ART Member Spotlight – Classy Art

Classy Art

Houston, TX

Philanthropy part of Classy Art’s mission

For ART member Classy Art, a big part of their corporate ethos is giving back. CEO Gabriel Cohen shaved his head at High Point Market after raising money for the National Breast Cancer Foundation. More recently, this Houston-based company has committed to donating a meal for every piece of wall décor it sells.

“This idea hit me while packing for market, I saw my pink suit hanging there, and I recognized that it wouldn’t fit after packing on my quarantine weight. I then realized that there was not going to be an official Pink Out Market day that normally occurs during October markets,” Cohen said. “So, it struck me that just because our attention has been diverted towards the pandemic, we shouldn’t forget about the struggle that so many women have faced long before COVID-19 and will face long after the virus is gone. Our founder, my mother, Biatriz Cohen and her sister are both breast cancer survivors, so this issue hits close to home for me, and I feel like most people have had some encounter at some level with this shattering diagnosis. While I was eager to raise a good amount of money, what I am really hoping for is to inspire others to take action as well.”

The challenge – Let’s raise some money for the breast cancer cause and if we do, I’ll shave my head. So on Oct. 19, 2020 at 6 p.m., after noting that their High Point Market fundraising effort had raised $3,600 (which the Houston-based wall art company matched), Cohen sat down in his company’s Center Point on Hamilton showroom and parted with his locks.

Cohen said since shaving his head, he has received plenty of outpouring from inside and outside the industry. “That was fun but I do miss my hair. We received a nice handwritten thank you card and the people reaching out—I had no idea we had so many friends that were survivors,” Cohen said. “That was cool, but scary because of how many people it has impacted. It was nice to hear from everybody.”

The National Breast Cancer Foundation was hand selected by Cohen because the charity had one of the lowest salaried CEO as well as lowest administrative operating costs leaving the majority of the funds for research and programs.

In this new year, Classy Art is at it again. In early January, they announced that for each piece of art they sell, the company will donate one meal to the Million Meal Movement. This nonprofit, based in Indianapolis, has a two-fold vision: feeding the hungry and teaching the importance of volunteerism. They feed the hungry by working with food banks to deliver meals to more than 600 food pantries. They unite the community by empowering volunteers of all ages and backgrounds to make a difference through hands-on, high-energy meal packing events.

For more information about Classy Art, visit their website.