I understand that many people are getting burned out on Kickstarter projects, but if you’ve got a few minutes, here are two that I think are worth checking out.
First up is Brian McCarty‘s WAR-TOYS project, which I wrote about this past summer. We know McCarty from his iconic toy photographs and definitive book ART TOYS. McCarty is still shooting pictures of toys, but for a greater purpose. He’s working with art therapists and children living in the middle east to explore war from the perspective of children living in its day-to-day reality. Through the use of locally acquired toys, he will provide a window and insight into the conditions in which these children live. The Kickstarter project hopes to raise funds for production and post-production. $20,000 is what approximately three weeks of time in the Middle East costs McCarty to do his work. He explains that he has already emptied his savings, maxed out his credit cards and put his wedding plans on hold. Help if you can here.
Next up is a group of artists whose names should sound familiar: Ritzy Periwinkle, Angry Woebots, J★RYU and Daniel Zana. The members of this quarter have created toys, shown their art domestically and internationally and even created a documentary film that I got to talk about at Comic-Con. They are part of a delegation of twelve artists who are fundraising their own way to the Thai/Burma border to work together with the children of Sky Blue School and SAW School. As part of the Little Lotus Project, they will “undertake a number of youth development and education projects with an artistic focus, including murals based around the alphabet, sculptures using found materials reclaimed from the vast trash fields that surround where the students live, and customized toys using Kidrobot’s iconic Munny platform.” The Kickstarter project seeks to raise funds for travel, lodging, equipment and supplies. Help if you can here.
