Resources
ART FROM THE STREETS – A Blueprint
How to Build One in Your Own Community and Keep It Going Year After Year WHAT IT IS – A volunteer-driven arts program working with homeless individuals. AFTS is mid-way through its fifteenth year as a community-based, volunteer-driven arts program that gives homeless individuals the opportunity to explore their painting and drawing skills in free, weekly art classes, and to earn money through sales of the resulting work at an annual show. The weekly classes have attracted more than 800 homeless men and women as participants, and fourteen annual shows have produced more than $500,000 in art sales, over 90% of which has gone directly to the artists. STRUCTURE – On-going classes and an Annual Show – A no-lose proposition. At the very least, people get the chance to sit someplace and interact in a non-competitive, supportive way with other people, and possibly also the chance to create something that pleases them. At first, you just make art together. Then, after awhile, maybe as much as a year, you think about having a show of the work that’s been produced. The public is invited. They come. The homeless people who’ve been coming to class become artists for the day. They stand beside work they created. People like it. Maybe they buy some. The money goes to the artists. CLASSES FIRST – this is the key to success. How you set this up influences everything that follows. What we did was never a “class.” And we never emphasized the “art” part, either. We created a sort of endangered species sanctuary where the endangered species were feeling connected to other people, a sense of safety and security, encouragement, play, and maybe, finally, artistic expression. The important thing produced in the classes was relationships, not art. It was a friendly, respectful, relatively quiet place to sit for awhile, away from the usual activity of the shelter, away from the daily grind and boredom that being homeless entails. 1. Two volunteers to start the classes – MUCH easier to do as a team. In fact, there were four of us during the first few years. We met often outside of class just to visit about what was going on in class and how we were dealing with it. Who are these people?1.1. Non-Judgmental
1.2. Friendly, easy-going, gets along with everybody
1.3. believes in the goodness of art AND people
1.4. deals well with stress. Has a good support system. 2. A place to meet –
2.1. where homeless people gather or are close by.
2.2. where being a little messy isn’t a big problem. Easy to get going. Easy to clean up.
2.3. With tables and chairs and enough elbow room to work.
2.4. You’ll need some shelves and a locking cabinet to keep the supplies in.
2.5. Shelves or another cabinet for people to keep their work in.
2.6. Access to water.
We started in a supply room in a homeless resource center. Then moved to their staff conference room. Then changed buildings a few times. Keep in touch with the management of the organization so, as they evolve, you can evolve with them. Chances are, making art is not the purpose of the organization that’s hosting you, and they won’t think of it unless you remind them. 3. A regular time – once a week for at least 2 hrs. Three is better. Ours have always run around the lunch hour. 4. supplies – Donations from local college art departments or art supply stores – paper, pencils, pastels, water colors, acrylics, brushes, water cans, paper towels. Ultimately though, this is something you will probably end up paying for. (Really helps if the paper is all the same size throughout the year. Not too big. Not too small.) WHAT TO DO IN THE CLASS –
5. Invite people in. We announce the classes in the day-room of the homeless shelter. 6. Put out the supplies 7. JUST MAKE ART. 8. Save it. Have people sign it – front or back. Help them keep their pieces together. 9. Start putting it on the walls for people to see 10. Keep track of who comes. Keep a count. 11. Try to get new people at every class. 12. HAVE FUN!
