On the Circuit: Daybreak Arts' Illuminate Art Gala
Daybreak Arts held its 2023 Illuminate Art Gala on Saturday, March 25, 2023 from 5-9PM at Riverside Revival to empower unhoused and housing-insecure artists in Nashville by showcasing and selling their art. The Illuminate Art Gala is a celebration of the power of art to transform lives and communities, and this was the organization's 9th annual gala fundraiser art exhibition.
The 2023 Illuminate Art Gala was a night of art, culture, and entertainment, where attendees had the chance to explore the world of art from unhoused and housing-insecure artists’ perspectives. The gala featured an array of art exhibits, showcasing the works of 21 talented artists in the Daybreak Artist Collective in a variety of mediums including painting, drawing, mixed media, sculpture, and photography.
In addition to viewing and purchasing original artwork, guests enjoyed a cocktail buffet by Town and Table Catering, specialty cocktails and drinks, unique silent auction items, live bossa nova jazz, a photobooth experience sponsored by Nashville Photobooth Co., and live painting by three different Daybreak artists.
This one-of-a-kind annual Nashville event provides a premiere platform for artists experiencing housing insecurity to showcase their work and earn income. Leading up to the event, Daybreak Arts raised $43,000 through gala sponsorships, ticket sales, and silent auction. During the event, Daybreak Arts set a goal to sell $12,000 of original artwork by the artists, and they surpassed their goal with over $15,000 in art sales by 9pm.
All proceeds from the Illuminate Art Gala support program expansion, operational funding and studio maintenance, enabling the organization to continue providing a safe and supportive environment for artists to create and thrive. 60% of artwork sales go directly to the artist, and the remaining 40% is reinvested back into Daybreak Arts to continue to provide the supplies, space, and resources for the artists to keep creating at no cost to them.
“Oftentimes, our preconceived notions about homelessness include laziness or addiction; however, our gala fundraiser highlights that people experiencing homelessness are creative and resourceful, but victims of systematic and policy-level barriers.” Nicole Minyard, Executive Director shares, “Instead of seeing unhoused individuals in survival mode, our Illuminate Art Gala creates an opportunity for those individuals to share their talents and creativity with the Nashville community. Our artists are able to reclaim their voice through art, and introduce new narratives about themselves and their experiences during the gala.”
