Amateur artists are finding a safe space to paint, socialize and express themselves every Thursday at Manna, Durango’s soup kitchen.
Painting can help take participants’ minds off their current hardship for a few hours, organizer Jeff Hamner said. The classes draw about eight to 12 people and tend to bring a sense of peace to Manna, he said.
“It’s really cool to witness, even if you are not here to participate,” Hamner said.
The classes called The Art Project were started about nine months ago to help clients of Manna connect with each other and members of the public, organizer Richard Dilworth said. The Art Project is part of Ascension, a new nonprofit in Durango focused on serving the homeless and those who are on the edge of homelessness.
The regular classes can be an emotional experience for many who may not express themselves often, Hamner said.
“It’s pulling ideas from the brain and emotions from the soul,” he said.
Katrina Yazzie, a Fort Lewis College student, decided to paint an abstract landscape Thursday after going to Manna to receive help paying for gas.
“It definitely takes my mind off of stressful things like school,” she said.
She lived in the Durango Community Shelter over the summer with her two children, but recently moved into the family housing provided by FLC. She loves art but doesn’t have much space to do it at home, she said.
Hermosa resident Manuelita Martinez said she looks forward to the class as a form of stress relief. She is raising her grandkids and recovering from brain surgery.
“I like to socialize with people,” said Martinez, who was working on a pair of angel wings.
The classes have been focused on painting, in part, because the Art Supply House donated the paint and other materials for the classes, Hamner said.
The two organizers would like to expand the sessions with additional mediums and materials that participants could take with them, such as sketch pads, charcoal, markers and color pencils.
Some artistically inclined Manna clients aren’t painters, but they are drawn to the classes to talk about and display their artwork, such as jewelry, posters and carvings, Dilworth said.
“It’s an opportunity to have their art appreciated. ... And to be recognized as artists,” he said.
Donations of art supplies for The Art Project can be dropped off at Manna.
mshinn@durangoherald.com
