Blu Dot Partners with Three Nonprofit Art Studios for the Launch of ART MODE

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - May 13, 2024 - Blu Dot, a leading modern furnishings brand, is pleased to announce ART MODE - a new collection of artwork in partnership with LAND Gallery & Studio, NIAD Art Center, and SAGE Studio & Gallery, three nonprofit art organizations that support artists with developmental disabilities. Beginning May 13, 2024, the artwork featuring original designs from 14 artists across the three studios will be available for purchase with 100% of the profits going directly to the studios and the artists.

The catalyst for this collaboration began in 2018 when John Christakos, CEO and Co-Founder, Blu Dot and Maurice Blanks, COO and Co-Founder, Blu Dot, came across Brooklyn-based LAND Gallery’s Instagram account and were immediately drawn to the artworks and the organization’s mission. Soon after, Blu Dot partnered with LAND Gallery on a capsule art and home goods collection. The team is thrilled to once again partner with LAND and extend the collaboration to like-minded organizations NIAD Art Center and SAGE Studio & Gallery, giving a new collective of artists a platform to showcase their works across the country. The inclusion of NIAD in the Bay Area and SAGE in Austin represents a natural progression of Blu Dot’s partnership with LAND.

“My son Charlie is on the autism spectrum and has found comfort and peace through his sketchbook which he has with him always,” notes Christakos. “When I first came across Land Gallery, I was drawn to their mission because of Charlie but I was also simply blown away by the power of these artists’ work, such a pure expression of themselves. It felt natural to share their talents to even more folks through an effort like ART MODE.”

Limos, Woodley White, SAGE StudioUntitled, Garrol Gayden, LAND Gallery

“Our goal is to amplify the missions of LAND, NIAD, and SAGE, broadening their reach and enhancing support for both the galleries and the one-of-a-kind artists they represent,” noted Blanks. “My late brother Billy had a developmental disability. His art was always something that brought him a lot of joy. ART MODE means so much to me, to be able to play a role in supporting art in the lives of others with IDD (intellectual and developmental disabilities) and amplifying their strength and creativity.”

The ART MODE Collection captures the pure joy that comes from making art and supports individuals who, like us, inspire a more creative way of living. The collection includes 16 original works featuring a wide range of subjects from abstract landscapes to detailed depictions of animals, vehicles, and the built world.

Untitled, James Rosa, LAND GalleryUntitled, Robert Latchman, LAND Gallery

The collection will be available on www.bludot.com and in all Blu Dot stores. Prints will range in price from $395 to $995. All profits will go directly back to the artists and the studios.

Untitled, Garrol Gayden, LAND Gallery

Garroll Gayden has been an artist at LAND since 2005. Inspired by a childhood trip to New York City’s historic Coney Island, Gayden’s saturated images often start with layers of figures, landscapes, and words related to the amusement park. “I write the things I see,” Gayden says, “It makes me feel a whole lot better.”

Cakes, Kenya Hanley, LAND Gallery

Kenya Hanley, one of LAND’s founding members, has devoted countless hours a day to assiduously drawing his two great loves: food and reggae musicians. Hanley's meticulously organized images, often color coded and labeled, pay homage to the food he grew up eating, the sweets he tries to stay away from, and the music he so lovingly listens to.

Untitled, Robert Latchman, LAND Gallery

Robert Latchman is a Trinidadian born artist living and working in Brooklyn, New York. Latchman uses a variety of materials to capture the personality of his environment. In his current work, Latchman is primarily focused on representations of the Brooklyn Bridge, a structure that he describes as “snapping together” against “different tones of color and texture.” Through each representation, Latchman imbues his personality into the canvas.

Rhinoceros Beetle, Saul Alegria, NIAD Art Center

Saul Alegria makes color do things it doesn’t do for other artists. Or for Mother Nature, for that matter. Saul‘s colors sing. He is quietly prolific and equally at ease with ceramics, acrylics, inks, and watercolors. Saul’s delightfully loose interpretations of members of the animal, plant and robot kingdoms have a calming presence, much like the artist himself.