AFTER AWHILE – THINK ABOUT A SHOW
When the art starts piling up around you. When there’s no place left to put it. When everyone is so proud of what’s happening that showing it to someone else is the only thing you can think of. When you yourself can’t wait to see what it would look like up on the walls all together at the same time. Then it’s probably time. . .QUESTIONS TO ASK –
13. Where? Do it in the place that houses the classes – if there’s room. We do it in a homeless shelter and resource center. In THEIR space, and invite the public in. The volunteers need to be well-connected in the community because at first, the public will be reluctant to come. So, only supporters of the organization, or the friends of the volunteers themselves will be the initial patrons. There might be better/easier places. Depends on what you’re trying to do. 14. When? Once a year. We have done it in (approximate) conjunction with National Homeless and Hunger Awareness Week (2nd week in November) Need to consider other community events. It’s cool but usually not cold. It’s in proximity to the holidays so buying gifts might be on people’s minds. At first, we just did one day, noon-5. After five years or so, we opened up a second day.15. What? – Art, the artists, the public, food, . . . anything else? (Music? Silent Auction? . . . ?) 16. Who exhibits? We just allow current (and some former) participants in the weekly classes to show their work in the show. Our current class room is so small that many people choose to work on their own away from class. We accommodate those people. You will get lots of inquiries from all sorts of people wanting to show their art, or crafts, or clothing, or musical instruments that they’ve made . . . Need to decide how inclusive/exclusive to be. We think the best solution is to keep it closed, but invite others to participate in the classes – so they can be in the show next year. 17. Money?? You’re going to need some. Donors, sponsors, contributors: Bed-tax contracts with the city or county government, foundation grants, corporate contributions, etc. 18. How? – volunteers, volunteers, volunteers – and the artists themselves.
GETTING READY FOR THE SHOW – 1
THINGS TO DO:19. Choosing the art – This is an evolving issue. Some people only have a few to choose from. Others have 200-300. Depends on how much you can afford to spend getting them ready to display in the show. 20. Art Prep –We have all the art mounted on foam core backing with a couple inches showing around the perimeter so it looks like it’s matted. And then we have them shrink-wrapped. And then we put a hanger-tab on the back so they can be hung. Includes counting and keeping lists of art works by each artist so they can get paid at the end of the show.. Our deadline for finished art work is mid-July, almost 4 months before the show starts. 21. Foam Core Matting. – We found a small framing shop that has done the foam-core matting for almost every show. They charge only their cost for materials and a much-reduced labor charge. Over the years, as the show has grown, we’ve given them anything from a few hundred pieces to almost 3,000 a few years ago. After that we started limiting the artists to 50 mounted pieces, with the ability to have additional ones done at their own expense, and another option of having unmounted pieces placed in protective sleeves. Since implementing the limits, we’ve handed off 1,500 – 2,000 pieces for mounting. 22. Shrink Wrapping – we used Goodwill Industries for many years to do this step. Now we use an operation connected with the State Hospital. 23. Hang tabs – Volunteers, including the artists themselves, working over many hours put hang tags on the back of each piece. 24. Counting and accounting and recounting. We prepare lists of the artwork submitted for the show. The lists help us keep track of the art as it moves through the various vendors listed above. The artists will be worried about this. Eventually, the lists form the basis of the labels which get affixed to the front of every piece, with the artist’s name and the price. They are also the basis of the record of the pieces sold and the payment due to each artist. 25. Designing the show – Who’s work goes where? How does the crowd circulate through the building? Balancing looking good vs. getting everything on the wall where it can be seen. 26. Pricing – It’s own VERY big deal. The artists will need and want advice on this one. We started with a flat $25 price for everything. Very successful. Very easy. A dictatorship. Finally became obvious that some art was being grossly under-priced. After a few years the artists started setting their own prices (again, with our advice). A big, high anxiety issue for everyone. With the artist’s permission, art left over from previous years is identified with a “blue dot” and sold for a steep discount ($20) the following year (or later). 27. Labels for the Art – we use standard address labels. Artist Name, Year of the show, A code that indicates if the artists is paying part of the cost of mounting, and a place for the price. Pricing is often done as or even after pieces go up on the walls. 28. Hanging the show
28.1. How to hang it (without destroying the wall or the art)
28.2. Getting it hung. Volunteers following the design. The designer manages the effort. In the last few years, the shelter closes down after breakfast and we come in to hang. Need to be out by 5pm so they can open back up for dinner and overnight. 29. Food - the solicitation, donation, pick-up, set-up, and maintenance of a food-table somewhere in the building where the artists and public can come for sandwiches, cookies, pastries, chips, coffee, and soft drinks has always been a very popular part of the show. It has also always been a VERY BIG HEADACHE. It is it’s own job. Best if handled by a separate volunteer or team. Requires a team to maintain during the show itself. In our last show it was available only for artists and volunteers. Good change. 30. Publicity – Gotta have it. The more the better. The better the better.
