A Pittsburgh woman has combined her love of art, talent for organization and desire to do good to create a website that is equal parts artist marketplace and fundraising outlet.
Desiree Canovic, a senior program manager for Highmark, realized a long-standing dream by creating LocalGood, which launched in October.
“It was created during the pandemic to give artists a place to sell their work, since all of the art shows and events were going away,” she said. “I’m not an artist, I’m a single mom who works at an insurance company by day and developed the site as a passion project to help a community I love. (I didn’t) have a funding source for this endeavor, but was fortunate enough to gain the support of over a dozen people who believed in my mission and helped me get it off the ground.”
“We are focused on developing channels to help artists achieve self sustainability by sharing themselves, their passion, and support for their community,” according to the website mission statement. “A portion of each sale is donated to a partner charity and is matched dollar for dollar (up to 10%) by LocalGood.”
A New Jersey native, Canovic came to Pittsburgh from Kansas City, where she settled after earning a master’s degree in public administration at the University of Kansas.
While looking for jobs closer to her home state, Canovic was contacted by a recruiter for Highmark. She has been in Pittsburgh for about four years.
“I had planned to run a city, but I fell in love with the internal audit process,” she said. “I have a talent for process improvement. It’s both a blessing and a curse.
“Part of my drive has also always been doing something for the greater good.”
She said she’s long been aware of the difficulty that artists have in making a living on their talents alone, along with doing the work in front of the public.
“Most of them have to have multiple jobs just to support themselves,” she said.
Doing great things
Artists selling their work via LocalGood share Canovic’s desire and commitment for paying it forward, determined through a vetting process. Most of those currently featured are from Western Pennsylvania, although the site is open to artists from all over the United States.
“We speak to each artist to find out who they are, why they do what they do and what they need,” Canovic said. “They’re artists who are already doing great things, but maybe their work is just not being shared.”
Artists agree to donate a portion of each sale through the website to a not-for-profit organization. At some point, artists will be able to choose where that portion goes, but right now, a different group is featured monthly.
During February, the spotlight is on You Are Here, a gallery and art supply thrift store in Jeannette.
“We’re thrilled for the opportunity to partner with Desiree and to expose Westmoreland arts on her site,” said You Are Here co-founder Jen Costello. “Having more online presence is great, and we really do like her mission. We’re not just a gallery, we’re a community partner.
“We hope this opens up the door to get artists more exposure in Westmoreland and beyond, and in getting people in Pittsburgh to come out and see what we’re all about,” she said.
Any funds You Are Here receives from LocalGood will go into its MAD*LAB project, which invites community members to participate in art projects that benefit Jeannette.
Projects have included painting park benches upcycled from old bed headboards and footboards, along with canvas murals and nylon flags; and a Look Up project placing artworks in windows of local buildings.
Costello said she and You Are Here co-founder Mary Briggs also will be making flower pots to place around the community.
In addition to LocalGood’s current efforts, Canovic said she also is interested in creating more partnerships with organizations, galleries and businesses supporting the arts.
Details: local-good.com
Shirley McMarlin is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Shirley at 724-836-5750, smcmarlin@triblive.com or via Twitter .
Categories: Lifestyles | More A&E | More Lifestyles | Pittsburgh
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