Finding A Voice Through Arts

From left to right: glass artist David Powell; artist & AIM volunteer Owen Chaney; Julie Struck; and former UCS volunteer and social work candidate Charlotte Critchfield. All were at a UCS fundraiser.

In 2014 Julie Struck, who had been working as a college art professor, got the idea for a project in her Evansville, Indiana, community. She had been utilizing her ARTSPEAK program to promote healing among program participants, through visual arts and creative writing.

In order to develop and implement the program, she partnered with UNITED CARING SERVICES (UCS), which runs a night shelter for women and transitional housing for men, among its many services. It was these two services with which Julie planned to work. Once she had her planned population, she developed a six-week skill building arts education program, which would also provide healing. Her plan followed her core belief that "art gives people a sense of ownership, control, identity, accomplishment, community, and social engagement."



In addition, an art exhibition was planned to display completed works by those who were homeless, not just the participants in the program. The idea was that by taking the artwork out into the community through an exhibition, the life stories of these individuals would become visible, while the public would become more aware and understanding about the issues of homelessness.

The exhibition took place in September 2014, called Art In The Margins, at the Bower-Surheinrich Foundation Gallery, under the auspices of The Arts Council of Southwestern Indiana. Julie then publicized the exhibition throughout the time it was open, and utilized funds raised for the artists.

Following that, Ms. Struck moved on to Hendersonville, KY, when she accepted a post with Americorps. She continued to provide healing arts programs for other marginalized individuals in her new home. When she completed her stint, she worked with at-risk youth and continued working with individuals who had become homeless in Hendersonville.

A participant, who receives services from UCS, making Christmas cards.

You can follow her at JULIE STRUCK, MFA - WARRIORWOMAN PRODUCTIONS and NOTES FROM THE MARGINS, along with the original blog at the ArtSpeak link.

Some of the completed works by Arts In the Margins participants.

Thanks for information from this article on Pollination Project: http://thepollinationproject.org/grants-awarded/julie-struck-artspeak/; and the above links.

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