ART SHOWCASE
Drop-in gives homeless a place to eat, make connections and express themselves through art,
As temperatures plunge and distress mounts for those without a warm place to go, an innovative art program at a downtown Toronto dropin helps to ease the anxiety.
The opportunity to draw and paint two mornings a week has been part of the regular program at Margaret’s Toronto East Drop-In since the fall of 2013. But two years ago, when the agency at the corner of Dundas St. E. and Sherbourne St. received city funding to operate an extreme-coldweather overnight service during the winter months, staff decided to offer the program every night.
“We extended it to our extrem-ecold-weather program primarily because art seems to facilitate community and connections,” executive director Diane Walter says. “And, to be frank, it is a de-escalating medium; it helps to keep the peace.”
Arts facilitator Terri Roberton recalls a recent Friday night when “people were rowdy, cold, wet and grumpy. They were barking for a fight.”
Everything changed when she suggested: “How about going on a camping trip through art?”
Roberton steered the shivering and dishevelled men to a table with paper, coloured pencils and water colours and, before long, a story emerged. “One man who had been drinking came in here to have a fight with someone. I diverted him to the art — and he drew a moose,” she says. It is one of several themed works created at Margaret’s that also includes a road trip and memories of housing.
The housing project, dubbed “Pap- er House,” was turned into an animated movie by the Toronto Animated Image Society.
“Many have secure housing, but find it comforting to come into a kind space,” she says. “If the atmosphere gets edgy, we say, ‘We are here to honour the arts, and we keep it kind and comfortable.’ People seem to respect that. It’s the power of art.”
The drop-in, usually open from 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. daily, serves an average of 450 meals a day. During the winter, from Dec. 8 to the end of February, Margaret’s is open 24-7 and serves up to 1,000 meals a day.
Art work created by participants during the regular Thursday and Sunday morning drop-in as well as during Margaret’s extreme cold weather overnight program is being sold this winter as a fundraiser. Frames, wood and some of the paint is donated by art shops and private donors. But Margaret’s still has to purchase supplies.
“We thought an art show and sale would be a good way to raise a little money for the program,” Walter says. “And showcase what we do here.”