The Mothership Art Collective, organizers of the First Tube Art Show held in Atlantic City, NJ on June 16, 2012, is proud to announce that $2,000 has been donated from the proceeds of the show to the Benaroya Research Institute of the Virginia Mason Foundation and The Mockingbird Foundation.

The Benaroya Research Institute supports medical research to find a cure for Relapsing Polychondritis, an autoimmune disease that attacks cartilage. The donation was made in memory of Phish fan Shawn Michael Williams, 29, of Claysville, PA, who passed away on May 17, 2012.

The Mockingbird Foundation, an all-volunteer charity founded by Phish fans in 1997, is the author ofThe Phish Companion books, operates the non-profit Phish.net website, and has donated over $720,000 to support music education programs for underserved children.  The Foundation and Backbeat Books has recently announced the publication of a Third Edition of the popular Phish Companion book series, in paper and epub formats, to debut early in 2013.

Thanks to everyone that bought a poster tube or art from Screens ‘n’ Suds, PhanArt, or theMockingbird table during the art show.  An extra big thanks to those artists, fans, and volunteers that donated items and their time, including many volunteers from Phish.net who staffed theMockingbird Foundation table and sold the items donated by PhanArt and other Mothership Art Collective poster and pin artists.  Special thanks in particular go to the Mothership Art Collective‘s Logistic and Artist coordinators, Shawn Hughes and Kara Masthay.

Follow the Mothership Art Collective on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TheMothershipArtCollective.