Chicago, Illinois -- The Support Chicago Arts initiative, a fundraising campaign to assist arts organizations in Chicago who are experiencing financial hardships due to the COVID-19 crisis, is announcing today the launch of “Tiny Guide to Chicago Arts Collection,” a new line of products in partnership with Maura Walsh, the local artist behind the famed ‘Our Tiny Guide to Chicago’s Best Music Culture Spots.’
Walsh said the overwhelming, positive response to that campaign was unexpected, but heartwarming. She ultimately raised more than $37,000 for Chicago area music venues and record stores. Now she hopes to use her art to benefit Chicago artists and organizations with the Support Chicago Arts initiative.
“When Support Chicago Arts reached out and offered to collaborate with me, I quickly said yes. I was so excited to see what they were doing to fundraise and provide support during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Tiny Guide’s Maura Walsh. “There are so many stages that have been forced to remain closed due to this horrible pandemic, and we are in such danger of losing these irreplaceable spaces if we don’t step up to help. I don’t want to imagine Chicago without the rich musical, performative, and visual arts scene it is known for.”
The new line of products being launched with this partnership include a 12”X12” art print of Maura Walsh’s latest Tiny Guide, The Tiny Guide to Chicago Arts; as well as pillows, tote bags, sweatshirts, and tumblers, with The Tiny Guide to Chicago Arts professionally printed on each.
100% of the profits of these items will be donated to the National Independent Venue Association to support the Save Our Stages & RESTART Act.
This project took Walsh two months to complete, from start to finish. The majority of time was spent planning and figuring out the details for each of the 22 iconic venues that had to be puzzled into place.
Theaters and venues were among the first to close amidst the COVID-19 pandemic as stay-at-home orders were implemented. Even under Phase 4 directives, they will be among the last to re-open as social distancing best practices result in significantly reduced occupancy making it difficult for venues to operate at all.
Chicago Stands Together, a registered Illinois not-for-profit organization, was formed as a response to these unique challenges as an effort to unite our community, and it launched the Support Chicago Arts initiative to provide much needed financial support to the arts community.
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ABOUT CHICAGO STANDS TOGETHER and SUPPORT CHICAGO ARTS
Chicago Stands Together is a 501(c)3 organization formed by Chicago marketing and communications agencies Direction Tour Marketing and Acacia Consulting Group and dedicated to building community while providing financial support to its registered partners. Chicago Stands Together launched the Support Chicago Arts initiative in response to the unique challenges COVID-19 poses to arts organizations in Chicago and it aims to support the city’s vibrant arts community with donations raised from merchandise sold on the website www.supportchicagoarts.com.