Art has the powerful capacity to unite communities.
The AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) collaborated with Chicago artist Anastasia Mak, who created a memorable T-shirt design for top fundraisers participating in AFC’s upcoming event, AIDS Run & Walk Chicago. As event day approaches, participants are connecting with their communities to support vital HIV/AIDS services. Mak’s painting is a stunning recognition of the top fundraisers’ incredible support.
“[The art community works] to support each other. We each have something to offer,” said Mak.
Growing up in the Ukraine, Mak was inspired by her father’s love of art and career as a graphic designer. Mak has painted since the age of two and recalls being praised for her artistic talents. After college, she pursued her passion for painting by working as a part-time artist. Since then, Mak’s talents have become mainstream and noticeable in Chicago’s art scene.
Now, Mak has carved out a sustainable painting career within the Chicago artist community, showing her work locally and at art festivals around the country. Through her connections with other local artists at art festivals, Mak worked with a core group of artists to establish a nonprofit art collective for female artists working with diverse mediums called Chicago Art Girls. For Mak, her medium has always centered on acrylic paintings, which often feature paintings of cityscapes. It was Mak’s unique style of creating colorful, iconic cityscapes that attracted AIDS Run & Walk Chicago organizers to her work.
Mak was excited to create the T-shirt design for AIDS Run & Walk Chicago, explaining that several of her friends participate in the event each year. Her friends’ passionate participation in the event made her realize how crucial AIDS Run & Walk Chicago was in supporting Chicagoans affected by HIV/AIDS.
“By supporting it, you are supporting the HIV/AIDS community everywhere,” said Mak.
You can find Mak’s work at art festivals around the country and commission a painting through her website. Check out the Chicago Art Girls project here.
Find out more about AIDS Run & Walk Chicago at aidsrunwalk.org! Participants who raise $500 or more will receive a T-shirt featuring Anastasia Mak’s original artwork.
