The Evanston Animal Shelter supported local artists and animal welfare by hosting a joint fundraiser and adoption event Saturday.
Hosted at the shelter, the event, titled “The Love of Animals Art Show,” showcased over 30 Evanston artists. Anna Marie Crovetti, a coordinator for the exhibit, said the city’s art community was eager to participate.
“I am active in this unbelievably thriving creative community in Evanston and the varied artists that are here working in so many different mediums,” Crovetti said. “They all wanted to jump in to make a difference for the animals.”
Crovetti said some artists volunteered to donate 50 to 100% of their sales to the animal shelter.
Kristin Conneely, an artist selling her work at the event, said she was interested in giving back to the shelter as the owner of a rescue dog. She adopted her dog, a Lab-Shepherd mix, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“She was rescued from Kentucky, and I can’t express how much she’s added value to our family and my life,” Conneely said. “Rescue is the way to go.”
One of Conneely’s pieces in the exhibit was an orange and blue mosaic portrait of her dog made out of china and glass.
Conneely said she was also moved by the other artists’ spin on the exhibit’s theme.
“It’s like putting 10 people at a table with all the same material and 10 different interpretations,” she said. “We have so many different mediums, and to see everybody’s love of animals come through in all these different pieces is inspirational.”
When artists made sales during the show, the customer rang a bell at the front of the shelter, prompting cheers from attendees. Conneely said hearing the bell reminded her of the fundraiser’s mission, making her feel happy that the event supports local artists and animals in need.
Lisa Degliantoni, who helped process payments during the event, said ringing the bell encourages excitement and uplifts artists who might be having slower sales.
She added that she believed the fundraiser was an accessible way for the community to support the shelter.
“One really interesting thing about this shelter, in addition to it being no kill — which is rad — they have a really strong community engagement,” Degliantoni said. “It’s exciting because this is an awesome new building, and there’s a ton of people who aren’t going to adopt a cat or a dog, but they might come in for a fundraiser.”
The new facility for the Evanston Animal Shelter opened in 2024 and is more than three times the size of the previous facility, according to reporting from Evanston Now.
Crovetti said the fundraiser was the first of its kind in Evanston, and she hopes it will become an annual event.
She added the exhibit was ideal for community building in an already-connected city.
“We’re expecting great relationships with the community coming into the shelter,” Crovetti said. “It’s a giant, inclusive, amazing community that really steps up when we need it.”
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