The Uncovered Artistry Project Blog has moved here.
Enjoy resources for small businesses, inspirational stories and organizations, and updates about the Project.
A gallery of artists, a community of survivors
Our mission is to support the entrepreneurial efforts of domestic and sexual abuse survivors, individuals who, more than most, need the empowerment and freedom fostered by entrepreneurship. Uncovered Artistry supports the businesses of domestic and sexual abuse survivors by displaying their shops in our boutique and providing them with small business resources. We strive to create a community of survivors, ultimately aiding them in their efforts to break the cycle of violence and abuse.
NigatsuBebe,who creates beautiful jewelry and accessories, is Uncovered Artistry’s first artisan. She creates handmade wire-wrapped pendants that are customizable and made from a selection of stones. She also creates yarn hair pieces and pins that add a unique pop to any outfit.
More about NigatsuBebe: She “wear[s] kimono, eat[s] Spanish food, [has] Victorian-inspired furniture, and like[s] German techno.” Her uniqueness is certainly what defines her as an artisan; her wire-wrapped stones are each individuals, as no two are alike! She was already selling online when she began creating work for UA. She “crafts for a cause” by donating a portion of the proceeds from her Etsy shop to animal shelters, such as Big Hearts Rescue & Rehabilitation (bigheartsrescue.org) and The National Humane Society.
Uncovered Artistry Boutique sells the artisan work of domestic abuse survivors. We st
rive to empower the survivors by providing them with the opportunity and resources to develop their own small, artisan business. We also sell the work of non-survivors who are commited to spreading abuse awareness.
Our talented artists create beautiful items for your home, closet, and family, including home decor, artwork, jewelry, and accessories.Visit our shop.
The Uncovered Artistry Project operates a nonprofit boutique that sells the artisan work of courageous domestic and sexual abuse survivors.
Jewelry remains Uncovered Artistry's most popular artisan product. UA's artisans create by hand and with care beautiful bracelets, anklets, necklaces, earrings, and more. All jewelry is made of high quality material and some even have personalization options.
Jessica has been a volunteer for The Uncovered Artistry Project since the project first began. We are proud to have her on board as an official intern. Jessica will help run the project while founders Angie and Sarah are abroad.
Thanks, Jess!
More information on Uncovered Artistry's internship program and details on applying for a future position here. You can also contact Sarah at Sarah[at!]uncoveredartistry.com.
Earlier this month, The Uncovered Artistry Project hosted their second craft party. The party was held at Lake Forest College with help from the college's Art Club. Students were invited to create jewelry and other crafts that would be donated to the project in order to help keep the project running and to support domestic abuse shelters.
The event was a success with over thirty students attending and many beautiful new jewelry pieces created! Check Uncovered Artistry's shop soon for the new jewelry created by the students.
Uncovered Artistry plans on hosting a second craft party at Lake Forest College in the future.
Verizon, which has been working to end domestic abuse nation-wide through its HopeLine initiative, donated $45,000 to the New York State Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence (OPDV) grant program. The program awards grants ranging from $500-$2500 to domestic violence victims to help them start their small businesses.
Domestic abuse not only affects a victim emotionally but also financially. Often, a victim of abuse must leave her home and belongings in order to escape an abuser. For many abuse victims, starting a business may be the first time they have ever experienced financial freedom from an abuser.
"For many domestic violence survivors, escaping an abusive spouse or partner is only half the battle," said Russ Preite, president of Verizon Wireless' Upstate New York Region. "Moving forward and creating an independent, self-sufficient life is a critical next step. It's our hope that the Verizon Domestic Violence Entrepreneurship Program will help some of these women put their hard-won skills to work to successfully bring a small business to life and regain their independence" (quoted from "Verizon Giving Entrepreneuship Grants to Domestic Violence Survivors").
The Uncovered Artistry Project, which operates a boutique that sells the artisan work of domestic abuse survivors, offers microloans to artisans. If an artisan needs funds to continue her craft, she can request a small loan ranging from $25-$200 from UA's microloan fund. Uncovered Artistry believes in OPDV's concept that entrepreneurship can empower victims of domestic and sexual abuse both financially and emotionally.
Said, Marguerite, one of Uncovered Artistry's artisans who sells her work in the online boutique, "I not only survived, but I've overcome, I've learned to forgive, and I've learned patience." Entrepreneurship leads domestic violence victims to a more fulfilling, self-sustainting life.
