Helping and advocating for animals can happen in a number of ways, many of which can fit really nicely into your normal, everyday life. In fact, you can take almost any interest or hobby you have and incorporate animal assistance into it in unexpected and meaningful ways. Art is no different.
A lot of artists intuitively understand how crafting can be great for animals; you can sew a dog bed, knit a blanket, metal stamp ID tags, etc. But for the fine arts, it’s not always so clear – after all, what constitutes ‘fine art’ isn’t the beauty of piece but that it’s purely aesthetic. Fine art doesn’t offer anything practical, so how can it help animals? In at least five ways!
Use Art as Advocacy
Art can be beautiful and uplifting but it can also be powerful and striking; as an artist, you can use your medium to draw attention to animal issues. Your pieces can be specific to an issue or you can just paint or draw or photograph or sculpt animals and provide some information about topics that are important to the types of animals you depict from dogs to dolphins. Imagine an entire collection of endangered species; the simple showcase of beautiful creatures struggling to survive can help people start to think. Whether you travel to art shows or sell online, take the opportunity to let people know about the problems animals face.
Donate a Percentage of Sales to a NPO
If you choose to donate a percentage (or a flat fee) of your art, whether it’s one piece or your entire portfolio, tell people! Many artists find success as other animal advocates will be more likely to support your art, plus your customers can see that you are committed to being socially responsible and will learn a bit about the organization or cause you support.
Offer an Art Piece with Each Adoption
It’s so hard to get animals adopted, especially those that are older or have disabilities or face other challenges. Animal shelters and humane societies utilize every resource available to help prevent animals from being euthanized and as an artist, you can provide a unique and interesting benefit to adopting families – some personalized art of their new family member! Whether it’s a drawing, painting, or other medium, pet lovers enjoy art of their pet(s) so it can be a great way to help draw them towards pets that have been struggling to be adopted. Any artist can do this but it’s particularly beneficial for newer artists who are still learning or for those looking to build up their portfolio.
Photograph Adoptable Animals
Many animal shelters post pictures of available pets in local newspapers, at local pet supply stores, and sometimes even on TV. The better the picture, the more likely it is that potential adopters will pay attention and follow up by choosing the pet you photographed. Best of all, you can have a single session and shoot several animals at once, giving the shelter plenty of pictures to share over time.
Donate Art for a Silent Auction or Door Prize
Animal-related organizations, especially local ones, use lots of different fundraising and a popular one is a silent auction, door prize, or raffles. These organizations typically are very thankful for as many items as they can get and original art is much more interesting than the standard gift certificate for shopping or dining. With this, you also get free marketing and you have full control over what you are willing to donate.