the crown jewel of founder Jordan Anderson’s initiative, featuring work from 12 photographers, including Tim Walker, Campbell Addy, Daniel Obasi and Michael Bailey Gates. Each piece celebrates Black queer beauty in its many different forms.
The sale will be on for another two weeks, with proceeds going to TransWave JA and ForTheGworls, two organisations fighting for the rights of transgender people. Check here to see what prints are available.
