Through their artistic visions, these five women hope to bring answers to post-election questions, deliver technology through movement, and challenge our perceptions through paintings, sculptures — and chairs.
Check out these 5 women-led crowdfunding campaigns:
1. A Woman’s Quest to Find Her Place in America (via Kickstarter)
The Business: Joanna Yang, a graphic designer and Asian-American immigrant hailing from Dallas and currently attending the Glasgow School of Art in Scotland, says she is searching for her “place” in the nation following the election of President Donald Trump. She initially created protest art, but ultimately decided to focus on her struggle to understand her American identity. Yang says her ideals were challenged, and she began pondering, “What is American? Who is American?” Her search for answers inspired her to take a trip around the United States next month. She plans to maintain a journal and take pictures along the way, and then produce a reflective book.
The Money: Yang’s campaign for travel funds has raised $1,621. With a goal of $700 and 3 days left to raise more, it looks like she will be packing her bags soon!
2. Control Your Home with the Wave of Your Hand (via Indiegogo)
The Business: Gisele Belliot is the CEO of Hayo in Brooklyn, N.Y., which manufactures and sells a device that enables you to operate your smart home technologies using hand motions. The system works by performing a 3-D scan of a room, then letting users create virtual remote controls for various spots in their living rooms or kitchens, such as coffee tables or love seats. By placing the Hayo device in a common area, users can control their smartphones, music systems, lights, and even thermostat with a wave of their hands.
The Money: The campaign has met and exceeded its $80,000 goal, with 4 days still left to go. With these contributions, the company will manufacture and distribute the device on a larger scale.
3. “The Superhero of Chairs“ (via Kickstarter)
The Business: Jessica Banks, a designer at Rock Paper Robot, created the Ollie Chair, a piece of furniture designed to make the most out of small spaces. With the pull of a string, the chair becomes “thinner than the bagel you had for breakfast.” It can also be used outdoors, thanks to the rust- and warp-resistant materials from which it’s made. By contributing, Ollie Chair fans can get fun perks like a plant named in their honor inside the Brooklyn-based company’s office.
The Money: Only 6 days remain, but Banks’ campaign has already raised more than double its original goal amount of $80,000.
4. Art Made with Help from Mother Nature (via Kickstarter)
The Business: Daniele Frazier is a Brooklyn-based artist who wants to solve what she sees as a sculpture problem. When she struggled to create large works in her studio, she improvised by making inflatable pieces that could be blown up using mechanical air-blowers. Now, she wants to use the wind to craft physical objects that depend on nature to be fully created. “It’s interesting to communicate with something other than yourself with a piece of art,” she says. Highland Park in the Cypress Hills neighborhood of Brooklyn lacks public art, so she plans to create at least five giant nylon flowers there. But she needs help from crowdfunding supporters.
The Money: Frazier has 15 days to meet a $10,000 goal. If she succeeds, the money will go toward the materials and labor needed to install the flowers.
5. Multidimensional, Uplifting Art (via Indiegogo)
The Business: Maria Kaskakova is a Bulgarian artist who wants to use her artwork to spread positivity. In her latest series, “FluMental,” she uses a strategic combination of digital photography, acrylic and texture paintings to capture the “invisible positive energy that surrounds us.” The abstract creatures shown in her paintings feature fluctuations, allowing them to be seen as multiple things to each beholder and creating a sense of “magic, unity and possibility.” Now, she has an opportunity to touch audiences in Milan, Italy, thanks to an invitation to show her new work at a gallery there — but she needs a hand.
The Money: Kasakova has 2 months to meet her goal of $2,700. Funds raised through the campaign will cover the cost of installation, transportation, and the creation of a catalog of her work.
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Want to be featured in The Story Exchange’s Crowdfunding column? Drop us a line and tell us about your campaign at [email protected].
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