Benefit Edition: Kate Bingaman-Burt

Significant Objects by Kate Bingaman-Burt
8"x10" ($20) | 11"x14" ($50) | 16"x20" ($200)

Benefit-edition-bonus Thursday greetings my collector friends! It is with great pleasure that I bring to you today's edition, a convergence of great people and things in support of a kick-a*s non-profit: Girls Write Now. Proceeds from the sales of Significant Objects by Kate Bingaman-Burt will be added to Significant Objects' grand total donation to Girls Write Now.

The why, what, when and how of this edition's coming together is evidence of the universe's mysterious but ultimately good ways. It's a long story, so I'll start with the end: Girls Write Now is dedicated to providing guidance, support, and opportunities for New York City's underserved or at-risk high school girls, enabling them to develop their creative, independent voices, explore careers in professional writing, and learn how to make healthy choices in school, career, and life. Important stuff! And really, it means that when my story here comes to an end, your support—when you pick up one of Kate's prints—marks just the beginning of incredible opportunities for girls across New York City.

An inspiring example of an awesome woman, Kate's ever-industrious and creative—her just-published book is the latest in a long line of accomplishments. Plus, she's continually upending traditional paradigms with her inventive explorations of women's work—craft—and America's pastime—consumerism. All of which is to say: she's an awfully swell role model for girls everywhere, making her a natural choice for this edition.

Also central to Kate's practice is her belief in the importance and story of every little thing, which neatly aligns with the premise of Significant Objects, the inspiration for the prints we're offering you today. As you can see to the left, Kate—abhorring a vacuum as she does—expanded her work to fill the ever-enlarging space afforded as the edition's dimensions increased, resulting in three unique images: the 8"x10" print features six objects, the 11"x14", nine objects, and the 16"x20" features sixteen.

Significant Objects is headed up by Rob Walker and Joshua Glenn. Josh and I worked together ages ago when I was a consultant for Tripod. A brilliant, brainy writer, Josh is coeditor of HiLobrow. Rob was THE first to write about 20x200 on his super-smart blog, Murketing, way back when we were just getting started! S.O. is their "quasi-anthropological experiment analyzing how inanimate objects become significant via narrative." In other words, talented writers concoct stories about found objects, giving them new meaning and significance. Then the objects—which have included a mini jar of mayonnaise, a toy bronco and a wooden apple core, among many other things—are put up for bids on Ebay, so we can all see what they're worth now. Like these prints, proceeds from those sales benefit a just cause.

As Rob and Josh wrote: "Core to the Significant Objects project is a belief in the power and value—measurable in dollars, as we've demonstrated—of the written word. Thus we have dedicated ourselves to supporting organizations that not only recognize, but cultivate, that power and value. We love the fact that Girls Write Now does precisely this, nurturing a new generation of writers whose words might never have been heard without this organization's support. We are proud to help them in their wonderful mission in any way we can."

Because people like my friend Lauren Cerand, who serves on the GWN Board of Directors, are involved, I know the program's up to snuff! Lauren's a force. She is one to teach and lead by example. Speaking up, refusing to take no for an answer and seizing (or creating!) opportunities—these are the things that youngsters today stand to learn from role models like the interconnected crew described here, which gives me quite a bit of faith in a brighter future.

Next Email : Edition Announcement #268 - Don Hamerman
Previous Email : Edition Announcement #266 - Alex Brown

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