Recap: Merch for Mutual Aid
On a very sweaty day in late August, we came together for Merch for Mutual Aid, an event made possible by the inaugural Athletics Innovation Grant.
The grantees, Tree Thompson and Ellen Voorheis (both designers at Athletics) put on a community screen printing event and gallery show benefitting the local mutual aid group Bed-Stuy Strong. If you missed it, check out the recap video below:
Art x Community
Hosted at The Living Gallery (1094 Broadway in Bed-Stuy), Merch for Mutual Aid was an action packed day of printing, art-gazing, and general good vibes. We were able to raise over $4.5K for the good folks at Bed Stuy Strong, and that money goes directly back into the community. We are in awe of the work they do and couldn’t be happier to partner with such an important group. Thank you to everyone who came out and made the day so special!
Process
Tree and Ellen spent the spring and early summer organizing the event, including everything from scouting locations, sourcing wholesale merch and designing promo materials to testing tabletop print presses, burning screens, and securing free beer for the show (shoutout Zero Gravity). Most importantly, they were able to wrangle 45 local artists to donate their work to be screen printed, displayed and sold as part of the event. A HUGE thank you to the following artists who donated their time and work:
Alicia Tatone, Allison Ross, Amber Vittoria, Andrew Hutchings, Anna Fusco, Brian Blomerth, Carolyn Figel, Chris Partelow, Dani Balenson, Danielle Vogl, David Ahuja, Day Brièrre, Efdot, Jack Moore, Jahnia Holterhoff, Jaime Patino-Calvo, Jason Gnewikow, Jeremy Davis Smith, Jeremyville, Jolene Dosa, Khôi Bao Pham, Lauren Kolesinskas, Leanne Gan, Lil Kool, Lillian Ansell, Liz Groeschen, Maddy Price, Matt Carr, Matt Owens, Meaty World, Meg Lewis, Najeebah Al-Ghadban, Ohni Lisle, Rich Tu, Richard a Chance, Sam Shin, Sara Jaye, Screamie Weemie, Sean MacQuarrie, Simon Abranowicz, Sklaw, Suny Gao, and Trevor Davis.
It was a lovely thing to see neighbors connecting through art and design, and we can’t wait to do it again.
