Grass Roots Art

get to the root of your creativity
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 Our Evolution
  

The Random House Dictionary's definition of grass roots is:

the ordinary people in the community, the origin, basis, or basic meaning of something

 

  There is a class of artists which we believe fits this profile. This type of artist is a person who is grounded in reality and able to relate to a wide audience. The Grass Roots Artist may be a school teacher, your next door neighbor, the cashier at the grocery store, your attorney, your sister, your grandma, or an acclaimed artist who's  work has traveled the globe. There is a good chance it could be you. An artist who has passion and a desire to share their craft is a Grass Roots Artist. An artist who wants a venue whose main focus is to nurture artists, has found his/her home at Grass Roots Art.

 

     Grass Roots Art (G.R.A.) looks at art as a way to develop individuals, as well as communities. Our mission is to provide motivation and inspiration to the Grass Roots Artist, by providing a warm and inviting online venue for new, emerging, mid-career, and seasoned artists to exhibit. G.R.A. services the global community by offering virtual exhibition space for visual and performing artists, to share their talent with the world. Both adult and youth artists are embraced at G.R.A.’s Gallery. A cross generational environment is at the core of G.R.A.’s commitment to

artists and art enthusiasts across the globe.

      

      Grass Roots Art developed as a result of analyzing the everyday life of many artists.

     During a conversation between myself (Erica Ruth, Grass Roots Art Co-founder), and Ollie Dantzler, a Chicago artist, Grass Roots Art Founder, and my mother, it became evident that artists go through great lengths to exist. There are meals to be made and bills to be paid. Rarely does an artist get the opportunity to create art for a living. More often than not they have a job that takes up most of their time and they use their “spare time” to explore their art. They may be a musician who works in Corporate America during the day and  gigs at night, or a medical technician who paints at home, once his/her shift is over.

     This following example is probably most common; the artist who doesn’t create at all because their whole being is consumed with survival. At the end of the day there is nothing left. Apathy and severe depression can set in when this path is chosen.

     Children who have no outlet for their creativity are often lost in traditional educational formats. To have a place to create and share their creations for many youth can be their ticket to a better life. Sadly, however, art and the pursuit of it as a career is often not viewed as a sensible goal.

     The conversations evolved into Grass Roots Art. We decided to do what we could to mitigate the woes of new, emerging, and mid-career artist here in the South Shore, of Chicago, IL. Three of the things we saw artists needed were: a venue with which to share their talent with the Chicago

Community, articles written about their efforts, and last but certainly not least, internet exposure.

     We love when there is a win win situation. This seemed like the perfect opportunity, because not only could we offer something to the artists, but we could also offer something to the community.

     We have, since our inception in December 2006, hosted 4 performing artist and over 10 visual artists. We have hosted parties, and poetry readings. Our Family built up quite a following since we began, and we worked hard. 

     As time went on we saw an opportunity to expand our radius.  There is no way we could reach as many people in a physical location, as we can reach through the internet. So now we are offering artists and art enthusiasts the best possible connection for each other, 24 hour access to one another throughout the world.

     Click on the contact link and let us know if you have any questions, would like to link up with an artists you've seen on the site, or would like to present your work on the site. This is your center. Grass Roots Art is for the people.