Multidisciplinary artist Sam Kirk has donated a portion of the proceeds from her recent exhibit at The Belmont by Reside Art Gallery to a local community center for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.

Sam sold three pieces on the show’s opening night and a fourth during its two-month run in June and July. Sales totaled about $4,200, and she donated $1,100 −more than 25% of the proceeds− to the  Center on Halsted .

“My donation will support the LGBT homeless youth program at the Center on Halsted,” says Sam. “As a lesbian woman myself, and having experienced some of the struggles one faces with coming out in my youth, I am sensitive to these issues but empowered to use the work I create to help bring awareness and make an impact.”

Sam’s exhibit, titled “Ordinary People,” is an ongoing series she began in 2009 that highlights everyday people, their stories, characteristic, and talents that make them memorable.

“In some cases, the works reference a portrait, but the piece itself tells a story about a community they live within,” she says. “For example, ‘The 40%’ represents the percentage of our homeless youth that identify as LGBT. If you dig a little deeper, you’ll learn that 68% of LGBT homeless youth are homeless due to family rejection or abandonment. So while celebrating these youth and who they are, I also strive to bring awareness.”

And she knew a show at The Belmont could go a long way toward doing that.

“When The Belmont reached out to me to do an exhibit, this was one of my biggest thrills because I knew how beautiful the space was and the great opportunity it would give me to make an impact,” she says.

We were thrilled to feature Sam’s artwork in our gallery, and delighted that her exhibit benefited such a great cause right in our own backyard!



To learn more about Sam’s artwork, visit  IAmSamKirk.com .