Our Story
Julia Cameron, author of The Artist’s Way, wrote that “People heal because creativity is
healthy – and practicing it, they find their greater selves. And we are all greater than we can conceive.”
The Art Project, Houston is a newly created therapeutic art and empowerment
program of the Bread of Life, Inc. facilitating the recovery and discovery of the creative self for hungry, homeless and transitioning individuals in Houston, Texas. The idea to act upon this initiative was developed by Juanita Rasmus out of her desire to help people express their creativity and empower themselves through artistic endeavors. The idea for the project emerged during her recent recovery from cancer. The project was launched on August 12, 2010 with over 85 artisans consisting of clients from the Bread of Life emergency shelter, Temenos Place Apartment Residents (a transitional to permanent housing program), art patrons from the community and members of St. John’s Downtown. The Art Project, Houston seeks to empower our city’s homeless to become hope-filled artisans who will craft their own livelihood and create lives filled with new possibilities.
We do this by offering the Four "E's":
Encounters: Opportunities for the men and women of the homeless community to encounter art through simple art activities, concerts, field trips, films and exhibitions of art created by peers at the Bread of Life, Inc.
Experiences: Hands-on instructional therapeutic art classes facilitated by professional local Houston artists such as The Art Project Class, Art Instruction Class, Pottery Studio and Specialized Workshops.
Exhibitions/Shows/Classes & Workshops: We seek and create opportunities to exhibit and sell the art created by TAPH participants throughout the city of Houston.
Empowerment/Education: Opportunities for TAPH participants to be empowered to become art-trepreneurs through entrepreneurship training, contract work and mentoring in the area of contracts, money management, life-skills and other helpful tools that will enable them to transition into self-sufficiency.
We have several aims:
1) to assist the homeless in finding meaning and purpose in their lives while exploring their creative self
2) to help participants make more conscious choices and decisions as they regain power over their lives,
3) to define and implement life changes,
4) to get a clearer picture of their creative potential and how to use it,
5) to deal with creative blocks and negative patterns
6) to enrich their relationships with others and themselves through the power of an art-based community
The Art Project, Houston’s ultimate goal is to provide artists experiencing homelessness an opportunity to make their own trade by creating, displaying and selling their art as a collective body through art exhibits in collaboration with those who are actively engaged in ameliorating suffering and bringing an end to this condition.
healthy – and practicing it, they find their greater selves. And we are all greater than we can conceive.”
The Art Project, Houston is a newly created therapeutic art and empowerment
program of the Bread of Life, Inc. facilitating the recovery and discovery of the creative self for hungry, homeless and transitioning individuals in Houston, Texas. The idea to act upon this initiative was developed by Juanita Rasmus out of her desire to help people express their creativity and empower themselves through artistic endeavors. The idea for the project emerged during her recent recovery from cancer. The project was launched on August 12, 2010 with over 85 artisans consisting of clients from the Bread of Life emergency shelter, Temenos Place Apartment Residents (a transitional to permanent housing program), art patrons from the community and members of St. John’s Downtown. The Art Project, Houston seeks to empower our city’s homeless to become hope-filled artisans who will craft their own livelihood and create lives filled with new possibilities.
We do this by offering the Four "E's":
Encounters: Opportunities for the men and women of the homeless community to encounter art through simple art activities, concerts, field trips, films and exhibitions of art created by peers at the Bread of Life, Inc.
Experiences: Hands-on instructional therapeutic art classes facilitated by professional local Houston artists such as The Art Project Class, Art Instruction Class, Pottery Studio and Specialized Workshops.
Exhibitions/Shows/Classes & Workshops: We seek and create opportunities to exhibit and sell the art created by TAPH participants throughout the city of Houston.
Empowerment/Education: Opportunities for TAPH participants to be empowered to become art-trepreneurs through entrepreneurship training, contract work and mentoring in the area of contracts, money management, life-skills and other helpful tools that will enable them to transition into self-sufficiency.
We have several aims:
1) to assist the homeless in finding meaning and purpose in their lives while exploring their creative self
2) to help participants make more conscious choices and decisions as they regain power over their lives,
3) to define and implement life changes,
4) to get a clearer picture of their creative potential and how to use it,
5) to deal with creative blocks and negative patterns
6) to enrich their relationships with others and themselves through the power of an art-based community
The Art Project, Houston’s ultimate goal is to provide artists experiencing homelessness an opportunity to make their own trade by creating, displaying and selling their art as a collective body through art exhibits in collaboration with those who are actively engaged in ameliorating suffering and bringing an end to this condition.
