Help Fund Kimari's College Education

Kimari is a multidisciplinary artist and friend of many. You may know him through his photography, his short films or even his work with 8Ball Community.

For those who don’t know him personally, Kimari has been practicing portraiture for 10 years, and woodworking and assisting sculptors and designers for the past 3 years. He has been awarded grants such as the Jim’s Web Mentorship Grant and the Red Bull Arts Grant and has been mentored by several established working artists. These were all opportunities he received due to his own initiative and tenacity.

Kimari grew up in Canarsie, Brooklyn in the retirement community of Spring Creek. He was raised in a low-income household by a single mother and grandmother – both of whom are medically vulnerable. Since his mother moved to Florida to take on a job offer, he has become his grandmother’s sole caretaker on top of maintaining a full-time labor-intensive job.

This past April, Kimari got accepted to MICA's Interdisciplinary Sculpture program, earning multiple merit-based scholarships. Among other friends, I am so excited for him to begin this chapter of his life. I believe that earning a degree will affect the trajectory of Kimari’s career. This experience will give him the tools, knowledge and confidence to pursue his dream of becoming a full-time designer and sculptor, with a focus on design for the elderly.

However, as most know, even beyond tuition fees, college is an expensive investment. Kimari's family is unable to support him financially. He will be leaving behind his grandmother and his childhood home in Brooklyn.

On his behalf, I am trying to raise funds to support this major transition, including his move to Baltimore, safe housing and expenses for textbooks and art supplies. All donations will go directly to Kimari and will be spread out over the next 2-3 years. He will remain employed through MICA’s work-study program but there is a cap on the number of hours he is permitted to work per week.

As one of his closest friends, I offered to set up this GFM on Kimari’s behalf because he has expressed strong feelings of guilt and apprehension at the thought of asking his community for money. But Kimari needs this support and I hope you can lend a hand. If there's any time to show him some love, it's now – and any amount helps. Please share his story with your friends and family.

From Kimari:

The past three years have moved by really fast. I began working full-time, learning fabrication and assisting designers, all while caring for my grandmother. I have felt more focused and determined than I had in a while. Six months ago, I couldn't picture myself going back to university. I couldn't fathom the change of pace in my day-to-day routine, being able to handle the expenses and the possibility of re-experiencing the troubles I had my first time going to college. But with the encouragement of my friends and family, I know now that I want to take this time to study design before producing work publicly. It has been important for me to cultivate my skillset and validate my passion. I’ve been lucky enough to assist great artists who I look up to, mentors who I can go to for guidance, and the people around me who continue to believe in me even when I have difficulties pushing forward.

Thanks to these experiences and my support system, I feel enthusiastic about returning to school. I am excited to meet new people, improve my skills and learn new ones, and continue pushing forward toward my goal of becoming a designer. This feels like the natural next step as I will have access to the industrial-level facilities needed to make work, the time to incubate and experiment, and faculty and students who can help guide my trajectory.

While I do feel assured in my decision to attend MICA, I have also been feeling bouts of guilt and anxiety as to how I can support my grandmother while I'm away. I have been her caretaker for the past three years – I’m worried about the toll my departure might have on her financial stability. With my grandmother’s ongoing battle with multiple chronic conditions, I feel worried about her medical bills and numerous monthly medications and groceries. I won’t be able to take care of her directly in the ways that I have been, so I am looking for ways to supplement the long distance.

In thinking about this, I plan to use 65% of the funds raised for moving, rent, utilities and groceries and 15% on art supplies and textbooks. The remaining 20% will go to my grandmother. Having this financial relief will allow me to fully focus on my studies.

Thank you for any and all of your support.

I hope that by the time the Fall semester begins, Kimari will be able to attend MICA feeling secure and confident because his community showed up for him. Kimari will surely be grateful and pay it forward.

- Dayana