Pay it Forward Arts Fund forms partnership with Art Not Shame
The Pay it Forward Arts Fund (PIFAF) is a gift of artist Barbara Salsberg Mathews and her husband Bruce Mathews. The award helps local artists, in any discipline, fund art projects that “pay it forward” and benefit the community.
Crown Shyness: reflections on F*ck Perfect from Aubrey Szabo
Artist Witness for Fuck Perfect, Aubrey Szabo, reflects on their experience and what their work, Crown Shyness, means to them.
Message From our Board Chair
As I write this note, the first snow is layering the outside world with what looks, from here, quite a bit like magic. I’m struck by how something so familiar - I have seen many decades’ worth of first snows! - can also bring a jolt of surprise and of transformation, every time. So it is with the work of Art Not Shame.
Artist Witness Feature: Joni NehRita
I was both excited and anxious/nervous about beginning the eight week journey that would be “Fuck Perfect”. Excited because of how much I believe in the ethic & mandate of Art Not Shame and loved the idea of a deep-dive into perfectionism and exploring how to begin freeing ourselves from its tentacles. Anxious because facilitating such a workshop would be challenging in the most ideal of circumstances and we were going to try to do it online over Zoom! Whoa!
Landscapes of community: THE GROVE MURAL PROJECT
I first connected with Michelle Peek, of Art not Shame, through a mentorship program hosted by the Guelph Arts Council (GAC). I felt an immediate connection; our weeks flew by during our time together with meaningful conversations about art, community, equity, well-being, and the intersection of it all. I left our conversations feeling inspired - thinking critically about our current society, the role of the arts, and my place in it all. Despite the GAC program ending, the mentorship and friendship continued.
We're Hiring!
We’re hiring TWO part-time, contract positions for a Fundraising Assistant and Graphic Designer. Positions start end of June and early July, 2021. Be sure to swipe left for more details! And do not hesitate to get in touch with any questions: info@artnotshame.org.
Why F*ck Perfect? And what does it have to do with White Supremacy Culture?
We run a program called Fuck Perfect.
Not everyone likes that title. I certainly get that.
We’re not trying to be flippant or inflammatory. We’re trying to be real. We’re trying to use our anger and our hurt to reclaim and speak back. Read more […]
Introducing: #ArtGives
We’ve sat down together as a team and answered some common questions about who we are as an organization, and the work of community arts more generally. AND, we’re excited to announce the launch of our #ArtGives campaign, detailed below, with MUCH more to follow. Thanks so much for being here.
The Making of Art in Hard Times
There was an audible gasp heard through all our headphones...
Seeing the final digital mural unveiled - a spectacular, detailed visual summary of stories and creativity suddenly made tangible for us - we understood how this final piece was not just a gorgeous image, but an expression of the beautiful community and camaraderie that had been building through shared art-making for eight weeks.
An Open Letter to Our Community
We have been reading, listening, and reflecting on ongoing issues of white supremacy and violence, and working to amplify other voices first. This open letter represents our shared, actionable commitments as an organization toward anti-racism and building communities of collective healing, accountability and repair.