Image Above: ©Karine Laval
When multi-media artist Brian Fender was diagnosed with ALS nearly four years ago, he and his partner Ron tried to hold onto their lives in New York City. But after a year into life with ALS, they took a trip home to Arkansas for a visit and never went back to their apartment in the city.
For Brian, it took a terminal illness to fully appreciate the multitude of blessings that come with just being alive. His rediscovered love for the basic beauty of life, lead him to reconnect with artists and their work and his own creative spirit.
Through this transformative process, Brian has created and recently launched the non-profit Artists Lend Support (ALS) http://artistslendsupport.org/. Artists Lend Support is a fine art website with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the ALS Therapy Development Institute (www.ALS.net), a nonprofit biotechnology organization developing effective treatments for ALS.
To literally bring the mission behind Artists Lend Support to life, Brian Fender will be returning to New York to host a pop up art exhibition in partnership with 1stdibs Gallery at The New York Design Center, 200 Lexington Avenue, 10th Floor, from Monday, April 6 to Monday, May 4. The Gallery hours of operation will be from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday. An opening reception is scheduled for Tuesday, April 7, from 6-8 p.m.
Artists who will be showing and donating proceeds from their works include Brian Fender, Tucker Stilley, Steve Dezember II, Carl Barnett, Shanan Campanaro, Robert Greene, Alicia Lachance, Jovi Schnell, Karine Laval, Benjamin Allire Saenz, Jason Twiggy Lott, Steve Spazuk, LaDawna Whiteside, Michele Mikesell, Robin Tucker, Joshua Vogel, Kathi Robinson Frank and Tobie Giddio.
"I love artists and their creative spirits and, by curating this website and launching the Gallery in New York, hopefully I will expose others to contemporary artists who they might not be aware of," says Brian. "I send a heartfelt thanks to all the brilliant artists who have donated their work and support ALS, it truly makes a difference.”
Artist Lend Support is http://artistslendsupport.org/ is a non-profit, fine art website with proceeds / partial proceeds going to ALS services and research. The proceeds will go to ALS TDI whose continued research stays focused on the bottom line and the money raised for them utilized wisely.
About the ALS Therapy Development Institute
The ALS Therapy Development Institute and its scientists actively discover and develop treatments for ALS. The Institute is the world’s first and largest nonprofit biotech focused 100 percent on ALS research. Led by ALS patients and their families, the charity understands the urgent need to slow and stop this horrible disease. Based in Cambridge, MA, the Institute has served as one of the leaders in sharing data and information with academic and ALS research organizations, patients and their families. For more information, visit www.als.net.
Contact:
Mark Malinowski
781-783-2924
