Action Tips: Host an Art Show Food Drive

Show your community your support for hunger and the arts at the same time. It’s a great way to educate while having fun!

The Basics

Before you start, there are a few logistics to decide. Will this be an Art Show where you charge admission with food donations or maybe an Auction where people donate food to bid? What's the theme - Will all of the art be about poverty and hunger or is it general? Is it a specific style like computer graphics or sculpture or is it anything? There's no wrong answer, but you should decide this in advance.

Art Space

Scout out a good spot for an art show. In your school, you could use the gym, the library or even the hallways above the lockers. If it is for the entire community, think about using your town library or other community used spaces like coffee shops or a café. You could hold an art opening one night and then leave the artwork on display for a longer period of time with a food collection bin for general customers who missed the opening.

Support

If you are having it in your school, get the support of your faculty and then go with them to the principal to get it all approved. Art teachers will probably be nice enough to help you get submissions.

You'll probably also want to recruit a few friends to help you spread and the word and set things up the day of the show.

Meetings

It might be good to announce a few after school meetings where you can tell friends and classmates exactly what your show is about and how they can get involved. You can also use this time to create art as well as flyers and posters to advertise your show. If you've never held a meeting before, check out our guide for first timers.

Publicity

Advertise! Make flyers, email the event to list-serves, create an event on facebook, be creative and get the word out. Find an artist to help (it shouldn't be hard, it is an art show). Visit your local community center or local art centers to recruit artists.

The Show

Have a few friends at the entrance to the show to pass out info sheets on what the show is all about and who all the artists are. Include facts about hunger, why it’s important and what people can do to get involved.

Other things to think about:

• Is there enough space for sculptures or other free standing art?
• Should you make posters leading guests to the show?
• Do you want to have awards for audience favorite, most thought provoking or other creative categories

Ways to Raise

• Charge a food donation as admission
• Have viewers buy art with food donations
• Run a refreshment stand
• Ask local businesses and grocery stores to donate food in exchange for including them as sponsors

Thanks

After this event, you should send thank you notes to all your friends who helped you and all the artists who participated. Show them you appreciate everything they did. You could start an annual art show!

Don't forget...

Take lots of pictures and let us know how it went in our project section!