A Detroit Gallery Is Giving Out Free Meals—and Artist-Designed Coloring Books—to Children While Schools Are Closed

As schools across the country shut down, some children are at
risk of missing out on more than just their education. For many
families, school is a reliable source of breakfast and lunch for
their kids. So to help food-insecure families, the Detroit
gallery Library Street Collective will be
handing out weeknight dinners to local public school kids for the
next two weeks.

“About a week ago, things started taking a turn for the worse
here and we realized the schools were on the verge of closing,”
Anthony Curis, the gallery’s co-founder, told Artnet News. “We
thought it would be fun to pull together a project that not only
provides a basic need and is a dire necessity right now, but also
offers a source of inspiration for students who are out of
school.”

To provide more than just physical nourishment, each meal will
come with a coloring book featuring line drawings by contemporary
artists, including KAWS, Shepard Fairey, and Nina Chanel
Abney, to name just a few. Kids will also get a set of coloring
pencils and a pencil sharpener.

At the end of the book’s 29 drawings, the 30th page has been
purposely left blank. “It has room for them to fill their name in
and create their own drawing,” said Curis. “I thought it would be
fun for a young student to put themselves in conversation with
these amazing artists.”

The project also has a distinct Detroit flair, taking its title,
We All Rise, from the Detroit Public Schools district
motto “Students rise. We all rise.” The gradient of colors on
the cover is inspired by the district’s blue and yellow logo, and
even some of the artwork—most of it drawn specially for the
occasion—was created with Detroit in mind.

“Art and all forms of creativity provide valuable therapy any
time, but especially during times of stress and social isolation. I
hope that this sketchbook will provide a positive creative outlet
in this time of uncertainty,” Shepard Fairey said in a
statement.

Because Detroit public schools are still operating their lunch
programs—for now—the gallery decided to focus on dinner. It printed
2,500 coloring books to start, and is committed to providing meals
for two weeks starting Monday, with the hope of extending the
program beyond.

In addition to running the gallery, Curis is a partner in
hospitality venues in Detroit—restaurants that have now shut down
in response to health concerns. Preparing student dinners,
therefore, also serves as a ways to offer continued employment to
restaurant workers who would otherwise be out of a job during the
health crisis.

Two partnering nonprofits, Forgotten Harvest and Downtown
Boxing Gym, will help the gallery distribute the meal packages.
Curis is actively looking for additional partners to help grow the
project’s scope. The goal is to serve as many of the city’s
neediest public school kids as possible, keeping in mind that
parents who were already in a tenuous financial position now find
themselves home from work and without pay indefinitely.

“We’re trying to figure this all out as we go,” said Curis,
noting that he’s heard from arts professionals in other cities
around the country who are interested in replicating the
initiative. “We’re hopeful someone will really step up and help
support the project.”

Here is the full list of participating artists:

Virgil Abloh
Nina Chanel Abney
Doug Aitken
Daniel Arsham
McArthur Binion
Amoako Boafo
Nick Cave
Dabls
Torkwase Dyson
Conrad Egyir
Shepard Fairey
Sam Friedman
Beverly Fishman
FriendsWithYou
Haroshi
Carole Harris
KAWS
Eddie Martinez
Tiff Massey
Charles McGee
Allie McGhee
Simphiwe Ndzube
Jordan Nickel
Jose Parla
Jason REVOK
Julia Wachtel
Austyn Weiner
Wendy White
Tyrrell Winston

The post A Detroit Gallery Is Giving Out Free Meals—and
Artist-Designed Coloring Books—to Children While Schools Are
Closed appeared first on artnet News.