The Midnight Orange is one of Uncovered Artistry's original two artisans. She creates one-of-a-kind sculptures that represent both the difficult and empowering moments in our life. Her On the Edge of Healing Miniature Sculpture is a UA bestseller.
About this piece she says:
"I am struggling past something and it has transcended to my artwork. I apologize to share darkness with anyone, but I do believe that having an emblem of expression can help bring someone through catharsis. These have helped me, and if they can allow someone else to experience that place just prior to healing, then it will have been worth it.
I sculpted this because I got discouraged with people thinking they can look at something with a bird's eye view, listen to a problem loosely, and then tell you what to do to fix it. This is for the person like me who doesn't want anyone else's verbal remedies. This is for the person who knows they need to feel what they are feeling and then struggle past it. And it's for the person who knows they are not ready to move past it yet.
We cannot see how illuminating light truly is when we never allow ourselves to sit in darkness."
Co-Founders, Sarah and Angie, discuss the story behind The Uncovered Artistry Project.
Video created by Anna Kane.
“I was so surprised by how much people did not know and understand about domestic abuse. Already, so many people have thanked me for spreading awareness about domestic abuse. Hearing their gratitude and feeling their support and hope for the future of my project has been the most inspiring part.”
Sweet Petunias has been making (and selling) jewelry since she was 13. She’s taken many art classes through high school and college including metalsmithing and wheel thrown pottery. She’s also enjoyed scrapbooking for years, and a couple of years ago decided to try to sell some paper goods. She came up with the design for her original and fun advent calendars 2 and a half years ago. “It is an extension of my love of scrapbooking and making useful things,” she says.
Buy a gift from Uncovered Artistry Nonprofit Boutique this Black Friday and not only recieve 20% off of orders over $30 and free shipping but a gift that has a unique meaning. Our handmade gifts are created by abuse survivors or donated by generous local artists.
On December 2, at Lake Forest College, Uncovered Artistry will hosts its second craft party event. This event is co-sposored by the college's Art Club. Participants will be creating jewelry, artwork, and sculptures to be donated to Uncovered Artistry and sold on our site. Our last craft party was a great success, and we expect another great event in December!
*If you would like to donate your artwork or handmade items to The Uncovered Artistry Project, please email uncoveredaritsry[at!]gmail.com for more details.
Volunteers make packaing for the online shop in August 2010
Over the past several months Uncovered Artistry has been actively involved in the community. Besides donating to our local domestic violence shetler, A Safe Place NH, we have also donated gift certificates to such charity events as Tri Delta's St. Jude's Childrens Hospital 5K Run and Walk, Lake Forest College's "Deal or No Deal" Gameshow (to benefit OxFam International), and Tri Delta's "Tri Hop" (to benefit St. Judes). We are excited to continue our community involvment this holiday season!
Tri Hop, Lake Forest College, 2010
Tri Hop
LFC's Business and Entrepreneur Club's Deal or No Deal Gameshow
What struck me about Jessie Guilford and her beautiful shop, Persica, was the similarities Persica shares with Uncovered Artistry. Persica was founded by a business college student, like Angie and I (both business majors ourselves) who founded UA. Persica also donates 20% of profits from a few of her pieces to a domestic violence organization, just as UA is dedicated to empowering domestic abuse survivors.
With that said, please take a look at Persica's unique and gorgeous paintings, drawings, and jewelry at her shop!
What do you make? I make necklaces and paintings primarily, but I'm always experimenting with new media.
Where do you get your inspiration for your work? I'm inspired by materials. I'm currently in love with brass chain, amazonite, ink and white-out. Sometimes I find things that I know just have to be part of my art.
How did you become involved in your work? I've always been making things, but last year I started selling my work on Etsy. I'm a currently a business student, and I felt like getting my hands dirty I guess!
What are you doing to help your community through your work? I donate 20% of the profits from my drawings and paintings to the National Center on Domestic and Sexual Violence. I chose this particular organization because they work on a national level, but they also collaborate with local organizations. The NCDSV works with law enforcement and health care professionals, training them so that they can better help victims of violence. You can find out more about them here: http://www.ncdsv.org/
Why did you decide to make a difference through your Etsy shop? Being involved in good causes is something really important to me, whether it be through donating, raising awareness, or just acting thoughtfully. It felt right to incorporate that belief into my Etsy shop on some level. I'm still a fledgling shop, but in the future I hope to do more.