Untitled, Carlota Rodriguez, NIAD Art Center

Carlota Rodriguez is a lifelong Richmond resident with a large family from El Salvador who have supported her art practice. While embracing a strong sense of the handmade, Carlota Rodriguez’s paintings and drawings draw on the history of geometric abstraction as well as recent formalism. Carlota says, “when I paint I like to focus my mind on it. I like to focus on my favorite shapes like flowers and faces. When I’m working the colors come to me naturally and I just go with the flow”.

Untitled, Deatra Colbert, NIAD Art Center

Deatra Colbert has been at NIAD for about 30 years and wants to go down in NIAD history. She loves all materials but pencils and crayons are her favorites. She loves putting flowers and suns in the background of her drawings.

Cowboy Boots, Rodrigo Hernandez, SAGE Studio

Rodrigo Hernandez is an Austin-based artist who enjoys working in a variety of mediums, including colored pencil, watercolor, and acrylic paint marker. Favorite subjects include Sonic the Hedgehog, Mario, and, recently, footwear through the ages. He has been a studio artist at SAGE since 2022.

Limos, Woodley White, SAGE Studio

Woodley White lives and works in Philadelphia, PA. He creates artwork that shows a keen eye for detail and a passion for his subject matter. It is not uncommon for White to draw the same subject hundreds of times across all media and on various surfaces. Each aspect of White’s work is deeply considered, from the placement on the page to the intense line quality. White’s favorite subjects are bottles, shirts, whistles, transit, patterns, and architecture.

For further details contact bludot@camronglobal.com

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About Blu Dot

Blu Dot was established in 1997 by three college friends—two architects and a sculptor—in a 300- square-foot space in Minneapolis. Co-founders John Christakos, Maurice Blanks and Charlie Lazor set out to inspire a more creative way of living through good design that’s good to everyone. Today, led by Christakos and Blanks, Blu Dot continues to be a purpose-driven enterprise that offers a wide array of desirable and practical modern designs and in 2018 was awarded the National Design Award from the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. In addition to their online shop at bludot.com, the brand has 16 retail stores in the U.S., Mexico, and Australia. Blu Dot’s work has been shown at the Museum of Modern Art, the Centre Pompidou, and the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. Their book Less is More (Difficult): 20 Years of Design at Blu Dot was released by Rizzoli in 2018 and chronicles the evolution of the brand. Now in its 27th year, Blu Dot remains deeply connected to its hometown of Minneapolis as well as its mission of making good design more accessible.

About LAND Gallery

LAND Gallery is a unique nonprofit day habilitation program that teaches life skills through the modality of art. LAND (League Artists Natural Design) was founded in 2005 by the League Education and Treatment Center (LETC) and serves as both studio and gallery for 16 adult artists with developmental disabilities. At LAND, artists develop their skills in a nurturing environment, while their work is marketed to the community in a vibrant and inclusive manner. LAND artists work with painters, sculptors, fiber artists, animators, designers and others who value creative collaboration.

LETC is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and internationally recognized agency for evaluation, treatment and education of children and adults with disabilities.

About NIAD Art Center

Through its visual arts studio program NIAD (Nurturing Independence Through Artistic Development) Art Center gives people with developmental disabilities the skills and experience to express themselves, be independent and earn income as an artist. This nurturing community of artists fosters experimentation, increases competence to make informed choices and increases connections among diverse communities through the commonality of creative expression.

About SAGE Studio & Gallery

SAGE (Supporting Artistic Growth and Entrepreneurship) Studio & Gallery is a non-profit art space in Austin, Texas that provides artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities the materials, space, and support to produce, exhibit, and sell their artwork. Artists in the Studio Program create work in our studio space at east Austin's Canopy arts community with the guidance of practicing artist facilitators. The goal for participating artists is to explore new mediums, strengthen their artistic voice, and build a cohesive portfolio of work for exhibition. Participants have opportunities to learn about all aspects of being a working artist, from creation to pricing to exhibition to sale.