‘Home Is Where the Art Is’: Homeless artists featured in local gallery exhibition

COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL) — The walls of the King Gallery were filled with paintings and a crowd was gathered to see them. An onlooker might’ve thought they were there to see some big artist, but all the work featured was by relative unknowns.

In fact, many of the featured artists were homeless. They were all participants in the “Home Is Where the Art Is” program run by the Bo Bartlett Center and SafeHouse Ministries.

“They say you can’t judge a book by its [cover], I say this: come out, see what’s going on,” said Anthony Boston, one of the featured artists.

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Six years ago, Boston was homeless and a newcomer to Columbus, having moved from Fort Myers, Fla. He had been drawing since he was 10 years old, and when he say a flyer for the upcoming art class held at the SafeHouse at Rose Hill Methodist Church, he took a chance.

Boston showed up at the class and showed locally-based, nationally-recognized artist Bo Bartlett his work. Bartlett encouraged him to show it at the upcoming “Home Is Where the Art Is” gallery.

“It’s so amazing because the day that they had the show, I took it there and ever since then, I was just on fire,” Boston said.

According to the formerly homeless artist, Boston now lives with a friend, the program has made a huge impact on his life. It gives him a reason to wake up in the morning and create art, a sense of pride in his work and the pleasure of sharing his experience with others.

He said because of the program, he is “somewhere now that [he has] never been before.”

Artists who take part in the program attend morning sessions from 9 to 11 a.m. on Thursday mornings at the Rose Hill SafeHouse. They spend all year creating works which are then put on display at an annual exhibition, this year at the King Gallery owned by local artist Cora King.

According to Bartlett, 100% of the proceeds from any works sold go directly back to the artists. Pieces featured in this year’s exhibition range from $20 to $60 each; roughly 300 works were available for viewing and sale.

“It’s about meeting people for who they are one-on-one and being present with one another and realizing we’re all in this together,” Bartlett said.

After nearly a decade running the program, Bartlett said “Home Is Where the Art Is” has had a major impact on his life.

He reflected on years past where he might try to “have blinders on” regarding the local homeless population, not knowing how to connect. Now, he loves bringing more individuals into the program or recognizing the faces of those who are already involved.

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Barlett said the program also helps bring visibility to the local homeless population, which can sometimes go unnoticed or ignored.

Another local art enthusiast who is also passionate about community outreach agreed.

“Some people have negative attitudes and all about the homeless you know,” Jerry Presley said, “but once you get to know them, they’re people like us and they have their own ideas and you know, they have stories to tell.”

Presley himself came out to the event in support of Boston. He went home with one of the artist’s paintings in hand.

“Everybody that be in an art class in a SafeHouse, they take every week to go out there and they honestly paint the best they can,” Boston said. He added, “They are crying out for people to recognize them to see what they can do.”

Pieces in the “Home Is Where the Art Is” exhibition will be on display at the King Gallery by-appointment only through May 22. Appointments can be made by emailing info@bobartlett.com.

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