Artworks that Speak



A landscape artwork done by a patron-artist


I have started  blogging about my Colours of Hope event a week ago and I 'promised' that I'll be blogging more about it.

The logistics of putting up an art exhibit and art auction might interest you (and for sure, there would be people out there who would like to know how I put the nuts and bolts together), but let me talk about the 'humanity' behind the artworks that were displayed particularly the ones created by the homeless.

Portraits, landscapes, and symbolisms were common themes in the artrworks. Most of which were done in pencil and the others took a step further finishing it with watercolours.  The wide array of artworks done by the patrons of Siloam Mission and on exhibit during the week-long event at The Edge Gallery from February 18th to the 24th, showed gallery visitors the creativity of the patrons. A visitor to the exhibit once said that she was pleased to view such artworks because that made her realize that these homeless people are no different from the rest of us.

The wonderful artworks may have shown the artistic potential of these individuals but what was more touching were  the stories behind them. One patron-artist admitted that his artwork on display wasn't supposed to be the one included in the exhibit. Just a few days before the exhibit started, his painting was stolen. There was no clue on who did it and why, but that unfortunate incident didn't stop his determination to be part of a wonderful event. In response, he painted another artwork in just under two hours.What an amazing story! This homeless man wasn't cuaght up in that situation but rather, took a positive step and resolved the problem.

The art exhibit for these homeless people was a 'big' thing for them. Not many people may know about this but for anyone who is homeless, his sense of self-esteem and self-worth are missing. Preparations for the exhibit excited them, and the arts program at Siloam Mission provided these homeless individuals a place to create beautiful works of art that have therapeutic benefits and may usher in the healing process. So when the exhibit started, we had a steady flow of visitors to the gallery from different walks of life including people from the streets. I've seen most of the patron-artitsts visit our exhibit and 'everyone' of them shared his delight on being part of such an interesting endeavour. At least for once in their lives, they had a sense of pride for something that they have done and their artworks proved that point; at least that's the only thing that they can share back to the community.

The event may be over but I'm sure that the sense of pride and joy can still be felt by them. I am just hoping that this positive experience will help these patron-artists to move forward in life and take on an active step towards a life that is more productive. This may not take overnight (it may even take years) but at least a ray of hope can be seen.