GETTING READY FOR THE SHOW – 2
THINGS TO CONSIDER31. Security – probably a good idea 32. Parking – will it be a problem? 33. Admission – Will there be a fee to get in? What is the entry process? Do people need to know anything as they come in? Who will tell them and how? General logistics for dealing with the large crowd that usually forms at the opening of the show.
AT THE SHOW
34. Selling (and buying) the Art – We have always worked on a first-come first-served basis. Thus, the crowd mentioned above. At first it was VERY complicated. We made people come back at the close of the show to get their works – nothing came off the wall. This caused a lot of problems, BUT it allowed everyone who came, to see all the art – conversely it allowed every artist to show their very best work to every person who came. Also helped because, in retrospect, we didn’t have all that much work. The place would have looked empty after the first hour. Now it’s first-come-first-served. People take pieces right off the wall or out of the bins and carry them around until they’re ready to check out. We plead and encourage them not to take works until they’re SURE they want to buy them. A team of volunteers works throughout the show hanging new art in the spaces left by art that’s sold. 35. Taking the money – receipts, change/cash, credit cards, checks. This needs to be CAREFULLY THOUGHT OUT and VERY WELL ORGANIZED. The large crush of patrons when the door opens all move through the show at more-or-less the same speed. So they end up in a gigantic throng all trying to check out at the same time. Needs to be efficient and quick as possible while maintaining accuracy. We use 4 cashiers during the opening rush and 2-3 during the rest of the day. One phone line for credit card processing. We didn’t take credit cards for the first 10 years. Doing so increased our average sale by a significant amount, and also the overall totals. 36. Tracking what sold – Relates back to the making and counting of lists. Making sure every piece of art is accounted for so the artists know they’re getting everything they’ve earned. This aspect needs to be CAREFULLY THOUGHT OUT and VERY WELL ORGANIZED. Problems at this point usually mean someone doesn’t get paid for something they sold, or gets paid erroneously for something that didn’t sell. There’s so much anxiety around the money that these mistakes can quickly become major issues for the program. 37. Food – See Getting Ready – 1.AFTER THE SHOW
38. Clean it up – Fast!39. Letting everyone know how it went
40. paying the artists
41. Celebrating – For several years we took the core group of artists and the core group of volunteers out for dinner at Threadgill’s. Then the groups got too big and coordinating a time was too much hassle.
42. Thanking (publicly) the volunteers, sponsors, and everyone who helped.
43. Sorting and storing the art
44. Start the classes again – as soon as possible
45. getting ready for the next one.
RESULTS – For the Artists
46. $$$ - Over $80,000 last year (approx $500,000 through 14 annual shows)47. Positive interactions with the public
48. Increased self esteem
49. Development of new and better interpersonal and business skills
50. Potential relationships
51. Significant relationship with art and their own creativity
52. See results of dedication and persistence
RESULTS – For the Public
53. Positive interactions with homeless people54. Different view of homeless people
55. Different view of one’s potential impact on a problem (change is possible)
56. personal connection with the art they buy
57. Potential relationships
58. get to see the power of art and creativity
KEEP IT GOING YEAR AFTER YEAR
59. Dependable volunteers. Make sure the first few volunteers are willing to stick around for 15 years.60. Just kidding! Don’t think about it that way. ONE YEAR AT A TIME!
61. A steady supply of #59
62. BUT – THE REAL SECRET. . .
63. Relationships!
63.1. The secret is the relationships that grow between the volunteers and the homeless participants. When you see what a difference it makes, when you see how much it means to them, how much they enjoy it and benefit from it, how much YOU enjoy and benefit from it – it’s really hard to imagine letting it go.
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