This Thursday, March 31st, one has two very win-win opportunities: two local organizations will be hosting parties where you can attend, view and purchase fine art by local and international artists, and support positive causes with the proceeds.
At Studio Gallery, the non-profit Acumen Fund is organizing an all-photography auction called DIGNITY DC. This event is curated by the Nuru Project, a group that seeks to leverage photography as an agent for social change in the developing world, and DC is the sixth city in the on-going DIGNITY event series. The beneficiary in DC, Acumen Fund, uses entrepreneurial approaches to fund projects in the developing world and, since their founding in 2001, has invested in water, public health, energy, and agriculture ventures. Each photograph in the DIGNITY DC show was taken in a location where Acumen Fund is working, including Kenya, India, and Pakistan, and the images have been selected to “convey the essence of Acumen Fund’s work and the people its investments reach,” according to event organizers.
The same evening (though running later and not terribly far away) the new Lamont Bishop Gallery hosts RESTORE: Japan – which sees the work of 32 Washington, DC-area artists coming together to raise money for the Japanese Red Cross Society. Many notable names of the local arts community have donated works including Kelly Towles, John Blee, and DECOY, all representing a variety of styles – so in addition to the suggested donation at the door of only $10, you should be able to find a piece that you want to add to your collection and, in so doing, support the recovery efforts in Japan.
