It would appear this organization has more lives than a damn cat.

A WORD FROM ONE REEL

ART SAVES ME is presented by One Reel, a non-profit organization that has supported tens of thousands of local artists through our work with Bumbershoot, Pianos in The Parks, and a few less flashy programs— like this one.

What do you do as a non-profit organization recognized for producing large-scale public events in Seattle since 1972 when a pandemic requires us to isolate?

That’s what One Reel was forced to ask in March 2020 as the world seemed to collapse in on itself. In the wake of COVID-19, it would be ludicrous to think that Seattle residents would welcome the opportunity want to tinkle the ivories at one of the shared, public pianos peppered through the city during PIANOS IN THE PARK or jump at the chance to join a crowd around any of the stages at Seattle Center during BUMBERSHOOT.

Given that those summer events had been One Reel’s raison d’etre in recent years, we had to ask ourselves how the hell the organization could continue to operate according to our mission, in a world where social distancing and stay-at-home orders could become a common occurrence to ease the impact of future outbreaks.

Ironically, we’d been flirting off-and-on for over a decade with a program that made sense in light of the current COVID-19 challenge. It gave us something to rally around.

ART SAVES ME has helped local artists face down life’s obstacles through art, and gives them the opportunity to pay it forward. In addition to funding artwork inspired by their creative journey, One Reel has actively worked with artists to discover creative outlets for sharing their experiences with others who might be facing similar challenges.

As Seattle struggles to regain its footing, ART SAVES ME is even more relevant today. The struggles we face are universal, yet the path we take is uniquely our own. For artists, this presents a doorway to revolving thematic topics to explore and a cauldron of emotions to draw upon.

Art provides creators with an outlet to channel their feelings of isolation, loss, uncertainty, hope, fear, anger, and sorrow. Art has the power to engage the imagination and connect the dots to self-discovery. Art may be in the eye of the beholder, but the creator brings it to life. A gift infused with the power to transport the audience to enlightenment.

For creative thinkers, this is a time to harness the transformative power of the imagination to tackle the social and internal repercussions of COVID-19.

And so, we chose to focus our efforts on supporting artists that are producing work relevant to the circumstances of the moment. In April 2020, we awarded grants to five artists to create new works during the governor's stay-at-home order. In May, we looked around to see the amazing murals that populated our neighborhoods with messages of hope, fear, frustration, and unity in response to the COVID-19 crisis.

Realizing that this artwork had a relatively short life span and would likely soon disappear when Seattle businesses began to reopen, we commissioned a photographer to document and catalog the work for posterity and launched this website to honor the artists who had created the COVID-19 murals with a publicly accessible channel to contain this historic body of work.

Our goal is to spark interest in art that is responsive to the needs of the community and to give artists the opportunity to create art to help us heal.

To do this, we encourage you to invest in these artists — either through donations made directly to artists you may discover here or through a donation to One Reel that will, in turn, be distributed to local artists or to support the causes reflected in their work. Either way, public art is essential to how we cope with COVID-19 going forward, and we encourage everyone to give what they can whenever possible.

It doesn’t appear this pandemic has yet run its course despite our best efforts to contain it. In the coming months, we will bear witness to the repercussions that surface as we attempt to restart our lives in the face of uncertainty.

Come what may, ART SAVES ME will be here to provide support to artists coping with COVID-19 and to share their work with you. Art has the power to transform how we cope with reality, and artists deserve recognition for creatively reminding us to remain vigilant.

Be well.
Marty Griswold
Executive Director
One Reel