This Is How Human Kindness Works

Here’s a happy follow-up to a story we brought you in mid-July. A GoFundMe campaign launched to pay the housing and medical bills of renowned 95-year-old artist, art instructor, and author Jack Faragasso has exceeded its goal. His niece, Denise Acerra, was hoping to raise $10,000 for Faragasso’s care. When I went to look for an update yesterday, I discovered that $10,551 has been pledged, and GoFundMe now says, “This fundraiser is no longer accepting donations.”

Faragasso posted a note of appreciation on Facebook last week:

As I reflect today on my life, it is truly overwhelming to see how many beautiful fans and friends, including my students, have shown me so much kindness, generosity and support. I am honored and so humbled. Thank you Thank you Thank you all for purchasing my artwork, books and prints through the years. You all have truly blessed my life.

We wish Faragasso only the best for the future.

Every Little Bit Helps

As was recently noted on Facebook, a new GoFundMe campaign has been established to help 95-year-old artist, art instructor, and author Jack Faragasso. As you probably know already, Faragasso taught for a long while at the Art Students League of New York and is well-remembered for painting many paperback covers. (He even introduced “pin-up girl” Bettie Page as a paperback cover model!) But now he’s residing in an assisted living facility and confronting both health and financial difficulties.

As his niece, Denise Acerra, explains on GoFundMe:

He lived his entire life in a 4-story walk-up, rent-controlled apartment in NYC, until 4 years ago when he fell on the city street and broke his hip. After surgery, he needed extensive rehab in an attempt to make him able to walk up steps again to go home. Unfortunately, insurance ran out and he had to leave rehab. He needed care to dress and shower, plus more PT so we had no choice but to bring him to Assisted Living. We thought he would get stronger with more PT there, but the day he got there, Covid broke out and they were in lockdown. No PT was allowed in for a very long time and at that point, he had gotten so weak we knew he would never be able to go up or down steps again so we had to give up his rent-controlled NYC apartment. My uncle was very depressed and lonely, missing the only home he knew and in quarantine in a strange place with nothing familiar and no art supplies. We have since then set him up so he can once again paint and draw but financially it’s a great struggle. We have been selling his art in hopes of being able to pay this extraordinary rent but it’s just not enough. It’s so difficult when an elderly person needs care because the care is extremely expensive.

The goal is to raise $10,000 to cover Faragasso’s monthly rent and medical care. So far, only $3,930 has come in, from 55 people. If you can spare a few more dollars, go here to contribute.

Robert Deis, who with Bill Cunningham produces The Men’s Adventure Quarterly (and was my editor on The Art of Ron Lesser Volume 1: Deadly Dames and Sexy Sirens) notes that “Another way to help Jack Faragasso is to buy his books and prints of his artwork. Thanks to Paul Burke at Asylum Publications, you can get copies [of] Jack's classic art instruction books, books showcasing his photos of models like Bettie Page, and prints of his cover paintings and photos. Kudos to Paul and Asylum for helping Jack and for keeping his legacy alive. Jack's books and prints are available on Amazon (https://amzn.to/3S5Tit4) and on the Asylum website (asylumpublications.com/shop).”

A Nonagenarian of Note

New York-born painter and art instructor Jack Faragasso—“one of the cornerstones of paperback illustration art”—celebrated his 95th birthday exactly a week ago, on January 23. To honor that milestone, Michael Stradford showcases several of Faragasso’s pieces featuring once-ubiquitous paperback cover model Steve Holland in his blog.

You’ll find more of Faragasso’s work on the image-hosting Web site Flickr. Or click here to read an interview with the artist.