This article was written by Kenzo Kimura, class of 2019.
Some may think art is merely a work of aesthetics or pleasing imagery, but for senior Sabrina Lin, her art has a purpose.
The Beautiful Campaign, founded in August of this year, constitutes a fundraiser and awareness campaign where she paints portraits of students with special needs and raises money for research and awareness for special needs children and adults. Lin started this campaign after volunteering at Friends & Stars, Inc., a special needs art center that provides personalized art instruction to both children and adults with various disabilities.
“My goal was actually very simple; I wanted to share what I found beautiful. Specifically, I was happy to see the students’ pride and unfiltered joy as they do what they love and show off their finished creations,” Lin said. “I wanted to share positivity about a community that is often looked down upon.”
When Sabrina started painting portraits of her students, she presented them to the students and their parents who were members of the art center.
“I had already shown some of my finished pieces to the stars, and they were so happy and kept glancing at where I set them to dry. But when one of the student’s dad came to pick her up, he started tearing up when he saw the artwork,” Lin said. “I was just really shocked in the moment, but I soon realized that no matter what happens to this endeavor, no matter if I can actually display my artwork or not, at the end of the day I was able to make the stars feel special and, well, beautiful. The campaign is thus named The Beautiful Campaign.”
This campaign started off as an awareness campaign, but after learning about Friends & Stars, Inc.’s relocation, Lin decided to start raising money to help cover costs as they have to concurrently start two new programs (one in Ochlocknee and another in Davie).
Starting in August, Lin spent most of her energy fundraising and reaching out to various community organizations and public spaces in hopes of gaining exhibition opportunities. Of the 10 spaces Lin contacted, three offered to present the art pieces. Her exhibition schedule is the entire month of September at Miramar Library, October 3-7 at Nova Southeastern University for the 2017 Disability Expo: Road to Possibilities, and the first two months of 2018 at the Young At Art Museum.
The Beautiful Campaign was founded so that society can become more aware of how they treat others that may be different from themselves. The fundraising aspect funds Friends & Stars, Inc. to aid their transition process, buy supplies and start a new program in Davie and Ochlocknee
“Difference does not make anyone less of a person. If this message can really resonate, I hope that we, as a community, can start breaking down social barriers, start conversations, and change perspectives,” Lin said.
For more information, check our her website at:
