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Friday, June 11, 2010

Visual Arts / Community Peachtree-Pine Shelter offers homeless artists a Voice

Posted by Anum Valliani on Fri, Jun 11, 2010 at 5:32 PM

David Roby works on a piece for the upcoming art show
  • David Roby works on a piece for the upcoming art show
Tieree Malone came to the Peachtree-Pine Homeless Shelter nine months ago for what he thought would be a one-night stay. Three months later he’s still there. The upside to his situation? The opportunity to create art at the shelter’s Our Voice Art Studio and Gallery. It’s Malone’s outlet from the rigors of a life that hasn’t turned out as planned.

The Metro Atlanta Task Force for the Homeless runs the shelter and its neighboring art studio, which is open to the public. Task Force executive director and gallery founder Anita Beaty has been struggling to keep both the shelter and art space afloat amid the recent threat of foreclosure. A painter herself, Beaty originally purchased the storage-space-turned-studio about 10 years ago so she’d have somewhere to create, but quickly began inviting shelter residents to participate.

Tieree Malone shows some of his favorite originals
  • Tieree Malone shows some of his favorite originals
Tieree Malone shows some of his favorite originals
“I had a hunch that so many homeless people … may not even notice the depths of their situation until they can express it,” Beaty says.

Large street-level windows offer an unobstructed glimpse into the shelter’s sizeable art space. Easels, worktables and other, smaller signs of creativity are visible from the sidewalk. But “the paranoia of people keeps them from coming inside. They’re afraid of our image so they don’t wanna come,” Malone says.

Through its arts initiative program, the Task Force also benefits nonresident artists such as David Roby. Three months ago, he left the treatment center at St. Jude Hospital in Midtown and ventured into the studio, which had caught his eye.

A mural painted in the courtyard by a shelter resident
  • A mural painted in the courtyard by a shelter resident
Roby first painted in 1969 while in prison. Now, he’s the only full-time painter at the studio. He focuses mostly on hands and faces, though he’s trying to change up his style. Touches of blue accenting faces in the places light would typically be reflected characterize many of his paintings.

A mural painted in the courtyard by a shelter resident Beaty’s working with resident and studio director Grant Mullins to make the studio more appealing and spark more public support. Shelter artists currently use magazine clippings and photos as resources, but Beaty wanted to offer a different learning experience by using live models. So she and Mullins arranged for Boston artist Mario Robinson to lead the weeklong live model open workshop going on now through June 12.

The workshops lead up to an art show Sunday (also located at the studio) of the resident artists pieces from the past year. Another show will be held at the Doubletree Hotel in Buckhead June 19.

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To raise money, the art studio should have their artwork for sale at all times to motivate sales and increase their capital.

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Posted by valh23 on 06/21/2010 at 11:23 AM
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