CHICAGO, Sept. 10, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/
-- Chicago-based artist advocacy nonprofit, Play Together, has
onboarded two respected local artists: femdot., a first-generation
US-born Chicago rapper and social
activist, along with the sought-after fine artist, muralist, and
TedX speaker, Liz Flores, for its
next audio-visual collaboration to benefit the nonprofit Delacreme
Scholars. Delacreme Scholars was founded by femdot. and will direct
funds provided by the Play Together collaboration to offer art
scholarships to Black and Brown
youth artists of Chicago.
femdot. has committed to releasing two singles as a part of the
Play Together collaboration. "Back Home" and "Lifetime", featuring
fellow Chicago rapper Saba,
explores elements of who femdot. is and hopes to set up a larger
story down the line. It's rooted in experiences that he feels
embodies his current mindset and will be released November 5th. Flores will draw inspiration from
the music to create a painting and a mural dedicated to the project
located in Chicago's Uptown
neighborhood.
Collaboration artwork will be released as limited-edition
premium denim jackets as well as signed art prints, available for
purchase. The original Flores painting will be available for
purchase through the collaboration. After covering the costs of the
project, including fair compensation to the artists for their time
and artwork, all remaining proceeds from the collaboration
merchandise will be directed to Delacreme Scholars. Play Together
has furthermore pledged a minimum $5,000 distribution to Delacreme.
As a thank you for significant donations provided, key donors
will be given exclusive access to a virtual roundtable discussion
on equity and arts education with Chicago nonprofit leaders and Collaboration
artists. Key Donors will also have their name included in the mural
to commemorate their support for the project.
The mission of Delacreme Scholars is to provide
micro-scholarships to Black and Brown students of Chicago and abroad who require mid-semester
funds to remain in their college education. Proceeds of Play
Together Collaboration #2 will be directed to art students of color
(writing, music, visual arts, performing arts, and design) through
Delacreme scholarships.
"As a Black man in America, who has seen what wealth looks like
and what poverty looks like, I understand that gap and how we are
left without resources," femdot. said.
"College was a struggle for me to afford; becoming an artist was
even more challenging. I've lost so many friends to violence or
jail. With friends who sell drugs, friends who go to school, and
friends who are forced to sell drugs to afford to go to school, I
am motivated to drive another path to well-being and education
through Delacreme Scholars.
When Play Together came to me with the idea to collaborate with
a talented artist to drive support for Delacreme Scholars, I saw it
as a great opportunity to invest in the next generation of
Chicago artists of color."
Flores was selected by femdot. and his team from a list of
potential artists, as they felt her colorful, minimalist and
humanistic artwork would be the perfect stylistic match to
accompany and bring the music to life. Flores showcases the shared
complexities of being human, the female form and the importance of
connection and community. This unique perspective is what attracted
large brands such as Jack Daniels and Lululemon to commission her
to create original murals for their commercial spaces, as well as
is what fuels a loyal following of her work, who support her vision
with purchases of canvas and prints on her site:
lizfloresart.com.
"I really resonate with Play Together's mission to help the next
generation of Chicago creatives,"
Flores said. "I always want my art to have meaning and life behind
it – to have a purpose."
"Being able to partner with Play Together on a project like this
gives me that opportunity to give back. I'm also really fascinated
with the opportunity to bridge two creative industries in
Chicago by collaborating with
femdot. and bringing our communities together.
One of the things that I love about femdot.'s music is his
ability to storytell and articulate unique human experiences. This
is something I'm excited to bring into my work as an artist,
visualizing his music and bringing his work to life in a whole new
medium."
The concept of Play Together is to unite artists and donors
mutually concerned with social impact. The nonprofit provides the
artists a one-stop shop to give back to their communities by
raising proceeds for a Chicago
youth arts program of their choice. "Chicago is one of the most diverse cities in
the United States, yet also is one
of the most segregated," said Play Together founder Jessica Tenuta. "Throughout history, artists
have been at the forefront of challenging systems of power -- we're
proud to be their platform to invest in the next generation of
Chicago creators."
The collaboration with femdot. and Liz
Flores builds on the positive momentum of its initial
collaboration. In 2019, Play Together paired Chicago-based soul-inspired Indie rock act,
Violet Crime, with Chicago fine
artist, Julius Bautista. Together,
they raised funds for Intonation Music, which funds instructional
hours and instruments for Bronzeville students in after-school
music programming. The collaboration was featured in the Chicago
Sun Times and Substream Magazine which led to a sold-out
collaboration release show at the Bottom Lounge, featuring
Intonation Music students playing alongside Violet Crime.
To learn more about this collaboration, the timing of femdot.'s
Play Together releases and how to secure your pre-order of the
limited-edition merchandise, please visit
http://playtogether.co/femdot-flores-delacreme.
About Play Together
Play Together is a 501(c)(3) artist advocacy nonprofit organization
that provides leading Chicago artists a platform to invest in our
city's youth arts programs through the release of audio/visual
collaborations. Each Play Together collaboration strategically
pairs a musician with a visual artist to benefit a chosen nonprofit
cause in Chicago. Play Together is backed by the music and tech
community of the Chicagoland area.
Play Together is backed by Howard
Tullman (co-founder Tribeca Flashpoint Academy and former
CEO of 1871); Gregg Latterman (angel
investor and founder of Aware Records, which discovered and signed
John Mayer); Eric Montanez, co-founder of Nicework and
manager of Chance The Rapper) and Dan Dal Degan (former CEO of
SpringCM, which was acquired by DocuSign for $220M). Dan has also volunteered to be a board
member for Play Together.
SOURCE Play Together