Debbie

Strength, loyalty and values. What more would you want in your leaders and from your communities? We are extremely fortunate to have found such a leader in Chicago studio member Debbie Vasquez.
Although Debbie at first seems shy and soft-spoken, Debbie is a role model within the Arts of Life community, particularly in terms of work ethic. She is someone who takes her time planning each project, and when she begins to work, she is unstoppable. And, as you know, this unstoppable energy can be exhausting. To help stay relaxed and fresh, Debbie often starts dance parties, inviting others to hop on the floor with her to disco tunes. Wouldn’t you want to work with Debbie?
Debbie understands our core values of community building, creativity, independence and self respect. Debbie views her fellow artists as a second family and makes sure everyone has ownership in our studio. She even works towards these values outside the studio. Recently, Women-Made Gallery featured her found object sculpture. Not only was this a spectacular achievement artistically, she’s now part of a community which works towards the equal placement of women’s art in the world.
If Debbie worked in a traditional workshop, what we call leadership would be considered “negative” and “attention seeking”. Lucky for her (and us,) she’s an artist in our community and we all benefit from her love of disco and her unexpected flexibility.
Debbie needs your help. Your support has given Debbie the opportunity to be a leader in The Arts of Life community and even, the greater Chicago community. Still, there’s always more we can do to support Debbie in her artistic and leadership journey.
This month, we are asking you to donate toward our campaign to raise $30,000. Your support will enable us to provide services even when the state’s financial resources have run out and Illinois freezes payments to providers.
Here’s what you can do:
Donate $30 and throw one artist a birthday party!
Donate $150 and buy one year of art supplies for one artist!
Donate $600 and buy one iPad for our studio!
Donate $1,278 and transport one artist to and from the studio for one month!
It’s that simple. Any donation, no matter how large or small, makes a difference. Your ongoing support made our success possible and now we need your help to move forward.
Thank you for being a part of The Arts of Life community!
P.S. Your donation ensures that we can continue to support artists like Debbie and create more opportunities for our community to nurture leaders who would never have the opportunity otherwise to be one

Donate Today!