Make Art Not War

As we watched the devastating humanitarian toll Russia’s invasion was taking on the people of Ukraine, the owner of a local coffee shop and I began to talk about how we could help. We began to strategize a way to rally Kalamazoo’s community of artists and art lovers, and a month later we held an event called “Make Art Not War”.

Not only did we raise over $6,000 for Nova Ukraine to help with humanitarian aid in Ukraine, but we witnessed the type of gathering we had all been missing since the pandemic began. The ultimate group effort, the event was an art sale, auction, and live art-making event that demonstrated what can happen when goodwill and a good idea come together.