A dinner plate depicting an image of a blue eye
Marilyn Minter’s “Blue Note” (2015), for the Coalition for the Homeless’s 2020 Artist Plate Project. Courtesy Coalition for the Homeless

The Artist Plate Project’s Limited-Edition Dishes Serve Homeless New Yorkers

Proceeds from the new Coalition for the Homeless initiative will benefit those who need it most.
By Kathryn O’Shea-Evans
November 14, 2020
1 minute read

For those of us who are lucky enough to have a full plate right now, consider helping those who don’t. One avenue for altruism: New York’s Coalition for the Homeless, forced to cancel its annual fall fundraising gala due to the pandemic, is launching the Artist Plate Project, a limited-edition collection of porcelain platters depicting works by 50 legendary artists, including Tauba Auerbach, Jenny Holzer, Marilyn Minter, and Rashid Johnson (the latter of whom was featured on Ep. 25 of our Time Sensitive podcast). The series will be available on the organization’s website beginning Nov. 16.

Profits from the heirloom-worthy tableware, produced by the collectible art and design company Prospect, will go toward serving the 59,000 New Yorkers who currently live in shelters or who struggle to survive on streets and in subways. A recent study by Columbia University predicts that homelessness will increase by 40 to 45 percent within the next year due to Covid-19—making the coalition’s work, which includes providing housing assistance, emergency food, clothing, and job training to those who need it most, all the more vital. Purchasing a single plate ($175, each available in an edition of 75) provides meals for 75 people in need—a big-hearted act and food for the soul.