Art Gives Hope
Finding his way from living in a truck to an art therapy group at his church, Dennis Jones found a way to turn his life around.
He now paints at his nearby Philadelphia Starbucks and you can see his work at the Gorshman YMCA.
These art based programs that focus on creativity, like the one that got Jones back on his feet, often are a large role in empowering those who don’t have anywhere to go.
Another man that benefited from a similar program was Keith Freeman. By his 30th birthday, he had already been to jail for both stealing and selling drugs.
He later joined the Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts, a program that is five months long and allows former prisoners and veterans to study improv, art, meditation and philosophy. Freeman now goes by the motto “Backwards is not an option.
Another similar story happened to Miky Solano in New York. He signed up with Art Start after being released from jail at 21. He was determined to push forward, and this group that helps homeless youth through creativity was the thing that got him to it. Now, he’s recorded a few songs and he’s pushing on to a better life. He believes music is a way to express himself, and art has given him a whole new perspective.
At Art From The Streets, we’re all about creating an organization where people can grow and stories like this can happen in our home of Austin, Texas. Volunteer or donate to homeless artists today.
