Springfield Art Show to Feature Shelter Painters
SPRINGFIELD — Guests of the Friends of the Homeless shelter on Worthington Street in Springfield will have their artwork displayed for public viewing during a gallery event titled “Friendly Expressions” at the Bing Arts Center on Sumner Avenue on Thursday, July 18 from 1 to 5 p.m.
Community members in the Greater Springfield area are encouraged to visit in support of the Friends of the Homeless (FOH) shelter and in recognition of the region’s talented homeless population.
Light snacks will be offered at the Bing Art Center gallery during the event. In addition, several of the FOH guest artists will be on hand to represent their pieces. Much of the art displayed at the “Friendly Expressions” showing can be arranged for purchase in benefit of FOH and the individual artists (interested buyers can contact FOH Volunteer Coordinator Shaina Jones at shaina.jones@csoinc.org). The art show is organized by Jones and Amy Porchelli of the fine-arts enrichment program ArtSong.
FOH is a service of Clinical & Support Options (CSO), a nonprofit behavioral-health agency providing comprehensive and holistic clinical care to individuals and families throughout Western Mass. The Friends of the Homeless shelter is the largest in Massachusetts outside the Boston region.
For Karin Jeffers, CEO and president of CSO, the “Friendly Expressions” art show provides a vehicle for expression that benefits both the shelter artists and their neighbors throughout the community. “It was important that we hold this event at a time when shelter guests can attend,” she said. “We are arranging transportation for these artists and worked with the Bing Arts Center to accommodate a daytime showing. It’s our hope that folks throughout Greater Springfield take time during their Thursday, July 18 lunch breaks and workdays to pop over and see this amazing artwork. It’s important that the shelter artists have a venue for expression — and it’s equally important for the community at large to acknowledge and recognize the talent and unique perspectives of these individuals.”
For additional details about the art show, visit the FOH Facebook page at facebook.com/FOHSpringfield.