WHO WE ARE :

Artists In Resistance (A.I.R.) NYC is a collective of disabled and chronically ill artists and organizers. We operate a free air purifier lending library for our community, and we need your help to continue operating in 2026!

Our goal is simple: support artists, performers, cultural workers, and community organizers in hosting COVID-safer, more accessible events in NYC.

The pandemic is ongoing, and COVID continues to cause illness, disability, and death in our communities. Meanwhile, the public health response has been systematically dismantled. Our government, institutions, and workplaces have failed us, but we can protect each other. Illness need not be the price of living in community or participating in the arts.

We’re a part of a growing network of volunteer-run action groups offering concrete tools, community education, and harm reduction. We can slow the spread of airborne infection in our city, and we know how to do it––together.

We refuse to abandon, isolate, and exclude each other. We insist on joy, solidarity, and community care. We are Artists in Resistance.

On the left image, 3 people in masks sit at a table. The person in the middle holds a zine called "COVID is a labor issue."
On the right image, an air purifier is at the front with people seated at tables in the back.

WHAT WE DO :

We prioritize lending air purifiers to artists and organizers in communities disproportionately impacted by the pandemic and the inaccessibility of arts, culture, and nightlife spaces in New York City: disabled, Black, Indigenous, people of color, trans, queer, low income people, and those working public-facing jobs.

In 2025, our collective of approximately 10 volunteers brought air purifiers to 130+ events across NYC, filtering 334,000+ sq. ft. of air! We partnered with event organizers across boroughs in Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, and the Bronx, lending air purifiers to events like community organizing, drag shows, music events, art shows, and more.

WHY DONATE?

We strive for long-term sustainability as a group, so we invite you to join us in supporting our operations for 2026 – and beyond! Please consider becoming a monthly donor to help us maintain our work. Running our air purifier lending library involves various operating costs and we are a completely volunteer-run group. The breakdown of those costs are:

Storage unit (where the air purifiers are housed): $245/mo.
Web services such as Trello, Squarespace, Airtable, and Canva: $52/mo.
Transportation reimbursements for borrowers where transportation is a barrier: $85/mo.
Maintenance costs, like filter replacements, event costs, admin supplies, etc: $120/mo.

With our current funding, we are only 2 months away from losing our storage unit.

We are committed to financial transparency and we report on our use of funds annually. You can find our last budget report at this Instagram post. We are a 501c3 nonprofit with an EIN we can provide to folks wishing to make tax-deductible donations.

JOIN OUR WORK

DONATE : Every bit helps! HEPA air purifiers are long-term investments in the wellness and happiness of our communities.

SHARE : Help us spread the word!

JOIN OUR TEAM : We have various opportunities to plug into our internal mechanisms – remote, in-person, we got it all! – at whatever capacity you have. Get in touch with us.

WORK WITH US : Are you an artist? Cultural worker? Organizer? Event planner? We work across all genres, and we’re looking forward to bringing cleaner air to your event! Request purifiers through our website.

Artists in Resistance (A.I.R.) NYC 2026 Operating Costs Fundraiser