Artists that raise money to bring clean water to communities in Burundi
What started as a new year’s resolution to do something about the 771 million people globally who lack access to safe drinking water became an annual student art show and sale called Art for Water. Celeste Robbins, Chair of the Fine Arts Department at St. Dominic Savio Catholic High School in Austin reached out to the Gazelle Foundation about organizing a student art show fundraiser, “My plan was to teach art, and ask the students to share their work to raise money to fund clean water systems in Burundi,” said Robbins. The results are beautiful, empowering, and life-giving.
Art for Water has been held for multiple years. This year’s event was on Saturday, May 6. Students around the diocese donated art projects, each piece was matted, framed, tagged, and on display. Artists used a variety of media, techniques, and processes to communicate ideas, experiences, and stories. The major tenants of Art for Water are to give drink to the thirsty, change lives, give alms to the poor, and comfort the sorrowful.
People create art for a variety of reasons, including as a form of self-expression, storytelling, communication, social cohesion, cultural identity, and therapy. Some artists may be motivated by a sense of personal satisfaction or inner satisfaction. Whatever the motivation or reason, Celeste Robbins, the artists, and their community are also bringing clean and safe water to people in Burundi and making the world a more compassionate place. In total Art for Water has raised over $33,000 providing a lifetime of clean water to over 1,100 people in Burundi.
“Do I touch” by Kieran Crowley - Acrylic
Artist Spotlight
Erin C. is excited to be participating in Art for Water because it is a great way for her to mix her love of arts, her love for her community, and her love of helping others. Erin enjoys creating realistic works of art and is currently working on completing her AP portfolio, exploring how she can celebrate light through different mediums.
Olivia A. is excited to be working on Art for Water because she remembers being in first grade at Holy Hamily making watercolor and oil pastel sunflowers for the show. It was a great experience and introduction to how art can directly impact people. Since then, she has dug more and more into her love for art in many aspects. Olivia is excited to create pieces for the show that demonstrate the skills she has learned over the years and see the other amazing work that will be displayed.
Kieran C. is interested in Art for Water because she wants to change lives through something she loves - art. She loves painting realism, experimenting with new mediums, and drawing things about her Texan culture.
Gazelle Foundation is grateful to Celeste Robbins and the St. Dominic Savio community. Thank you for coming together to fund clean and safe water! We are so inspired by your passion and we can’t wait to see what next year holds.
See more pieces from the show.
About the Gazelle Foundation
The Gazelle Foundation’s ability to keep contractors building tap stands for children and families in Burundi is directly related to funding. Art for Water will have an immediate positive impact helping to fund new water systems. How we build clean water systems.
To date, the Gazelle Foundation has collaborated with local citizens to install 64 gravity-fed water systems in Burundi, bringing clean water to over 120,000 people. Since 2006, we have focused on bringing clean water and transformative change to Burundi. Working in a single, small country means it is easy to track the long-term impact of our systems.
