Boston, MA - Co-Producers Tony Fuso and Robert Four are honored to announce that the Gala Preview of the 22nd Annual Boston International Fine Art Show (BIFAS) on October 18th will benefit The Art For Justice Fund. www.FineArtBoston.com.

In June 2017, visionary arts advocate Agnes Gund donated $100 million from the sale of a beloved painting to launch a new fund focused on addressing mass incarceration in America. By using artwork to create the Art for Justice Fund, Ms. Gund seeks to show that art can be a powerful force for justice. www.ArtForJustice.org

The Art for Justice Fund makes grants to organizations, advocates, and artists leading impactful and cutting-edge work to safely reduce jail and prison populations across the country, while strengthening education and employment opportunities for people leaving the system. The fund also supports art-related programs that expose the injustice of mass incarceration and its impact on individuals and communities around the country. The first round of grants was awarded in November 2017 with $22 million going to 30 organizations.

Ms. Gund hopes to inspire other philanthropists and art patrons to join the fund, and since its inception nearly 30 other donors have made contributions of at least $100,000. Organizers plan to distribute all funds over the next five years, with the next round of grants to be announced in the spring of 2018.  

“Mass incarceration is one of the major social issues of our times,” comments BIFAS Co-Producer Tony Fusco. “We are proud to bring The Art For Justice Fund to the attention of donors and art collectors, and to offer 100% of Gala Preview ticket sales to this cause.” More information about the Gala will be available on the show’s website in the coming months.

The 22nd Annual Boston International Fine Art Show is the only show and sale of its kind in New England, featuring a stunning array of historic, modern, and contemporary fine art. The show takes place October 18-21, 2018 at The Cyclorama, Boston Center for the Arts, located at 539 Tremont Street in Boston’s South End. The Gala Preview takes place Thursday, October 18, 5:30-8:30pm. Weekend hours are Friday, October 19 1-8pm, Saturday, October 20, 11-8pm, and Sunday, October 21 11-5pm. Weekend admission is $15, under 12 free and includes special programs, re-admission throughout the weekend, show catalog, and coat check. For more information visit www.FineArtBoston.com or call 617.363.0405.

When the show started at The Cyclorama, there was a derelict theatre and a vacant lot next door, the roof leaked, the neighborhood was dangerous at night, and the area was far from the re-gentrified arts hub that it is today.  BIFAS has been one of the engines of that transformation, bringing tens of thousands of people to the area who had never before been to the South End. The 20-year economic impact of BIFAS based on a simple multiplier of the show budget is in the tens of millions of dollars, not even counting the millions of dollars in fine art the show has sold over the years. 

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Editor’s Notes:

• Co-Producers and Art for Justice staff are available for interviews
  • More information available upon request