Features: Arts & Entertainment

"A chink of light" Community Vision artists display work at Mayorga Coffee Factory

Story by Bruce Johansen
Photos by Julie Wiatt

Alvin, one of the Community Vision artists came up with the title of the show—"A chink of light" as a description of what his art has given him.

For nearly two years, Karen Gallant of Art for the Heart and Alice Sims of Art for the People have been offering weekly art classes to visitors of Community Vision. Community Vision is a day program of Community Ministry of Montgomery County (CMMC) that provides support, advocacy, education and training for the homeless. The program is funded in part by a grant from the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County, and is held in the facilities of Progress Place in downtown Silver Spring.

When they began teaching at Community Vision, Alice and Karen were advised not to take personally that typically a person will attend one session of a class “and then you’ll never see them again.” But as it turned out, their class soon became the most popular. A core group of five has attended nearly every session — an unheard-of number, says Karen. A larger group of 10 to 12 comes fairly often, and overall the program has 50 participants, most of whom attend at least twice. Today, the artists’ vibrant and inventive creations cover the walls.

“Art opens the way to your heart”

In May, for the final class of the year, Karen invited the four women and three men present to articulate what art means to them. For the past hour the group had been enjoying making story cloths, an idea that originates with African-American slaves who used bits of cloths to depict stories from the Bible. As the artists completed their pieces, they described their creation processes and then displayed their works on the floor at the side of the room. One person had created a desert scene; another had captured the color and energy of family reunions; some depicted nature scenes. Last week a person had rendered his version of the myth of Sisyphus.

Filiberto was the first to respond to Karen’s question about the value of art. “Art opens the way to your heart,” he said, adding that it provides for him a sense of release, puts him in a “zone,” and just generally makes him feel good. Alvin offered that art is more than a hands-on experience for him — what is most important is the creative spirit that emerges as he works. Others noted that it’s a calming experience; a time when they forget their troubles. One woman, Dana, called it “a healing experience... soothing, very, very soothing.”

Students use simple materials to create vivid story cloths.

In her office, Lottena Wolters, a case manager at Community Vision, echoed the remarks of the artists, crediting Karen and Alice for being gentle, respectful, and encouraging. She noted that by engaging participants’ creativity, the class is a change from the other Community Vision offerings, which focus on recovery issues and job skills. Wolters said that the positive results of this class convince her of the need to explore expanding into other areas of creativity instruction.

“If you have a God-given gift, you have to use it”

Left to right--Karen Gallant, Dana, Alice Sims, and Brenda.

October 2004 was when Karen first met Alvin Louis Thomas, one of the artists in the room. Sheremembers him being reticent and looking depressed that day. She wondered if he had learning disabilities. But soon she noticed “a lack of resistance” to engaging creatively with the activities that she offered. Karen and Alice took notice that Alvin displayed energy and had an investment in what he was doing. Noteworthy, too, was his perfect attendance. During one session’s closing go-round, Alvin commented, “If you have a God-given gift, you have to use it.”

The longer they worked with him, the more changes Karen and Alice observed in Alvin. He began to share more openly, volunteer information, and respond to other people’s work. One day he was asked, “What has art done for you in your life?” His response: “It’s like there was all this darkness, and art is like this chink of light in my life.”

	That phrase became the title for this month’s exhibit of the class’s work at Mayorga Coffee Factory in Silver Spring. Karen has noticed that Alvin now has a style to how he dresses, he comes out and greets the women when they arrive, and works independently between classes with clay. He’s also been designing and painting a mural for the permanent shelter where he now lives in Rockville.
Filiberto and his artwork.

With the assistance of several donors, Alvin eventually took an adult education class at Montgomery College. He caught the attention of an instructor, who told Karen and Alice that he ought to be in art school.

In early May, at an annual awards ceremony hosted by CMMC, three participants in the art classes received awards, providing them money for art supplies as well as refurbished computers.

“It was their day in the sun,” Karen said.

Self-portraits.

Meanwhile, Alvin was honored with a sizable scholarship that will allow him to pay for further education at Montgomery College. As signs of how much his life has been impacted by his art classes with Karen and Alice, Alvin now works at Silver Spring’s Pyramid Atlantic arts center, and in February, his first art show was held at Kefa Café in Silver Spring.

Filiberto’s airplane and the exhibit

Describing “A Chink of Light: An Art Exhibit about Hope,” Karen says the work being displayed “has got such soul to it, it has such spirit that it enlivens and enriches us.”

In all, 25 pieces will be featured at Mayorga, with contributions from nearly all who have participated in the class this year. Some of the pieces are small, some are large. Some are multi-media. The collection includes fabric hangings, murals, paintings, collages, drawings, and clay sculptures. All are for sale.

Posted will be photos and profiles of each artist, including their statements about the program. “It’s about more than just the artwork,” Karen said. “It’s about the whole experience and why this matters.”

What does she hope exhibit visitors will take from this venture?

“For people to enjoy the art and relate to it and find a piece that’s their favorite. Maybe learn the story behind it, because they have stories.”

Karen hopes also that visitors will learn a greater social message and recognize that “homeless people are human beings. They’re not ‘the homeless.’ They’re people who right now are homeless. And they belong. They’re part of our community and they contribute to our community.”

And her wish for the artists?

“I want them to experience that they are making a contribution to Silver Spring, the arts community, and its vibrancy, so that they can see in action that what they’ve done makes a difference,” Karen says.

“Someone might be sitting there drinking coffee and look up and see Filiberto’s airplane —it’s bold and exciting! — and just feel uplifted. And [I’d like] for Filiberto to know that he might have that effect on somebody. It seems to me that that could expand his experience in a very rich way, and vice versa.”

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