Photo: Georgie Friedman

Colin Rhys was still a student at the SMFA when he started thinking about how he could support the School’s scholarship fund.

“I wanted to give something back, but I don’t have that much disposable income where I could write a $40,000 donation check,” recalls Colin, who graduated with a BFA in January 2007. “So I said, okay, what can I provide?”

As the owner of RHYS Gallery in Boston's South End, Colin soon determined what he could offer: a stellar fund-raising opportunity. “I said, okay, I’ve got a space, I’ve got an idea; let’s put on a show,” says Colin.

Colin put out a call for work. Soon, 300 emerging and international artists, many of them SMFA alumni or students, had agreed to donate postcard-size artworks for an exhibit titled Proof of Purchase to benefit the Museum School. The show launched at The RHYS Gallery on September 7, 2006, and raised more than $7,000 to support student scholarships at the SMFA.

“The Museum School took a risk on me as a student,” says Colin. “Most schools wouldn’t have given me credit for starting up a gallery, but the Museum School was flexible and encouraging.”

“They supported me,” Colin adds. “Now it’s my turn to support them—in any way I can.”

Did you miss the first Proof of Purchase? Proof of Purchase II will be held at RHYS Gallery on August 29 & 30, 2007 (11 am–6 pm) and will feature over 300 works by local, national, and international artists including Kiki Smith and alumni Mike & Doug Starn. RHYS Gallery is located at 401 Harrison Avenue, Boston. For more information, e-mail development@smfa.edu or call 617-369-3659.