continue - Local Art and Social Change
"Art N Soul is not about being a fine arts gallery or a place where names are recognized, it is about really fun, accessible, affordable art for your home and a great place for gifts," Blumkin explains. "It's very personal, very organic. We have a lot of art that is made from reclaimed materials, from $10 up to several thousand."
In addition to the unique art, there's something else unusual about Art N Soul: All profits are donated to charity.
Blumkin and co-owner Paige Perkins, a landscape designer who designs the gallery's exhibits, opened Art N Soul in September 2007. But the seeds of the idea had been planted years before. The two had held several fundraisers for friends who were undergoing cancer treatment and had no insurance, and Blumkin had long been thinking about starting a project that combined art and philanthropy. She favored homespun arts and crafts, and decided to focus on working with local and regional artists whose work was more whimsical and fun than art displayed in conventional galleries.
"And I knew I wanted it in downtown Encinitas, because this where my heart is," Blumkin says. She learned that the Art N Soul site was available for lease. "I'd never done anything like this before, never put together a retail store or a gallery," she adds. "But I took a leap of faith and made it happen."
Next Step: Find the artists. Using craigslist.org, Blumkin advertised for local and regional multimedia artists to display their work, and put a sign in the window as well. Her attention was to attract original, unconventional artists who were passionalte about their art and wanted to display it, but didn't necessarily make their living through it. Responses poured in, and Blumkin personally met with each artist.
"I'm not an art expert, it's just a feeling I get," Blumkin says. "We've created a kind of canvas here, so when people come in and want to exhibit their art and we think it is a good fit, we move forward"
More than 90 percent of the exhibitors are from the San Diego area. Artists keep 60 percent of each sale; Art N Soul pays rent utilities and expenses from the remaining 40 percent and donates the rest to charity. Neither Blumkin nor Perkins draws a salary and the store's employees are all volunteers, including several high school students who earn community service hours in addition to valuable art and retail experience.
The store has been profitable every month since it opened. From August 2007-2008, Art N Soul raised more than $22,000, which is divided among its four charitable partners. In addition, Art N Soul hosted a benefit for Canyon Crest High School last year; students held a 24-hour paint-in and used the store as the site to auction off their work.
"From the start, I wanted this place to be about the artists and the community and the volunteer," Blumkin says. "It's just been a wonderful experience."
In addition to the unique art, there's something else unusual about Art N Soul: All profits are donated to charity.
Blumkin and co-owner Paige Perkins, a landscape designer who designs the gallery's exhibits, opened Art N Soul in September 2007. But the seeds of the idea had been planted years before. The two had held several fundraisers for friends who were undergoing cancer treatment and had no insurance, and Blumkin had long been thinking about starting a project that combined art and philanthropy. She favored homespun arts and crafts, and decided to focus on working with local and regional artists whose work was more whimsical and fun than art displayed in conventional galleries.
"And I knew I wanted it in downtown Encinitas, because this where my heart is," Blumkin says. She learned that the Art N Soul site was available for lease. "I'd never done anything like this before, never put together a retail store or a gallery," she adds. "But I took a leap of faith and made it happen."
Next Step: Find the artists. Using craigslist.org, Blumkin advertised for local and regional multimedia artists to display their work, and put a sign in the window as well. Her attention was to attract original, unconventional artists who were passionalte about their art and wanted to display it, but didn't necessarily make their living through it. Responses poured in, and Blumkin personally met with each artist.
"I'm not an art expert, it's just a feeling I get," Blumkin says. "We've created a kind of canvas here, so when people come in and want to exhibit their art and we think it is a good fit, we move forward"
More than 90 percent of the exhibitors are from the San Diego area. Artists keep 60 percent of each sale; Art N Soul pays rent utilities and expenses from the remaining 40 percent and donates the rest to charity. Neither Blumkin nor Perkins draws a salary and the store's employees are all volunteers, including several high school students who earn community service hours in addition to valuable art and retail experience.
The store has been profitable every month since it opened. From August 2007-2008, Art N Soul raised more than $22,000, which is divided among its four charitable partners. In addition, Art N Soul hosted a benefit for Canyon Crest High School last year; students held a 24-hour paint-in and used the store as the site to auction off their work.
"From the start, I wanted this place to be about the artists and the community and the volunteer," Blumkin says. "It's just been a wonderful experience."
