A friend to less fortunate Los Angelinos

photo from Bookface*

Artist and humanitarian, Paul Hebblethwaite, tugged on my "back-home" heartstrings with his vision to provide much needed aid to those on the streets of Los Angeles. A recent key-note presenter at Biola's Metropolis Symposium...

... Paul Hebblethwaite [focused] on the power of art in the lives of the disadvantaged. In densely urban areas—where a culture’s most striking achievements and most significant dysfunctions are both prominently on display—art offers one possible means to positively engage individuals who are on the social margins. [http://www.biola.edu/academics/undergrad/art/symposium/2010/]

...Paul is deeply concerned with the less fortunate of the Los Angeles metropolis, and has jumped into action - completely backing his words with deed. He "currently serves as Executive Director of The Salvation Army Alegria, a comprehensive housing program for homeless families affected by HIV/AIDS. Located in Downtown Los Angeles and the neighborhood of Silver Lake, Alegria’s two facilities serve 62 families with housing, case management, child development services, and medical support... [He] is also founder of Art and Shelter, a program that enriches the social services environment through the visual arts." With a BA in Photography and a Masters in Nonprofit Management he has managed to bring his interests and talents to a focused vision for these programs.

Many people have tried to launch similar programs, and I am so happy to see his actually up and running! One example of many similar attempted projects in the Down Town LA area was the Selah Artistic Giving Center. SAGC was a gallery located a block from skid-row, and a block from the SCI-arc (Southern California Institute of Architecture) whose goal was to focus 6 months out of the year on local causes and the other on global issues. Billy Marc, the visionary and founder of the project in 2005, had a clear vision for living and working with those on the fringes of DTLA society, but SAGC has since faded into obscurity. Their vision to "support the Los Angeles art community by empowering independent artists and inspiring, through charitable fundraising, their global vision. Selah provides a free space for artists to perform and display their work, a program to receive business counseling and technical assistance, and the opportunity to participate in multiple media fundraising events for both local and global charities." is still relevant!

It presents at least one interesting question... Is there enough funding to accomplish what needs to happen in densely urban areas to give every person at least one chance to learn, grow, expand their opportunities in life, and nurture hope with real possibilities? Living in the United States, where more of the worlds money filters into pampering ourselves like kings and queens, I wonder if economic and social justice will ever be possible.

*Bookface is a collection of Art and Shelter staff and resident portraits with their favorite books. The exhibition is presented in conjunction with the Sketchbook Project: Library event. The photographs will be on view in the gallery until the opening of Art and Shelter’s Spring Exhibition. You can also view the images in the online gallery.