What is your favorite item that you make? How to choose? Almost all of my items are one of a kind, so I enjoy each one as I make it, but I find painting the most relaxing.
We at Uncovered Artistry strive to help domestic abuse survivors discover their "inner entrepreneur," empowering them both emotionally and financially. We also hope to encourage the use of art as a form of healing. From this, we hope to promote peace in the lives of the artisans and our customers. We also support local domestic abuse safe havens through monetary donations.
Uncovered Artistry is happy to introduce our first featured Etsy shop, Collars with Color. My sister and I started selling our handmade jewelry on Etsy.com over a year ago. It was our experience owning that shop, called La SuaVoce Designs, that inspired us to start Uncovered Artistry Boutique, an online boutique that sells the artisan work of domestic abuse survivors. We are still active on Etsy (La SuaVoce now sells hair pieces and Jane Austen greeting cards) and we've noticed lots of Etsy sellers who, like Uncovered Artistry, are helping their communities through their art and businesses. Each Etsy shop we feature is helping their community in a unique way. Read on to learn more about our first inspiring shop!
It wasn't just the cute, colorful dog collars and leashes, which are sold at affordable prices and made from environmentally-friendly material, that drew me to Collars with Color. The Etsy shop is new (just started in May!) and already has a wide array of collars and leashes for sale. Despite being so new, the shop is already taking a great concern in the environment and the community.
They are even offering a special deal for readers of Uncovered Artistry's blog. Collars with Color will donate 10% of proceeds of any item you purchase from their Etsy shop to a domestic abuse charity . Mention "Prevent Abuse" when placing your order with Collars with Color and they will donate to their local charity, The Center for Prevention of Abuse in Peoria, IL. If you mention "Safe Place" they will donate to our local New Hampshire safe haven, A Safe Place NH. Take advantage of this great opportunity!
What do you do? Collars With Color makes dog collars, leashes and harnesses using hemp – an incredibly strong and sustainably-grown product which is therefore environmentally friendly. Our hardware is made with 20% recycled plastic. Jimena also works as a freelance Spanish translator/interpreter, and Kevin works in the IT field.
Where do you get your inspiration for your work? Collars With Color really combines many of our passions: dogs, the environment and helping others. Our dog Alfy is our baby, and he has led us to become involved with volunteering at the shelter where we adopted him. A recent trip to Buenos Aires to visit family led to rescuing a street dog - also a huge inspiration. We realized that not everyone understands that there are resources for helping animals in their community – and that not everyone understands the importance of spaying or neutering their pets.
We are personally committed to living low impact lives environmentally, so it is natural that Collars With Color would be run no differently. We’re focusing on greening the supply chain, reusing packaging and cutting down on waste.
How did you become involved in your work? After just a few months of use, we became very unhappy with the quality and durability of the harness, leash, and collar that we had gotten for Alfy. We looked around online and in shops and were unimpressed with the style of the boring nylon collars available in the big box stores. Knowing she could make something better, Jimena got to work. Collars With Color is still very new – we started in May 2010 - but we’re quickly growing and we are very excited with the possibilities.
What are you doing to help your community through your work? We are partnering with several local animal rescue and adoption groups by promising a percentage of our sales to those groups. Customers just need to designate their desired organization.
We are looking to expand to other organizations as well – not just animal rescue groups. We’ve learned that many high-profile charitable organizations hesitate to partner with for-profit companies, so we are working on a different model to give our customers more choice in which organization they support.
Why did you decide to make a difference through your Etsy shop?
It’s a win-win for us. Partnering with charitable organizations is essentially free advertising for us. But more importantly, we both feel very strongly about giving back to our community and helping others. These charities and organizations are the experts, so by directing funds to them we can increase our impact rather than trying to start our own program of educating the community about the importance of spaying and neutering.
A few weeks ago we were at a “Woofstock” event and a uniformed active duty soldier came up to our booth and I saw his eyes light up when he saw our Camouflage collar. That moment was a huge inspiration for us as well, and is forcing us to think beyond animal organizations.
What is your favorite item that you make? Our dog Alfy wears the Batter Up collar, leash and harness that we offer in our shop. That will always be my favorite.
