10 years ago, PhanArt began as a book by compiling the art of Phish fans and artists over the band’s history. 2009 saw the book published and money was raised to support The Mockingbird Foundation and music education. Over the next five years, PhanArt evolved into a website for fans and artists alike to sell their art and reach a broader audience. In the past two years, PhanArt Poster and Pin shows have become must-attend events during Phish runs, connecting artists, fans, and fans-turned-artists in an exhibition environment. What started as an idea for a book to benefit charity has become so much more.
Today, with the launch of the PhanArt 2.0 website, a new design and layout will make the art more accessible and interactive, and highlight a variety of art from a wider array of artists. From concert poster artists to street artists, fans to official prints, PhanArt will become a broader site for a wider variety of art, and in addition to highlighting the art of Phish fans, the expanding website will bring varying art styles and artists to a wider audience.
The mission of PhanArt is to promote art in all forms, especially Concert Posters, Street Art, Official Prints and Fan Creations, and in the course of such work, to benefit The Mockingbird Foundation, which raises funds for music education for children. PhanArt shifts from being ‘The Art of the Fans of Phish’ to focusing on ‘Music, Art and Community’, reflecting on the roots of the brand – art inspired by music – and reaches out to broader audiences with continued art shows at locations around the country. Phish inspired and official art will continue to be found on the website, but will not be the only art to be found on a daily basis.
Great thanks goes out to Kyle Welch for the site design, Nate Meyer of Band Shirt Archive for hosting and Alexandra Evers for her redesign of the new PhanArt logo.
To celebrate the launch of PhanArt 2.0, for the month of October, 2014, nearly ALL items in the PhanArt Store will be discounted 10-20%.
PhanArt will continue to solicit and gather donations to benefit The Mockingbird Foundation, a charity that has raised over $800,000 to benefit music education throughout the country. Of that total, PhanArt is proud to have contributed over $18,000 since 2009, an amount made up mostly of small donations from artists and fans.
Stay tuned for an announcement on Tuesday with details on the next PhanArt Poster and Pin Exhibition, to be held November 1st in Las Vegas, Nevada! – Pete, Kelley, Chris, Jim, Chris and Taylor