Acts of Kindness: The Gift Project

How do we perform acts of kindness for our communities and ourselves? What inspires a stranger to be kind to another? Part of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago's A CALL TO CONNECT series that works to acknowledge loneliness and create opportunities to connect through shared arts experiences, fostering a sense of belonging for participants, this Capstone class will create unconventional collaborations inside and outside of SAIC, considering careful and caring ways to work with each other and other members of our community in the city of Chicago. What motivates someone to step out of their bubble and go out of their way to help a person they don’t know? Acts of Kindness: The Gift Project is a community fundraiser and pop-up gallery presentation.

Funded by Project UnLonely and Jeremy Nobel, this event brings together 15 students who have each chosen a community member whose contributions often go unseen to honor. Each student has made an art piece inspired by their community member to honor who they are and their work and to make the unseen seen. Additionally, to highlight an organization that often supports marginalized and unseen community members, we will be holding a fundraiser for Howard Brown Health and The Trevor Project with a pay-what-you-will entry and silent auction as part of the event.

For one night only, come see the unseen in a pop-up gallery presentation honoring local community members, and come spread your own Act of Kindness, helping raise funds for Howard Brown Health and The Trevor Project. 

About the School of the Art Institute of Chicago
For more than 155 years, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) has been a leader in educating the world’s most influential artists, designers, and scholars. Located in downtown Chicago with a fine arts graduate program ranked number two in the nation by U.S. News and World Report, SAIC provides an interdisciplinary approach to art and design as well as world-class resources, including the Art Institute of Chicago museum, on-campus galleries, and state-of-the-art facilities. SAIC’s undergraduate, graduate, and post-baccalaureate students have the freedom to take risks and create the bold ideas that transform Chicago and the world, and adults, teens, and kids in our Continuing Studies classes have the opportunity to explore their creative sides, build portfolios, and advance their skills. Notable alumni and faculty include Georgia O’Keeffe, Nick Cave, David Sedaris, Cynthia Rowley, Michelle Grabner, Richard Hunt, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, and Jeff Koons.

About Howard Brown Health 
Howard Brown Health is a federally qualified health center serving more than 38,000 adults and youth at seven health centers across Chicago. Howard Brown Health offers a range of key services including primary medical care, HIV/STI prevention and youth services. As the Midwest’s largest LGBTQ+ health center, Howard Brown Health continually provides health care services and programs to all patients, regardless of their health insurance coverage status and ability to pay.

About The Trevor Project
The Trevor Project is the leading suicide prevention and crisis intervention nonprofit organization for LGBTQ+ young people. We provide information & support to LGBTQ+ young people 24/7, all year round. Through legislation, litigation, and public education, The Trevor Project advocates for policies that help prevent suicide among LGBTQ+ young people. This includes advancing policy reforms at the federal, state, and local level to address factors that place them at a significantly higher risk of suicide.

About Project UnLonely
Project UnLonely launched in 2016 to address the growing public health concern of social isolation and chronic loneliness. Project UnLonely has three goals: to raise awareness of loneliness and its negative physical and mental health effects, to destigmatize loneliness, and to make programming available to address loneliness. Project UnLonely programs empower individuals and communities to connect through the arts, with a focus on creative expression as a medium for connection because it’s readily accessible, stimulates the brain, conveys emotion, and fosters a shared reality, all of which contribute to a sense of connection. 

AIDS Foundation Chicago
Improving lives for people living with HIV and AIDS for more than 40 years. In 1985, physicians, advocates, and community members came together to form AIDS Foundation Chicago (AFC) to support the HIV community. More than 40 years later, AFC continues this critical lifesaving work to end the HIV epidemic and ensure everyone has a home in Chicago and beyond.