You know the expression: It’s not a sprint, it’s … an art practice? This spring, for several nonprofit organizations across Vermont, a marathon measured in works of art, not miles, is bringing in critical funding to support the basic needs of the state’s refugees and asylum seekers. Though the organizations have been running similar fundraisers for the past few years, their representatives said the current political climate has added urgency to their efforts.
Amy Ehrlich, a volunteer with Central Vermont Refugee Action Network, explained the premise of that organization’s March Arts Marathon. Instead of sponsoring walkers, runners or polar plungers, donors choose one or more artists from a roster and pledge funds at any level. In return, they get documentation of a new piece of art in their email every day — or rather, six days a week, since the pace is “pretty intense” for the artists, according to Ehrlich, who is among the participants and sponsors others. “It’s really difficult to keep up that kind of momentum for a month.”
Despite the workout, more than 60 artists are participating this year, individually or on a few teams. Poet and artist Nicky Morris, also on this year’s roster, brought the idea to the nonprofit in 2021, based on a similar fundraiser she’d been part of in Massachusetts. That was poetry only, Ehrlich said, but the Vermont organization has opened it up to all mediums, from writing to drawing to hooked rugs.
The resulting works are widely varied and intriguing. Though only sponsors get daily poems, photos or images of paintings, anyone can see examples from the first half of the month online in the org’s Midway Gallery. They include Deb Sigel’s beautifully illustrated recipe for hamantasch cookies, Sylvia Fagin’s collages made from maps and excerpts from a novel in progress by Kathryn Davis. Orah Moore has posted several videos, including one of protesters out on a cold day at the St. Albans U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in support of asylum seeker Steven Tendo.
Since raising approximately $37,000 for the Central Vermont Refugee Action Network in its first year, the fundraiser has grown. So far, donors have pledged more than $77,000 in this year’s marathon, and similar organizations across the state have adopted the idea. The Chittenden Asylum Seekers Assistance Network and Bridge to Rutland will host marathons in April, and the Community Asylum Seekers Project in Brattleboro will hold one in May.
Rachel Cogbill, board president of the central Vermont organization, said it is privately funded but feeling the “ripple effects” of federal cuts to partners such as the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity. Ellen Green, executive director at Bridge to Rutland, said the nonprofit’s costs are going up due to a loss of pro bono legal services.
By email, Morris said she and other artists participating in the March Arts Marathon often talk about “what a gift it is to be able to do something.”
Multiple fundraisers mean more of those opportunities. Hannah Martin, a volunteer with the Chittenden County organization, said its Arts for Asylum Seekers project gives creatives flexibility on how often to send work to sponsors, from every day to once a week. “Different people’s projects lend themselves to different frequencies,” she said.
This is the third year of the Arts for Asylum Seekers marathon, which has 23 creatives on board and 182 sponsors so far. Each artist has a page on the website where sponsors can see details and sign up to start receiving works on April 1.
In addition to supporting legal services, medical care and household necessities for asylum seekers and refugees, the fundraisers foster community among the artists, who often sponsor one another. Morris said that for her, “Having people donate and sponsor me is such an honor. That in itself encourages me to try out new ideas, to experiment … I feel part of a larger community of concerned people.”
The original print version of this article was headlined “Mixed-Media Marathon: Arts Fundraisers Go the Distance”
This article appears in Mar 26 – Apr 1, 2025.
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