New York (November 28, 2023) – New York based artist and designer Elizabeth Sutton is using her paintbrushes and her platform to send a message of hope and unity to the Jewish diaspora. For the first time ever, the artist announces a new crowdfunded art series and charitable campaign, “Advocating Against Anti-Semitism Through the Arts”, designed to promote solidarity, spark meaningful dialogue, and leverage the power of art to heal.
The campaign will underwrite the creation of several new artworks in a new “Jewish Pride” series, including “The Wailing Wall, Never Again Is Now,” and “Thank You, Jews.” Campaign funds will also support the creation and distribution of art prints to spiritually uplift those affected by the war, including families who lost loved ones and Israeli forces. Additionally, using funds raised, Sutton plans to develop and run an art therapy program overseas serving IDF soldiers and families impacted by the conflict.
The artist pledges to donate twenty percent of proceeds from campaign-supported artworks and prints to United Hatzalah and Leket – Israeli organizations providing vital emergency support to those directly affected by the hostage crisis and subsequent conflict, including food and emergency medical services. To date, the artist has already raised over $23,200 towards the $100,000 goal in just a few weeks since the GoFundMe campaign went live.
The Healing Power of Art
Sutton has always striven to harness the power of positivity in her art – and that thread continues in this new body of work, her most thematically challenging – and personal – to date. The artist takes great pride in her Jewish heritage and the legacy she inherited from her esteemed great-grandfather Rabbi Emanuel Rackman and grandmother Honey Rackman – both “Gadols Hador” (giants of their generation). Rabbi Rackman served as president on both the Rabbinical Council of America and the New York Board of Rabbis, provost of Yeshiva University, and President of Bar Ilan University. He remains venerated to this day in the modern Orthodox Jewish community as an essential spiritual leader and writer, while Honey Rackman, who dedicated her life to philanthropy, left an enduring legacy of community activism and Jewish women’s rights.
Sutton sees it as her duty to walk the path these outspoken giants of the faith blazed before her. “Art is the best way I know how to speak. Brush strokes are my most eloquent words. The one thing I am most confident about is that God put me on this earth to create art, and in so doing, with my color, vision, and craft, help people heal. This art series speaks directly to our collective loss, deep grief, and need for healing in the wake of the October 7th attacks. Never, as an artist, have I felt so strongly in my soul that I need to create a body of work surrounding current events – to document history, to advocate and spread awareness against antisemitism and terror, to heal, to inspire, and to help others.”
A Picture of Faith
Sutton was moved early on to contribute thousands of dollars to various Jewish charities and took an active role in facilitating needed supplies, but she felt she could do more by leveraging her artistic gift for the cause. Sutton first debuted the campaign concept to her significant social media following, resulting in the sale of the series’ first artwork, ‘Etz HaChayim Reborn,’ to an Israeli collector. She has already donated 20 percent of proceeds from that sale to charity, and the artwork will be reproduced in a series of prints, with a further 20 percent sales proceeds from those prints pledged in perpetuity to United Hatzalah and Friends of the Israel Defense Forces Foundation.
The first of the funds raised will be used to support a Chesed trip to Israel, where she will volunteer doing art therapy with IDF soldiers and families affected by the war and film a documentary about the experience. She will work with organizations including Migdal Ohr, Beit Susan, Shalva, Haddasah Hospital, and Tel Hashomer Hospital. Ultimately, Sutton hopes that the historically significant, large-scale pieces born out of this campaign will endure as testaments of Jewish resilience and a Jewish renaissance.
Finished artworks and works in progress can now be viewed at the new Elizabeth Sutton Collection pop-up art gallery in New York City’s West Chelsea arts district at 550 West 29th Street or visit elizabethsuttoncollection.com.
For more information on “Advocating Against Anti-Semitism Through the Arts, Visit the Go-Fund Me Campaign.
Funds from the $100,000 campaign goal total will underwrite the following:
- 20% donated directly to charity, totaling $20,000 to United Hatzalah: https://israelrescue.org/ and to Leket, Israel’s Food Bank, Feeding the People of the South https://www.jgive.com/new/en/usd/donation-targets/110111/about
- Costs of volunteer chesed trip to Israel to work with IDF soldiers and children via art therapy
- Costs of art supply kits to enable art therapy projects
- Sustain the cost of prints of the artworks to be donated to families whose family members were murdered; to public spaces and to IDF bases in Israel to inspire and heal our hearts.
- Film-making and media outreach costs
- Sustain the costs of production of the artwork itself and support the ESC brand.
Now booking interviews
Contact Ana Martins Communications at info@anamartinspr.com
ABOUT ELIZABETH SUTTON
Elizabeth Sutton (b. 1989) is a powerhouse New York City based artist, designer, and entrepreneur celebrated for her bold, vibrant works and good vibes ethos. She is Founder of Elizabeth Sutton Collection, a global art and design brand renowned for its expansive portfolio of fine art, prints, fashion accessories, tiles, wallpapers, furniture, hardware, and furnishings for residential and hospitality design.
Sutton’s New York City-based fine art and design firm shapes spaces and creates innovative experiences for clients and partners seeking to make a statement—and have a little fun. Recent Elizabeth Sutton Collection collaborations include TileBar, Sprayground, Janovic, Bloomingdale’s, Serendipity Restaurant, Pacaso Homes, One&Only, and many more. Her designs feature in high-concept commercial and residential spaces throughout the country and abroad.
Elizabeth Sutton has quickly emerged as a leading voice in the industry – winning multiple ‘Best in Show’ awards at designer showcases (including the Architectural Digest Design Show and the HD Expo), and serving as a judge for the 23rd annual NEWH Golden Palm Awards. She was dubbed a Forbes “Artist and Designer To Know Right Now” and was nominated on the inaugural Forbes ‘Next 1000’ List of “Upstart Entrepreneurs Redefining the American Dream.”
Her award-winning work has garnered acclaim in media, high-profile show houses, and ongoing exhibitions, including Eden Rock, St. Barths – and her bright, bold aesthetic has attracted a stable of prominent clients and collectors which includes Pippa Middelton, Iris Apfel, Pitbull, Andrea Bocelli, and Kourtney Kardashian. Sutton’s products and designs have also been seen on HBO’s “And Just Like That” documentary, “Do Revenge,” Netflix’s “Cooking with Paris,” “Melissa Wood Health,” and Bravo’s “Million Dollar Listing.”
For more information, visit elizabethsuttoncollection.com
Advocating Against Anti-Semitism Through the Arts: https://www.gofundme.com/f/advocating-against-antisemitism-through-the-arts
