What is Art Saves Me?

Art Saves Me is a program developed by One Reel many years ago and it has evolved into a platform to demonstrate the transformative power art in action.

Since its inception, ART SAVES ME has provided financial assistance and support to artists. In June 2020, we launched artsavesme.org to provide artists with a public platform to creatively share their work and provide a time capsule to document art with historical and social significance. Our goal is to celebrate the positive impact of art on the lives of our community. In turn, we hope that hosting this work will fuel interest in following new works created by these artists, while serving to inspire interest on behalf of the subjects that are important enough to influence their work.

Artist TEN HUNDRED shares his ART SAVES ME experience with you.

ART SAVES ME: IN ACTION

In the wake of COVID-19, the mission of ART SAVES ME has never felt more relevant or important than it does today.

As the virus spread across the globe and Seattle braced itself for the the “stay-at-home” order to go into effect, One Reel stopped ourselves from purchasing a case of toilet paper (just in case) and turned our attention to what we could do to support local artists impacted by COVID-19.

Three weeks later and working from home, we awarded all-new, COVID-19 inspired grants to the five local artists selected by our independent advisory panel— based on the submissions received and the ideas shared. These artists would create new works inspired by actual events — based upon their unique experiences and observations as COVID-19-mania unfolded across the nation.

By now, the stay-at-home was in full swing and we took notice of the new murals that seemed to pop up daily across the city. In the span of four weeks, hundreds of local artists had responded to the pandemic, filling Seattle’s now empty neighborhoods with street art that vibrantly reminded us we weren’t alone in our uncertainty.

In response, we invested our resources into documenting and preserving this time-relevant, historic collection of public art, while we explored ways to ensure these artists received recognition for their artistic contributions in the face of adversity.

When life throws you a curveball, the transformative power of art can help to set things straight.

The launch of the ART SAVES ME website allows us to honor the creative spirit of local artists and serves as a reminder to us all of how powerful art can be in transforming a community under siege. Our hope is that ARTSAVESME.org will become rotating gallery for artists to publicly share art that is relevant to the collective crisis we all face as we struggle to live in the shadow of COVID-19.

In the months ahead, ARTSAVESME.org will continue to share the journey of artists effected by the virus, deliver inspirational stories of artists as they unfold and showcase work we believe is vital to our survival. The future is unknown. Yet, history has shown us that art remains a lasting testament to the human condition.

We truly believe that art has the power to save you, me and everyone we know. We just need to know where to look and be willing to support the work of artists at all costs.

IT’S YOUR TURN TO TAKE ACTION.

We want to hear from you! ARTISTS and ART LOVERS —tell us what “ART SAVES ME” means to you and why.

We believe in the transformative power of art and the positive impact it has on our lives. If you are an artist or a art lover who feels that art has helped you to deal with personal issues, life challenges, or social injustice, we want to hear from you!

DID YOU KNOW? 100% of your donations to ART SAVES ME go toward supporting local artists and/or to organizations that are actively working to address the social issues reflected in their artwork.

All donation made via this website are distributed directly to local artists or to local organizations that support the social causes that are communicated through the the artists work. For full transparency, we include this information in the top banner of the website to let potential donors know how their gifts will be used and who will benefit.