[Children's*] Art Sale for Gaza

 I’m a mama, artist and early childhood professional. I firmly believe in doing what we can with what we have and utilizing my lil platform and website to sell art is something that I can do. My eight year old daughter Luna has been watching me sell art to raise funds for families in Gaza and asked if she can sell art, too. And voila, this project was born. 

I know that I am not the only one wrestling with how to contribute, how to help, where my talents and efforts fit in. This project is an invitation to other creatives and parents who are looking for tangible ways to make a difference. 

Why [Children’s*]? I initially envisioned this to be a sale exclusively of children’s art but have since had a dear friend (shoutout to Cinthi of @lunarrainart) reach out to me to ask how she can get involved, too. I’m a big fan of the-more-the-merrier and many-hands-make-light-work! So if you’re a kid at heart who makes art you are welcome here! If you’re a parent who can’t draw stick figures to save your life but you’ve got kids who love art you’re welcome here! Let’s do the thing! Together we can do so much. 💞

Here’s how it works in a nutshell:

1. Someone in your family makes art. Any medium. Any subject. 
2. You send your art to me in the mail. 💌 (see below)
3. You complete this super simple Google Form so I know your art is headed my way.
4. I will photograph your piece(s), list them on my website on our Art for Gaza page and market them. 
5. When someone buys your art I send it to them. Woohoo! I’ll handle shipping supplies, paying taxes and all that fun jazz. Don’t you worry about a thing. 
6. I donate 100% of the sale price to a family in Gaza. 🍉

Answers to Questions You Might Have

What can we make? 

Anything your heart desires! 🎨🧵🪡🖍️✏️

If you’re short on ideas a Pinterest search for “kid’s art projects” will supply you endless options! (Or you can peruse my aspirational Pinterest board of things we’ll realistically probably never make! 😅)

Do you crochet? Make ceramics? Sew? Make candles? Paint? Make jewelry? Make collages? Upcycle clothes? Tie dye? Paper mache? Create with clay? Paint rocks? Whatever it is, we want your art. 

If you are someone who sells art and you have overstock, old inventory to unload or simply just want to donate a piece to our cause we welcome your art! 

Must my art be Palestine themed? 

Nope! 

All subject matter is welcome. I urge you not to pressure your kids to make something specific– this is intended to be fun and uplifting, not a chore. Make whatever strikes your fancy! 

What is your address?

That’s top secret. 

Just kidding. We are currently in the process of moving and I will be updating my PO Box! I am sharing this document now so that folks can have a head start in terms of creating art and will update with the mailing address in early April. 

How will you price artwork?

We have two options. 

Option 1: You set the price. If you are an artist/maker/creator this is the best option. Set the price for what you would sell the item for retail. 

Option 2: I set the price on a sliding scale (buyer decides on final price). Children’s work will start at $15. 

Who will receive the money?

I have made a commitment to Tasneem (and baby Asia and her dad Mahmoud) to support them and their family until they are safe and resettled. If we meet those goals and this project is still ongoing then I will add more families.

For now, I am supporting the following GoFundMe campaigns:

Tasneem, Mahmoud and Asia: Tasneem and her family are on the list to evacuate Gaza from Rafah. After they evacuate they will need support to resettle until Mahmoud can begin working. Tasneem’s four younger brothers will also be left without a caregiver until they can evacuate so she continues to raise funds with their survival in mind (shelter, food, water) as well as to evacuate them. 

Israa: Israa is Mahmoud’s sister. She is raising funds to evacuate her entire family including her sister Walaa who is pregnant and her parents and siblings. There is a specific campaign for Walaa as well which you can read about here. 

Bessan & Mohammed: Mohammed is Tasneem’s cousin. He is a doctor and his fiance is an engineer. They have lost everything and Mohammed has been working non-stop since October in the hospital under dire and dangerous circumstances. 

Rawan: Rawan is Tasneem’s cousin. She is an English teacher and has been separated from her husband who is in Belgium receiving critical medical care. 

All of the money raised through these efforts will be shared among these GoFundMe campaigns. 

How will we know you sent it? 

Screenshots, baby! 📸

Proof of donation is available for all of my fundraising efforts. I post screenshots to my stories when I donate and screenshots are available upon request.  

Why not donate to an organization? 

I believe that all efforts to make a difference are important and essential. I also believe in mutual aid and giving directly. It is something that we are often hesitant to do. 

adrienne maree brown's wisdom has deeply inspired me, especially their belief in the power of small actions: "Small is good, small is all." Their advice to "Move at the speed of trust. Focus on critical connections more than critical mass - build resilience by building relationships" provides me with guidance and direction, particularly during times when I doubt the impact of my efforts or hesitate to do what I can with what I have. We all have a role to play and I think that figuring out what that is begins with connection and listening to those most impacted and then doing what they ask. 

What is being desperately asked of us by many Palestinians right now is to support their efforts to evacuate from Gaza as doing so may be their only chance at life. 

If you have not been following Tasneem’s story on Instagram I’ll summarize here how we became connected: 

I came across Tasneem’s GoFundMe campaign through an activist I follow on Instagram. Her daughter Asia reminded me of my daughter as a baby and I felt instantly compelled to do something to support her efforts to evacuate. I impulsively donated $25 to her campaign and went to bed. I woke up the next morning wondering if I had been scammed and spent quite a bit of time scouring her social media and the internet to determine the validity of her GoFundMe. I happened to be on Instagram one afternoon when she went live. She is real. Her family is real. Her dire need to evacuate Rafah is real.

Tasneem and I have since connected, chat regularly and have spoken on the phone. I cannot explain why she has become so important to me and honestly I don’t think it matters. She was brought into my life for a reason and me to hers. 

I have since had the opportunity to connect with some of her extended family– Israa, Bassan and Rawan. I believe that the world has a lot to learn from Palestinian people and I am greatly indebted to these women for modeling faith, tenacity and strength in dire circumstances that they should not have to endure. My entire outlook on my life, my place in the order of things and what it means to live in my values and convictions has shifted because of them. 

Is there a timeframe for this? 

Not necessarily. 

I will run this project as long as there is interest and as long as there is need.