"I used to clean houses---three a day---but my asthma got so bad that I couldn’t even do one room anymore, so I asked God what I should do next. I had heard the word ‘disciple’ at church, but I didn’t know what it meant. Then I found out that a disciple is a follower of Christ, and that he wants his followers to share their gifts with others. I don’t know English that well and I don’t know a lot about the Bible, but I know I’m a sinner and that I love God. So when I prayed about sharing my gifts, the idea for an art class kept coming to me over and over. I never went to art school, but I was drawing at home for my own enjoyment and selling some pieces now and then, so I thought, why not use the gift of art to help other people? That’s how the Community Art Room [at Highland Heights United Methodist Church] got started six years ago. It’s a place for people who are homeless or who have low incomes to come and do arts and crafts.
"When people visit the church’s food pantry, I often invite them to join the class. Some come only once; others stay for years. They think they’re learning from me, but really they are my teachers. We have become like family. Everyone who comes has been through a lot. While we draw or paint or do beadwork, we talk about difficult issues, and there is healing. Sometimes people disappear for months at a time, but they come back because they know they are loved and supported here. It’s calming to be together. We get donations sometimes (from the Art Center and from Frame Corner), but I buy a lot of our materials with my own money. Some of the students are beginning to sell their work, which makes them so proud and helps them financially. I'd love for them to be able to sell more. It’s better than giving people cash. It’s better when they can earn their own way."
"When people visit the church’s food pantry, I often invite them to join the class. Some come only once; others stay for years. They think they’re learning from me, but really they are my teachers. We have become like family. Everyone who comes has been through a lot. While we draw or paint or do beadwork, we talk about difficult issues, and there is healing. Sometimes people disappear for months at a time, but they come back because they know they are loved and supported here. It’s calming to be together. We get donations sometimes (from the Art Center and from Frame Corner), but I buy a lot of our materials with my own money. Some of the students are beginning to sell their work, which makes them so proud and helps them financially. I'd love for them to be able to sell more. It’s better than giving people cash. It’s better when they can earn their own way."
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Art Angel Pam, a video by Tom Foster:
A few of Pam's pieces:
Pam Santirojprapai (Pam Santi), Artist & Teacher
FB: https://www.facebook.com/artangelpam
Community Art Room, Mondays 10 am - 12 pm
Highland Heights United Methodist Church, 3476 Summer Ave (Summer & Highland)
FB: https://www.facebook.com/artangelpam
Community Art Room, Mondays 10 am - 12 pm
Highland Heights United Methodist Church, 3476 Summer Ave (Summer & Highland)
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