Recently, I was applying for an art teacher position at the Pine Street Inn shelter in Boston. In the process I did some research on homelessness and the arts. It was amazing to find out the results. The short research that I did brought forth a few programs around the country, which utilize art as a therapeutic process for homeless people. As with any social terms, "homelessness" carries with itself a whole load of imagery of drunk or mentally unstable people, disheveled and lost in many ways. However, this picture is an extreme result of poverty and homelessness. Of course there are many cases when mental illness and substance abuse force one to end up on the streets, which nevertheless, should not propagate judgment. Most people, however, who have no home find themselves in that position due to financial strife along with aging, sickness, medical procedures that require extensive recovery, and who simultaneously do not have any outside support, both physical, emotional and financial.
First of all, the generosity of people who work and volunteer at these venues is amazing and provides an example of human goodness, which in itself is a hopeful sign for our uncertain times. But coming back to the creative process as a transformation, it was fascinating to see the response of these seemingly "lost" souls to the art making process. We might think that a person fighting for fundamentals of their existence has nothing to offer or let alone, to say to his/her fellow human beings. The inner world of anyone, however, is an enigma to be unraveled. That thought also leads to the truth that suffering adds wisdom and depth of perception, which in turn allow for a richer artistic expression. In many cases, when allowed to paint, draw or sculpt many participants from various "homeless" backgrounds have found a true hidden talent inside themselves; others simply enjoyed the discovery of artistic processes. For the duration of each art class, however, all were allowed to forget about their homeless existence and to feel a certain sense of accomplishment by adding value and beauty to this world through their artwork.
This information has also led me to a further thought on the intrinsic value of art, where “value” can refer not only to an art object but the art practice as well. Taking into consideration the fact that both artistic process and its end product have resulted in a certain form of a personal renaissance for these homeless participants, the value of art seems to change when spoken in terms of human salvation. Of course, one might comment that the general role of art is not therapeutic but to enrich society on cultural and personal levels, nevertheless, many arguments arise in response to this statement. The broad view of art has been changing within historical perspective resulting in contemporary societal multi-disciplinary, multi-cultural and multi-signifying placement of art. However, at those times when art acts as a catalyst for a soul survival, as it does for these homeless people, could we then say that art fulfills its higher potential by being placed at the top of a universal human values scale with “altruism” being marked at the top? That is in comparison to the art’s placement through a prism of curatorial censorship often marked by subjective and acquisitive nature that artists often have to endure.
We can also say that similar catalytic episode can occur for many professional artists, when certain tragic or painful events of one’s life, as well as one's concerns for human well being and social justice spill on a “canvas” as a powerful imagery supported by deeply meaningful mediums. However, by becoming deeply personal this kind of conceptual art speaks to many through the universality of human response to pain and suffering, thus inspiring a viewer to also participate in this kind of catalytic moment. This personal expression of pain through artistic means for either a homeless person, a professional artist or a viewer reflects the altruistic universal principal of art that often gets lost in the business world of art.
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