Alex Makes Art would love to build a strong resource library of community art supplies, machinery, useful guides, and art-related books to use at residencies, pop-up spaces, outdoor classrooms, and at community events! Alex Makes Art is able to teach and empower countless individuals through craft, and her art supplies are in constant rotation in the communities and neighborhoods she visits.

Your donation will help Alex Makes Art build up a steady supply of materials, and to afford many sought after materials that are not in her budget. When Alex is out in the community, giving access and inclusion to any curious passerby is a massive part of her mission. With your help, Alex Makes Art will always have enough materials on hand to encourage anyone at anytime to join along get their craft on! Alex is also a strong believer of giving a quality experience. Using the right materials makes the project more efficient and that much better. Having the right supplies also builds confidence, skillset, and art vocabulary! Alex would like to be able to provide top-notch art supplies to anyone interested in learning. For the last handful of years, Alex has paid out of pocket for the majority of her supplies and can use support with her audience growing and outdoor reach extending.

Some of the supplies Alex is looking to purchase through this budget include:

🔸 Mural materials! Ladders, quality paint brushes, hand rollers & extension poles, traffic cones, nitrile gloves, knee pads, flood lights, sander, leaf blower, sealants... The list goes on. Investing in good hardware will allow these big ticket materials to become assets on a variety of indoor and outdoor projects. When it comes to paint brushes, gloves, and kneepads, community work includes many hands and a short life for many of my supplies. A steady stream of income will allow me to pour into these varieties of considerations I need to make at the start of each new project.

🔸 Instant Film! There is nothing like the instant gratification of making an image on the spot. . With this specific format, these individuals will be able to sign their name and/or a message on the photograph, putting their hand into the installation as well. Film costs Alex about $1-1.50/piece.

🔸Button-making machines! When introducing ones self to a group, we like to ask their pronouns. By having multiple button machines on hand, Alex Makes Art can honor the identity of her new friends, allowing others to greet each crafter in a comfortable and inclusive way. Alex has got one machine on hand that was generously donated, but could use three to keep pin-makers moving and grooving during a giant happening.

🔸Printmaking materials! Carving is cathartic. Creating a stamp is a favorite craft for all ages. Purchasing enough handles for a table of makers is a mission that Alex is on the hunt to make happen. Alex has used a portion of the donations to purchase a woodzilla printing press! Alex is looking to purchase a few smaller sized printing presses to have more available on-site that aren't as heavy weight as the one she's been shlepping around for years.

🔸Needle felting supplies! If you haven't gotten the chance to feel or felt with roving wool, wow is it a treat... And also a very niche craft. There has never been an audience that hasn't loved needle felting with Alex-- yet there has also not been a lot of new crafters with access to the beauty of this practice. Alex would love to be able to engage more makers with this soft, stimulating, and interesting way to sculpt. Having ample supplies on hand would go far, and there are reusable pads that would draw out the longevity of these supplies.

🔸Literature! From stitch and bookmaking guides, to local zines, to books about Women in the Arts and local Museum Mysteries (ahem, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum!), building a reference library is very important to Alex Makes Art. Makers are constantly on the hunt for "inspiration" or a visual "how-to" and a shelf would be excellent to have at Alex's craft spot of the day. Alex would also love to fill out of the shelves with Community Sketchbooks, for folks to simply pick-up and work in at any given moment.

✨ I am a current artist in residence in Central Square, Massachusetts through March 2024 with costs ranging from parking and insurance, to signage and materials. ✨

As always, your support is rocket fuel. Your kindness, generosity, and word of mouth is what has made the last 3 years of business such a success for Alex Makes Art. Let's keep the momentum going and expand the amount of folks feeling the benefits of crafting with their community!

Big ol' virtual hugs,

Alex