Fridays @ 1:30

The best way to truly impact other people is to do what you love.

This was one of the pieces of advice that Steve had for me when I began working at the men’s center. To many people, this might sound like one of those floaty idealistic sayings—one of those vague statements that don’t really apply to real life. Well, I can say that Steve was right:

I have had a passion for the visual arts since I was a child, particularly the two dimensional type—paintings and drawings. When I was in college, I pursued a minor in art history. I’ve even looked into graduate programs in the subject.

Even though I am very busy here at St. Vincent’s, I have a great deal of freedom in the particular projects that I choose to pick up. Back when I went through the JVC interview process for this placement, I saw an opportunity to further explore my interest in art history. So I started a Friday afternoon art program.

I would describe it as art history used as art therapy. Each week, I check a few books out of the library on particular artists that I think will resonate with the men who come to the program. I talk a little bit about the artists and their approaches and philosophies. The great thing about art history is that there is no shortage of eccentric characters. (many of whom would probably fit right in at the men’s center) Some of these artists (ie. Jean-Michel Basquiat), lived through the same urban poverty that many of the clients at St. Vincent’s have.

After a few meetings, I gained an idea of how each of the men approached their art. I began to select the artists based upon the artistic styles that the each person brought to the table. I have found that when I bring books in for specific individuals—or in other words show interest in their personal work—they are much more likely to come to meetings regularly and feel confident participating. Over the weeks, I noticed that some of the men who insisted that they could not draw were willing to sit down and try. As it turns out, some of these fellows could draw very well and they had just given it up a long time ago.

I have been working with one man who told me that he has not drawn in over twenty five years. Since he began coming to our Friday meetings, he has been drawing every day. Last week he told me that he had begun to look for housing again so that he would have a place to work with oils, which was his strongest interest as a child. Even though I take everything that I hear with a grain of salt, I do consider this to be positive feedback.

The best way that I can explain the responses that I received is with Steve’s earlier statement. When we think of our favorite high school teachers or college professors, they are almost always people who were passionate about what they taught. Sincere enthusiasm is contagious…