Bowery Arts Project

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The Bowery Arts Project is seeking volunteers to participate in our bi-weekly art classes. These classes serve a community of men (clients) seeking help with their drug and alcohol addiction. The clients are short-term residents of the non-medical detox floor at Project Renewal's 3rd street facility. Volunteers are encouraged to teach the classes as well, if interested, but that is not a requirement.

Classes are held every Wednesday and Thursday from 9:15am to 11:15am. Participation is flexible. You can come every day, once a week, or every other Thursday...your commitment is up to you although we would love you to come regularly. The more volunteers we have each week, the better the class!

Our volunteers have not been formally trained as art therapists and traditional art therapy techniques are not consciously employed. Our mission is to come together with an open mind, as equals, to sit together with the clients make art, listen to music, have something to eat and talk. We ask questions of each other, we collage or draw or write or build or sing but most importantly, we have a conversation....about anything.

The heart of the program's success consists of nothing more than openly, and non-judgmentally, listening, sharing our time and emphasizing kindness.

Volunteers and clients participate together in a brief Project Renewal morning meeting run by a Project Renewal staff member. The meetings are an opportunity to introduce ourselves to each other and start the morning off with positive conversation about the day. Following the meeting one of the volunteers teachers will introduce the project for the day. Supplies are then passed out, tables pushed together to encourage conversation and community, music is played, and then everyone starts to make their project. Towards the end of the class we collect the work, hang in on the wall, and then one by one we talk about what we did, why we made it, how we felt about the project, etc.

Responsibilities include helping to set up for class, joining in making your own art work as you encouraging clients to make their own work, particapating in end-of-class conversations where we view and discuss the work everyone has produced in class, and putting supplies away.

For more information about the Bowery Arts Project visit: Boweryartsproject.org