Ryan Carter
English editor

Art+ is a non-profit cooperative (we have no "boss" or director) that makes collective decisions about how it is run, and the directions we choose. It is run by members, with no paid staff **. We are not-for-profit to keep us focused on the charitable side of what we do.

We still do work with other groups, and individuals, who are profit making.

The only money Art+ takes out of fundraising events is money to give to artists to cover framing and material expences, and to pay for very basic expences such as maintenacne of our website, and costs associated with preparing for events.

Art
Art is often considered ‘weird’ or something that it’s impossible for an outsider to understand. It’s thought of by many as part of some sort of ‘elite’ culture. Art actually belongs to us all. Art is part of our collective imagination, part of the way we imagine our way to better things. Imagination is an important part of what it means to be.

Art is also another way to express, to say something about how we feel or about who we are. It is, like words or musical notes, a legitimate form of language. The ambiguity of that languages is part of it’s beauty. Art+ seeks to reach out and give more people an experience with art.

Ethical consumption
There is a lot of debate in many communities about the ethics of over consumption. There is also a lot of debate about how we do consume, and what we should consume. Many things we do consume are environmentally destructive, or produced in a way that many would consider un ethical. There is no question that we do need to change our patterns of consumption.

Art+ encourages people to consume ethically, and we see the consumption of art is a more enriching, and less destructive, form of consumption.

Giving
We, who can afford the consumption of luxuries, can make this consumption more meaningful by using it to give as well. We give to charities that help to break the cycle of poverty and  empower local people to take charge and better their communities, free of dependence on other groups.

Art+ will give up a significant percentage of money raised (for non-professional shows) to endorsed charities. 10-20% goes back to the non-professional artist to help with materials, and 10% to Art+ to help fund the next event.

Art+ also works with professional artists. They need to make a living though, and we do feel that they need a chance to do that so a professional event will give the artist a professional amount of money raised. We will be transparent about this with each event.

Building in the act of giving to a charity adds real meaning to your purchase as well.

Why give?
Many people are skeptical about giving to charity. In recent years, the amount given in regular donations (excluding horrific events like the Tsunami and the recent earthquake in China) from the west has decreased. Perhaps this is in some way due to suspicion about the way charity is spent.

The way that development agencies and NGOs use money has improved greatly. According to UNICEF, in 1960 20 million children died before their fifth birthday. By 2007, the number of deaths dropped to 10 million, despite a greatly increased world population- the world’s population has doubled over this period. While there are still desperate problems, it is possible that if we donate more we can eliminate world poverty, and positive changes like decreases in child deaths shows us we can do it.

It doesn’t cost a lot of money to save a life. In Africa, for example,  Malaria kills millions of children per year. A good effective mosquito net given to a child costs $10. William Easterly estimates that the WHO’s programs for reducing diarrhea, malaria, respiratory infections and measles costs around $300 per life saved. A micro loan to a family in Africa for as little as $40 can be enough for that family to set up a small business that will allow them to educate their kids, and support the family. The books the Library Project provides in poorer areas of China gives youth the tools to enrich their communities. As Tom will show you, even this program is really not a lot of money per child.

Every bit counts, and if given to the right charity, really does help.

On many measures, we are actually getting better at saving lives and spending money wisely. There are some failures, but many more successes.

If we can afford to, we have every reason to give, but to give carefully, doing our best to ensure that the money we give goes to the best charity.

** Being "not-for-profit" does not mean that Art+ has a commitment to relying on volunteer work alone. Potential projects that enable people to get paid for the hours they work is ultimately desirable. "Not-for-profit" simply means that the cooperative does not exist to aspire to make a profit for members above material and other costs (including peoples time and "labour"). While at the time of writing Art+ does not pay people for time spent on projects, projects that enable us to do so, especially which enable us to pay those in need for their time and effort, is something members might look to in the future.