Exciting News for Charities! FREE shows for 2025

Exciting News for Charities! FREE shows for 2025

by | Dec 14, 2025 | FB, Charity

I’m thrilled to announce that my Works4Charity initiative is awarding 12 deserving charities a free live performance to support their fundraising efforts! These awards also include over $1 million in artwork to help generate much-needed funds for their missions.

One charity has already secured their spot, and others are currently under review—could your charity be next? Don’t miss this opportunity to apply!

The award covers all associated costs—travel, hotel, materials, auctioneer, and crew—so your organization can focus entirely on making a difference without worrying about expenses.

Let’s make an impact together!

#CharityAwards #Works4Charity #Fundraising #GivingBack #MakeADifference

Together, we can make a meaningful difference! For more information, visit Charity Programs

#Charity #Fundraising #Works4Charity #GivingBack”

Michael Israel’s Speedpainting at Armory Art Center

Michael Israel’s Speedpainting at Armory Art Center

by | Dec 14, 2025 | Charity, FB

A Brief History of the Armory

When the Norton Museum closed its art school in 1986, a dedicated group of artists, art teachers, and community activists formed the Armory Art Center to ensure the continuation of practical art instruction in Palm Beach County. In seeking a new home for the art school, they looked to the neglected Armory building constructed in 1939 by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in an Art Deco style and designed by William Manley King. The building was a National Guard Armory from 1939 to 1982. By the late 1980s, after a period of multiple community uses, including high school dances, the building was scheduled for demolition when the art activists and the Palm Beach County Cultural Council came together to convince the City of West Palm Beach to spare the building from demolition and allow it to be transformed into an art center.

The Armory Art Center was incorporated as a not-for-profit organization on November 21, 1986, after the art group renovated the abandoned Art Deco structure into a vibrant space for art classes and art exhibitions. The center opened its doors to the public in July 1987 as a result of generous contributions from its many supporters, most notably Robert and Mary Montgomery and the Historic Preservation and Cultural Facilities Grants of the State of Florida. In 1992 the Armory was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Over the past three decades, the Armory has taught art classes to thousands of emerging artists of all ages and cultures, exhibited art in hundreds of shows, given workshops taught by national and international visiting master artists, provided summer art camp for thousands of young people, and since the year 2000 has yearly given new artists-in-residence from around the United States and abroad the opportunity to hone their craft while teaching classes. The Armory looks to a long future of enhancing artistic life in the Palm Beaches.

Learn more about the history of the Armory

 

PAST | Armory Art Center #michaelisrael #speedpainting #speedpainter

Painting with Kevin Costner

Painting with Kevin Costner

by | Dec 12, 2025 | FB

Some #WednesdayWisdom to get you over that hump.

Be the energy you want to attract!

See more from past events:
MichaelIsrael.com

TV interview for Cinco De Michael for United Way of Natrona County

TV interview for Cinco De Michael for United Way of Natrona County

by | Dec 12, 2025 | Charity, FB

 
Wherever I’m doing a benefit show, I make myself available to do media interviews to help promote the charity and the event.
 
This was a great interview with Keenan Sanders on Goodmorning Wyoming KTWO for United Way of Natrona County’s Cinco De Michael at the fairgrounds Industrial building. It SOLD OUT and was a super fun night and a successful fundraiser.
 
I was pretty self-conscious when they wanted to call the event Cinco De “Michael.” But, I am proud that my artwork had raised over a quarter million dollars at two previous events, and helped them gain new sponsors.
 
 

Michael Israel: America’s Original Live-Action Artist Helping Charities Raise Millions

Michael Israel: America’s Original Live-Action Artist Helping Charities Raise Millions

by | Dec 12, 2025 | Charity, FB, Press

Logo

Michael Israel helps charities raise millions!

$250,000! Going once…

 

Michael Israel

Was there ever a time when you attended a fundraiser so extraordinary that you would remember it for the rest of your life?

$250,000! Going twice!

So exhilarating that the entire room jumped from their seats, shouted, and gasped out loud? Then you found yourself emotionally charged and in a bidding war with others offering insane money for an artwork painted right in front of your eyes?

Sold for $250,000!

Charities must attract, engage, and energize the top 2% of their communities to survive. Michael Israel, America’s original live-action artist, makes it easy.

Described as ‘Cirque du Soleil meets Picasso”, Michael Israel paints larger-than-life canvasses with iconic images in rhythm to high-energy music live on-stage.

