In honor of Women’s History Month, Quan Phan, adult and higher education graduate student, aimed to raise $1,000 during the month of March by auctioning off original watercolor paintings of women and female characters he considers inspiring and empowering.
A month after finishing the project and delivering his artwork, Phan was amazed to realize he raised just short of $3,000 — almost tripling his original goal.
Phan revealed his project on Facebook at the end of February and created a photo album entitled “Persistence in Resistance.” Customers were able to bid on his artwork each day as the portraits were released. His original paintings were sold at a starting price of $25 and additional prints of each piece were available for $10.
All of the proceeds from Phan’s originals and half the money from his prints were donated to Norman-based nonprofit Rape Crisis Center, which provides 24/7 crisis intervention and support for victims of sexual assault.
Courtney Foster, coordinator for the Rape Crisis Center, said the money Phan raised will be used to expand the center’s ability to perform domestic violence exams.
In the past, victims of assault had to visit two different locations to undergo a violence exam as well as a sexual assault exam. The Rape Crisis Center is working to expand its program and provide victims with both services as well as folders with information on trauma and safety planning.
“His art is so beautiful I had to buy some myself,” Foster said. “We’re so grateful for him. We didn’t ask him to do this. He volunteered his talent and his time and he put this all together. I just can’t believe how big it got.”
Quan painted a total of 31 pieces. The two portraits that sold the most prints were of J.K. Rowling and Elphaba from the musical “Wicked.” The quote on the piece of Rowling read, “We do not need magic to transform our world. We carry all the power we need inside ourselves already.” Elphaba’s portrait, Quan’s personal favorite, was accompanied by the lyrics to “Defying Gravity.”
Kathy Fahl, director of the OU Gender + Equality Center, has worked with Phan for years and described him as a true ally for women who uses his passion and his talents to benefit the greater good and bring awareness to a cause she feels many men often do not know how to get involved in.
“The issue of gender-based violence is so often, is considered women’s issues. Certainly women are disproportionately impacted, but in order to change the culture and change the way people see it we need men involved,” Fahl said. “I love that Quan used his talents as a way to support this and speak out as a man on these issues.”
Phan is ecstatic about how the project turned out and the money raised was “way over what he expected or hoped,” he said. In the future, Phan plans to seek out more causes he is passionate about and pursue other artistic projects to benefit charity and women’s rights.
