AN INTERVIEW WITH LEIGH SANDERS FROM THE ART OF COMPASSION PROJECT

Chilis On Wheels: Making Veganism Accessible To Communities In Need

HI LEIGH! TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF, AND HOW YOU CAME TO FOUND THE AOCP

I was born and raised in sunny South Africa, lived in London for a bit, and then emigrated here to Catalonia (Spain) when I got married 20 years ago. I became vegan in 2014 with the help of Veganuary after realising how hypocritical it was to fawn over sweet baby calves in a nearby field and then go home and have beef stew for dinner! Once I started Veganuary’s challenge in January 2014, and went down the proverbial ‘rabbit-hole’ with all the videos you simply can’t ‘unsee’, I couldn’t believe how incredibly oblivious I’d been for most of my life. I vowed to give back and help others to see what was happening to millions of animals every day.

As much as I loved the idea of hands-on activism, I knew it wasn’t the right option for me (I have a degenerative neurological disease and need a wheelchair to get around outside). So, after much reflectionI decided to combine my love of art with veganism and put together a book of vegan art to sell and raise funds for Veganuary (not that I had the slightest clue how I’d make that happen at the time!) I spent ages on the Internet looking for vegan artists, reached out to everyone I found, asked them if they’d like their art to be in a book and got a great response from most of them.

TELL US MORE ABOUT HOW THE AOCP CAME TO BE.

To help keep things organised, I set up a private Facebook group to chat to the artists, one then led to another, and I discovered they were keen on the idea of using art to raise funding for organisations in need. ‘What the heck, I thought, ‘Let’s put together a calendar and donate the proceeds to charity!’ Our first project was a 2015 vegan art calendar in aid of Hillside Animal Sanctuary in the UK and we raised £319,29, which was thrilling to me and incredibly motivating. The success of the calendar had made me realise that my original idea had morphed and so The Art of Compassion Project was born. The ironic thing is that we shelved the idea for the book for a couple years as the AoCP grew. As for the book — I co-created and self-published it with Jessa Goodall. ‘The Art of Compassion’ book was released in 2019 and is now available on Amazon—and of course, all proceeds are in aid of Veganuary!

WHAT ARE THE MAIN AIMS OF THE PROJECT?

As an international art collective, we have 2 primary aims: to create and host art projects to raise funding and then donate 100% of the proceeds to vegan non-profits. Our second, and equally important, aim is to build a powerful community of artists who share this common goal and passion.

**'The Rescuers: Mission Bulls' by Francisco Atencio from Argentina**

HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE INVOLVED?

We currenly have 218 members spread across 32 countries involved in the AoCP.

YOU DONATE 100% OF THE PROCEEDS RIGHT? WHO HAVE YOU ASSISTED OVER THE YEARS?

We have raised nearly $20,000 for 37 non-profit organisations since we started out. These organisations range from tiny sanctuaries to larger, well-known non-profit organisations.

HOW HAS COVID HELPED AND HINDERED THE GROWTH OF THE PROJECT?

Sadly we can’t exhibit work as we have done in the past at Vegfests. The dynamics and energy are great at these events as people get to chat to the volunteer artists and get a real ‘feel’ for what we do. On the ‘bright side’ of a rather bleak situation, we’ve had to adapt, to move everything online, and this has made the work available to anyone with Internet access.

WHAT IS THE BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT FOR THE PROJECT TO DATE?

I would have to say our vegan art book ‘The Art of Compassion’. This unique book was a labour of love, and a HUGE learning experience (as you can well imagine, self-publishing 180 full-colour images has its challenges) but Jessa and I both agree that the result was worth the sleepless nights!

HOW DO YOU SEE THE GROWTH OF AWARENESS OF ANIMAL RIGHTS PROGRESSING ACROSS THE GLOBE?

I think this growth will continue to be slow, but lasting. Every time someone chooses a plantbased alternative over what they might have chosen in the past, we’re making progress.

**The Art of Compassion Project book, available now:**

BUY THE BOOK:

artofcompassionproject.com/book

Small wins add up. Sure, I’d love the world to go vegan tomorrow, (who wouldn’t?)—but we need to be realistic, change takes time, especially if that change is going to stick. What I think is important to remember is that EVERYONE can make a difference in this world. By showing compassion not only to animals but to people whose values don’t align with ours, we’re planting seeds. And seeds take time to sprout…

WHAT DO YOU SEE AS THE BIGGEST OBSTACLES TO THIS GROWTH?

Dissonance stunts growth. Let’s face it - very few people are prepared to sit down, watch the gory videos, and face reality from one day to the next, and yet—they will tell you they love animals. And they mean it. Yes, it’s frustrating, but we need to remember we were more than likely like that once upon a time. I was, at any rate. I didn’t become vegan overnight. It was a process of heart meeting the mind, of something finally ‘clicking’. Patience is key. That’s why I love art as activism. It’s subtle, it’s patient, and it lets people join the dots for themselves.

WHAT’S THE NEXT PLAN FOR THE AOCP?

We are thrilled to announce one of our biggest endeavours: The Art of Compassion Exhibition. This is the first exhibition series of its kind—a virtual 3D showcase of never-before-seen vegan art by dozens of artists around the globe. A year into quarantine, this exhibition series will give vegan and non-vegan viewers alike something to explore and connect on in a virtual environment. It will also provide artists with an inspired and communal space to share their creations and continue advocating for animals through art.

A call for interest is currently open until the 22nd March and the first show will open July 2021.

The exhibition series will comprise four different shows, each with a unique theme that celebrates a different non-profit vegan organization selected to receive all proceeds from the art auction associated with the show. In addition, a high-quality exhibit catalogue will be published for purchase at the end of each show and will be available both digitally and in print.