Why I Donated One of My Paintings
Last week, I donated one of my whale paintings to our local hospital, Sentara Virginia Beach General. The doctors and nurses there have cared for my wife for many years as brenda battles against multiple sclerosis, the same autoimmune disease that actresses Christina Applegate and Selma Blair endure.
I had hoped it would hang in one of the clinical departments or some other place for patients and visitors can see it. My daughter had suggested this when I had trouble finding a place in the house for this piece. As we discussed it, I considered the curious question; what makes an artist want to give away their work?
Good Business
It can be a good business strategy to have your work displayed in a place where people can see it every day. Art for the people!
If they enjoy the painting, they see your name on the corner and they can pursue more information about your work.
They may become future patrons.
They may talk about this painting to their friends.
It may inspire them in their own creative works.
This one artwork can become like a Stone dropped in a lake, sending out ripples. Especially if you don’t have a large audience for your work, donating art can be more than just a charitable gesture, I can help to legitimize your business.
Giving Back
Most people donate to charities that mean something to them, ones that can help change peoples lives for the better and have altruistic outcomes. Many people also give to organizations that directly affected their own lives or the life of someone they love.
So when an artist chooses to donate a painting to one of these organizations, it’s a way of giving back in some small measure for having received care or help or charity from them in the first place.
The act of donation represents a mutual relationship between the artist and the organization.
Feeling Good
You cannot deny the feeling you get when you give to someone, even in some small way. There may be a measurable loss for the cost associated with the artwork, but the return is greater.