An Appeal from Minerva Durham of Spring Studio

Though this site rarely lists benefit exhibitions and fund-raising appeals, one has been received of very special urgency from Minerva Durham, a premier drawing teacher in New York and the head of Spring Studio.

She writes:

My fundraising efforts are falling short of the mark and I am getting panicky. so I ask you to please contribute by cash or check, any amount, however small, to Spring Studio,  and mail it to Minerva Durham, 293 Broome St., New York, NY 10002, checks made out to "Spring Studio."

I am embarrassed to be in this position, but my usual sources of support are under stress. An uncertain world has made it difficult for me to find the help I need. There seems to be a "wait and see" attitude. I continue to teach four sessions of anatomy and drawing each week.  I successfully moved the studio from SoHo to Chinatown during the holiday season last year. I have recovered from the stroke that hit me in January almost a year ago.

My plan was to sell my artwork to prepay half of next year's rent, in lieu of a deposit, but none of my  oils or pastels have sold. Apparently sales of art are down everywhere, but my problem might just be that it takes time to sell art. If you are interested in supporting the studio by buying my artwork, I can send images of oils and pastels that I did years ago, cityscapes and still lifes.

Thank you for reading this appeal. I will be grateful for any help that you can provide.