Giving Tuesday 2023: Causes We Love and Support
In honor of Giving Tuesday, we wanted to highlight the Chicago area non-profit organizations we’ve worked with this year with a focus on art, community, and education. Giving back is important to us, especially when it comes to independent artists and art education. Which is why we were honored to support such incredible causes.
Whether you want to also help out or simply learn more about the impactful work being done in the Chicago area, we hope you feel inspired. Keep scrolling to learn about all the incredible organizations we’ve donated to this year.
IPaintMyMind
Mission
As a non-profit art agency, IPaintMyMind’s mission is to “create, curate, produce, and deliver art services and programs that fund the majority of our FREE and low-cost art programs for schools and underserved communities”.
iCanvas Donation
We were honored to donate $15,000 to their cause this year, and help spread the importance of art to growing minds.
IPaintMyMind’s Statement
“IPaintMyMind is incredibly thankful to iCanvas for their generous donation in 2023 to support our mission of connecting people through the power of art. When we heard from the team at iCanvas about the donation we were thrilled, as it instantly made our plan for supporting more teachers nationwide real. With the donation, our team has been hard at work building a silent engine of digital mission delivery to ensure that art teachers all over the USA and beyond can save time lesson planning, reduce stress, and feature diverse artists in their classroom.
Our goal is to get The IPaintMyMind Art Lesson Plan Book PDF, which includes 21 Lesson Plans with worksheets and over 30 diverse artists to study, into the hands of art teachers all over the country. This donation from iCanvas means we can afford to build out a robust marketing and outreach strategy, and we’ve already seen these funds bring the mission to life.
Thank you iCanvas for your donation, we hope to retain your support over the years to come.
Art lovers looking to support art teachers and students nationwide can learn more about our various initiatives at IPaintMyMind.org, or you can donate too!”
Visit https://ipaintmymind.org/ to learn more.
Chicago Artists Coalition
Mission
Non-profit organization Chicago Artists Coalition’s mission is to support Chicago artists and curators. CAC offers “residency programs, exhibitions, professional development, and resources that enable them to live, work and thrive in the city”. Launching the careers of emerging artists, recent alumni have proudly exhibited their work at influential museums such as MoMA and The Whitney, and have even secured curatorial positions at large galleries around the country.
iCanvas Donation
We were thrilled to donate $15,000 to support CAC’s mission and help independent artists grow and flourish.
Chicago Artists Coalition’s Statement
Quote from Executive Director, Brookes Ebetsch:
“The donation from iCanvas enabled the activation of our Third Space gallery for Chicago Exhibition Weekend. We had over 170 patrons through our doors to see two group exhibitions of our HATCH and BOLT residents. We were able to premiere a performance piece by residents Ale Campos and Olya Salimova entitled “Origins”. iCanvas will support our end-of-year alumni and resident gathering – one of the many ways we promote the networking of emerging and established artists here in Chicago. We are grateful for the opportunity to share our work with you and for your direct support of artists.”
Visit https://chicagoartistscoalition.org/ to learn more.
TotalLink2 Community
Mission
TotalLink2 Community helps individuals living with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the north suburbs of Chicago. Their mission is to “empower adults with disabilities to thrive by working, socializing, learning, and contributing to our communities – making their families, workplaces, and communities better for it”. They often encourage these individuals to express themselves through art and paint their own creations, regularly revealing an ‘artist of the month’.
iCanvas Donation
Given their constant need for art supplies to help individuals express their creativity, we were eager to look for ways we could help. We realized we could provide canvas materials from iCanvas returns for them to paint on. Not only can this help them eliminate the need to purchase expensive supplies, but it’s also a great way for us to reduce waste. We’re constantly looking for even more ways to support this incredible cause and use our resources to provide to others.
Visit https://www.totallink2.org/ to learn more.
Salute The Troops Wisconsin
Mission
Salute The Troops Wisconsin is a non-profit dedicated to helping veterans. Their mission is to “support local service members, and veterans through advocacy, education, training, and supportive programming to promote awareness, foster camaraderie, and stimulate economic development in the community”.
iCanvas Donation
A cause near and dear to our own employee and military veteran, Zecharia Gilbert, we had the honor to donate one of our canvas prints, “Vintage USA Star”, to Salute The Troops Wisconsin’s gala auction. Additionally, to show our support for US troops, Gilbert also explored art honoring heroes. Thankful for this opportunity, we’ll be looking for even more veteran organizations to support with donations in 2024.
Visit https://www.salutethetroopswi.org/ to learn more.