He has a worldwide fan base of 100 million people. His Hero video has garnered over 14 million views on YouTube. Michael has performed for Presidential and Olympic events, fortune 500 companies, and was the featured artist for a $158.2 million renovation celebration for the DIA, which is America’s sixth-largest museum. He has shared stages with such luminaries as Warren Buffett, Garth Brooks, Clarence Clemons, Bruce Springsteen, Jay Leno, Tony Robbins, Brooks and Dunn, the Temptations, Kevin Costner, Kevin Bacon, and more. More importantly, he has helped over 100 charities. His portrait of Warren Buffett sold for $100,000 to benefit Girls Inc of Omaha.

Companies and casinos pay large fees for Michael’s performances, but when he does a benefit show for a charity, he does not charge a performance fee. His shows and art have raised millions of dollars. His philanthropic vision spills over into a bottom-line driven focus to help charities. His team also helps charities secure sponsorships, positive media, and ticket sales in addition to proceeds from his show and art sales.

Guests of Beaux-Arts were awestruck by Michael during their signature fundraiser, Up on the Rooftop at the Museum of Art Ft. Lauderdale. Sponsorship and ticket sales for an encore the following year reached record levels.

For a gala for the United Way of Chester County, Pennsylvania, they had planned an admission fee of $250 per couple, but with Michael as the featured artist, the seats sold out at $1,000 a couple. Michael’s paintings also sold out; the first one sold for $55,000.

Executive VP Chris Saello said, “Best event ever! Michael is a game-changer for us, he’s energized our organization!” Before leaving that evening, sponsors promised large donations if they could get Michael back for a repeat performance.

Sherrye McBryde, Director, The Susan G. Komen, Arkansas – “His ability to translate the true meaning of our organization onto canvas was amazing. He made the crowd go crazy. He drove fundraising dollars higher than ever before!”

Michael has appointed a charity committee to award a limited number of benefit performances each year.

To learn more CONTACT US

Michael Israel’s Art Raises $400,000 for Teammates for Kids Fundraiser at Harrah’s Casino and Resort in Kansas City

Flying to performances is no longer fun; here’s why​

Flying to performances is no longer fun; here’s why​

by | Dec 12, 2025 | FB, Travel

The struggle is real

Long waits, impersonal staff, delays, cancellations, video screens that are not maintained, and more make flying commercial exhausting and frequently frustrating. I arrive tired and annoyed, which is not the best state of being to give the best performance. It has been my experience that many airports, like Miami International Airport in Florida, have a lot of art. It’s weird but cool when you look at them in the airport as if you’re at a gallery or museum. I’ve often thought it might be interesting to schedule popup speed painting performances at the airports.

What can anyone do?

Getting back to making travel more enjoyable, I download movies on an iPad (in case the airplane’s video isn’t working) and bring snacks —it helps… even better, I enjoy purchasing a hot tasty meal at the airport terminal and bringing it on the plane. Traveling is a little more enjoyable with these two simple changes in my routine. I also bring a sketch pad or iPad to design new works and review the images I will perform! Even if you are not a professional artist, bringing a sketch pad or iPad with a drawing or painting app can make time pass more enjoyable.

My first overseas gig was in Monte Carlo. I’ll never forget the feeling of flying in an actual First Class —First Class domestically isn’t First Class it’s more like economy plus, and it is lame! You get to board first, and the seat is 2-inches bigger than the economy. Oh, and free drinks. It was excellent flying overseas and being asked what type of hors d’oeuvres and wine I wanted in a seat that fully reclined so I could sleep on the trip… they even gave me slippers and a bathrobe. If only they would make domestic flights the same. Nowadays, all you see are people wearing headsets and watching movies. In my opinion, the only good thing about flight these days are… Nope, I got nuthing! I like walking through the airport and looking at the artwork… they always have artwork. The last display I saw was of school kids’ works, and they were spectacular.

I plan and pack things for work, entertainment, and snacks. I use Packr app and TripIt on my iPhone to keep organized.

Once on the way home from an event, I had a connecting flight in Chicago. The flight was canceled… Ok, it wasn’t canceled, I was on time, or at least I thought I was! It turns out you are supposed to be there 15-minutes before take off…LOL. I learned my lesson and had to get a hotel to stay overnight and fly out the next morning. Lucky for me, I met a new friend, and she took me out to visit the honkytonks in downtown Chicago. It was fun and exciting, but after a few hours, I was getting tired and went back to the hotel… my new friend came with me, and that’s another story.

Travel is MESSY.