Earlier this month, an anonymous donor reached out to us with an incredibly gracious offer: between now and May 31st, they’ll match up to $5,000 in donations to UVA – meaning that our non-profit organization has the chance to raise $10,000 in just over a month.

This offer came to us as such a surprise and it’s heartened us for a couple of reasons:

First, we’re extremely grateful for this individual’s support. It’s comforting to know that they’ve resonated with our mission of uplifting visual artists from the Greater Boston area through exhibits that focus on contemporary social change. We also think their gesture of support reveals something else about the larger arts ecosystem in Boston. People want this kind of work to exist, they want these kinds of projects to thrive, and they want to support these initiatives directly.

Second, this says something important about community and community-based models of sustainability. We’re unbelievably grateful to have received different kinds of support over the years: students interning at the gallery, neighbors volunteering to run events, institutions awarding grants to fund exhibitions, and artists spreading the word about what we do.

And in this case, a community member stepped up, took stock, and made a financial statement that they believe in the work we do by offering monetary support for our organization.

Will you take this moment to take stock of what’s important to you? For small organizations like us, donor contributions are critical for our sustainability and your gift right now will have twice the impact because of this match!

If you’d like to help us raise upwards of $10,000 – please donate between now and May 31st. And, if you want to get a sense of what different gift amounts could do for our organization, here they are below:

$25-200 Covers basic expenses like office supplies, materials, and refreshments for an event.
$500 Enables UVA to compensate artists for workshops or install and promote an exhibit.
$1,000 Funds one month of operating expenses for the Overlook Gallery.
$2,500 Would provide capacity for an ambitious curatorial strategy and experimental exhibition design that includes all of the previous, plus some secret sauce.

Moreover, much of what you donate between now and May 31st will fund current and upcoming summer exhibitions such as:

rooted in ruins (residency project by Caroline Sirois and collaborators)
Investigations (AP Art Students at Brighton High School)
knockin’ on your screen door (Indigo Conat-Naar and Ezri Horne)

Sometimes unique opportunities, chances, and moments – such as this match – emerge without warning, and you have to seize their potential when they pop-up. So, seize this moment with us and consider donating today!

UVA's $5,000 Match Campaign!

By Unbound Visual Arts

UVA's $5,000 Match Campaign!

Help us reach our goal by May 31st!