More Than Art, a fundraising art show More Than Me

Please join us! November 21 at 5 pm when the Bernardsville artist Laura Shabazz (yup, my wife) will host the show's opening. Also take part in coffee tastings prepared by Certified Starbucks Coffee Masters . Oh yeah, and come say hello to Katie, who will be flying in for the opening .

More Than Art, a fundraising art show More Than Me, runs from November 21 through December 4th at Starbucks in Bernardsville.

More Than Art, a pop-up art show fundraiser, is an unconventional collaboration between several local entities. Presented by Enactus, a student organization at Raritan Valley Community College and hosted by Starbucks Bernardsville, More Than Art will feature art by Bernardsville native Laura Skerratt Shabazz. Laura will share profits of art sales with More Than Me, an organization founded by former Bernards High classmate Katie Meyler to get girls off the street and into school in Liberia, Africa. Money will go specifically to help sponsor the construction of 5 tuition-free locations of the More Than Me Academy. While the art will be displayed at Starbucks, all art purchases and donations will happen via patrons’ mobile phones.
According to morethanme.org, approximately 73% of all women and girls in Liberia are illiterate and only 17% of teachers have a tertiary degree-level qualification. “We are on a mission to fight with everything we have to ensure that every single child in Liberia has access to their basic human rights of safety, health and education” says Katie Meyler. Katie, always the optimist, says “I believe our little town, our state of NJ can and must come together for something way bigger than ourselves and in that we will see magic happen. It already has.” Choosing Bernardsville artist, Laura Skerratt Shabazz, puts that call into action. Laura recalls, “I still remember a conversation we had when she was just starting More Than Me. Her face lit up as she described her new-found passion to help girls in Liberia. I’m honored, all these years later, to be able to do something to help.”
The art show fundraiser was conceived, organized and curated by students of RVCC's award winning student organization, Enactus. “This is an amazing opportunity to help people on two continents. We will raise money to build tuition free schools in Liberia, launch an artist, get great artwork into many homes, while 20 of us college student get event planning and marketing experience simultaneously in the U.S” says Kyle Zinenko, a project lead for RVCC’s Enactus organization.

About the More Than Art
Patrons will be able to purchase the artwork, sponsor a child’s scholarship and donate to More Than Me Academy via their own mobile phone. MTM will receive 50% of the profits raised by the the sale of the artwork.

About More Than Me
More Than Me (MTM) was founded by Katie Meyler, not only a Bernardsville resident but also a 2014 Time Magazine Person of the Year for her work on the frontlines of Liberia’s Ebola crisis. MTM uses education as a catalyst for transformative social change for every girl in Liberia. They are committed to supporting these projects for the long term - until the current generation of students graduates and becomes Liberia's leaders.

About Laura Skerratt Shabazz
Laura is an artist, wife, mother, and Bernardsville resident who uses recycled magazines and old books to create representational collages.

About Enactus
Enactus is an international non-profit student organization that works with leaders in business and higher education to make a difference in communities. The RVCC branch has won several regional awards.

About Starbucks
Starbucks has always believed in serving the best coffee possible. It’s their goal for all of their coffee to be grown under the highest standards of quality, using ethical sourcing practices. Starbucks makes sure everything they do is through the lens of humanity – from their commitment to the highest quality coffee in the world, to the way they engage with customers and communities to do business responsibly.