The Art For All art sale held at Aeronaut Brewery in Somerville on Sunday raised more than $6,500 to help fund the non-profit group La Colaborativa. — Photo courtesy of Art For All Boston

By Michael McHugh

This past Sunday concerned citizens from Somerville, Chelsea, and beyond attended a fundraising event at Aeronaut Brewery to benefit the Latinx immigrant community. The Art For All 3 art sale put on by the Boston For All community fundraising organization showcased original local art that has been donated personally by each artist, and could be purchased by attendees through a “pick your own price” policy.

100% of the over $6,500 raised went towards La Colaborativa, a non-profit that works to empower and support Latinx immigrants through social services including housing security, community organizing, economic advancement, English lessons, citizenship pathways, and a wealth of other programs.

Aeronaut Brewery, which has earned a reputation as the supportive host of countless community fundraisers, including 2019’s Art For All 2, saw over thirty local artist’s share their artwork with the community.

Differing from the somewhat more familiar art auction fundraiser, Art For All gives attendees the opportunity to pick their own price when purchasing the art, with no minimum price. “The magical part of it is, we let people put a price on the artwork, which is generous on the part of the artists but also generous on the part of the buyer. And it takes some of the pressure off, along with knowing it’s going towards a good cause,” said Silvina Mizrahi, an artist and organizer of this year’s event.

This difference works to create a much less competitive environment where buyers feel more comfortable with making a donation that is within their means, and this is done very much intentionally by the organizers. “It’s a unified movement,” explains Jeremy Fischer, founder of Boston For All. “Nothing that we do is competitive, it’s always a very low barrier to entry. Because our drive is for [the] community, and to be able to support people who are doing great work.”

The Boston For All organization was created in the wake of the 2016 elections, as an almost direct response to the feeling of uncertainty that many felt as they had been thrust into a world where the most vulnerable members of our community, especially the immigrant population, were under attack.

“In a very real way, under the Trump administration people like me are probably going to be fine. I’m a white guy who lives in Massachusetts and I’m alright, but it didn’t feel like enough just to decide that we were okay. It was about making sure that we could also contribute to making our nation be okay, for all people,” said Fischer.

Fortunately, Boston For All has received wide support from community members such as Meghan O’Connor, who purchased a piece on Sunday to help the cause. “I’m really passionate about the work that La Colaborativa are doing, so I do anything I can do to help and make sure that as a non-profit they’re supported and have enough money to stay afloat,” said O’Connor.

“It was an easy decision to come, I saw it on social media and was like ‘oh of course!’ It’s a good cause and it gave me a reason to come to Somerville, grab some beer, and buy some art.”