It’s easy to see a homeless person in Boston and dismiss them as worthless and useless. But such a narrow perspective is hardly the case when it comes to Boston’s less fortunate. As it turns out, many are natural artists and one organization is fostering that talent to help pull them out of impoverishment.
ArtLifting is a year-round social enterprise that gives the homeless and low-income a platform for selling their original artwork to interested buyers. The real beauty behind the joint venture by sister-brother combo Liz and Spencer Powers, though, goes well beyond monetary compensation. Don’t get me wrong, a few extra bills certainly goes a long way. But it’s the feeling of pride and accomplishment enjoyed by the artists that Liz Powers thinks is most valuable.
The Powers tandem, along with their constituents at ArtLifing, will be hosting an art show called City Heart at the Prudential Center Mall on Saturday, May 3rd, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. to help benefit the program, and more importantly, the artists.
BostInno spoke with Liz about how the idea for ArtLifting was conceived and where she sees it going in the future. Ever the humanitarian, Liz has been working with homeless and low-income Bostonians for the last eight years and found art to be a soothing, lucrative and creative outlet for those who take part.
Powers then earned a fellowship from at her alma mater, Harvard, and began working at a nonprofit.
“After doing volunteer case work with LIFT,” Powers told BostInno,”I realized listening was so crucial to relationships. I thought about how to create support groups that aren’t just one-on-one. I decided to create art groups that bring people who face similar challenges together so they can support one another.”
Simply put, traditional support groups became increasingly stale and sitting around talking about peoples’ issues was hardly a productive way of brainstorming solutions. Incorporating art, though, became a way to incite creativity, talk amongst peers and earn a new source of income.
After hounding homeless shelters with art programs to figure out best practices, she realized they were on the right track but weren’t able to pull engagement from the surrounding community, let alone interest for purchases.
She was able to corral eight different shelters to participate in the program and couldn’t be more optimistic about its future in all respects. And thus,
“The most powerful aspect of City Heart is the empowerment. Obviously the money is important too,” continued Powers. “Sitting around a luxury mall with marble all around, with all these shoppers coming up and saying your work is amazing, is a huge boost in self-esteem. Last year sales tripled.”
Powers went on to discuss that City Heart and ArtLifting have done more than just showcase pieces – they’ve helped launch careers. Take 26-year-old Katie, for example. Suffering through homelessness for 10 years on and off, Katie found solace in ArtLifting
Most recently, she was accepted to a program in New Mexico that gives her both housing and the ability to develop art programs for low-income families.
Given the success exemplified by last year’s City Heart exhibit, there’s no limit to the number of people Powers expects to aid. Last year, 70 artists were featured. This year, 93 signed up.
“A lot of it has to do with building confidence over time and realizing how talented you are,” added Powers. “It’s hard to quantify that.”
