If you’re looking for a way to help the people of Japan recover from the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit the island on March 11, we’ve got some ideas for you. And all of them involve art.
Within 48 hours of the earthquake hitting, Elizabeth Avedon of Lenscratch and Crista Dix of Wall Space Gallery had teamed up and launched the Life Support Japan online print sale. By March 18 the sale had raised over $20,000 for Direct Relief International and Habitat for Humanity Japan, and the auctions — which are intended to run long-term — are still going strong, with over 200 photographers contributing prints to date. Prints, in editions of 10, sell for $50 each; to buy visit Life Support I or Life Support II; to donate, follow instructions on the project’s blog (though note that the organizers have recently asked photographers to hold off submitting donations temporarily, while they get a permanent web site up and running).
In addition to Life Support Japan, there are several other prominent (and many not-so-prominent) charity sales of photographs and prints going on:
- 20×200 is donating 100% of proceeds from sales of prints by Emily Shur and Joseph O. Holmes to Japan Society’s earthquake and tsunami relief fund.
- Donate or bid on photos through the Charity Print Auctions – Japan group on Flickr. A similar effort run through Flickr in 2005 raised over $15,000 in one month for the Red Cross’s Katrina relief work.
- Tiny Showcase has raised $3500 so far selling an open edition 18″x24″ print of Jesse LeDoux’s “Rising Sun.” Sales of the print continue through March 29.
- The Black Wave Red Sun online art sale benefits Surfrider Japan.
- And if blood-red Smurfs are your thing, check out Alex Pardee’s “Amity Smurf” in a limited edition of 100 ($50).
It’s hard to stop donating with all these great efforts going on. I’ve already scooped up one of those luscious Jesse LeDoux prints, and submitted an image to Life Support Japan, where I’m keeping a close eye on the status of various prints already posted, while I try to decide between several I really want. Maybe next time I check the site, I’ll see the work of some of my fellow BPC-ers for sale?
