GMS Academy
The Gather:Make:Shelter Academy is a citywide creative network connecting artists who are housed and artists experiencing houselessness and poverty through intimate collaborations over the course of two years. Composed of sixteen ceramicists, nineteen painters, a poet, an illustrator, and three canines, the 2019 - 2021 Academy weathered the chaos of 2020 six feet apart, emailing each other snapshots and video greetings, leaving voicemails of poetry readings, and continuing to work and paint and draw and sculpt on their own and in small socially-distanced groups.
DATE
2019–2021
LOCATION
Portland, OR
PARTNERS
SPONSORS
Emily Georges Gottfried Fund, The Ford Family Foundation, The Juliet Hillman Foundation, Killian Pacific, Hot Lips Pizza
Mutually inspiring
These tenacious committed souls worked together through the highs and lows and we were beyond proud to present the fruits of their collective labor at the Russo Lee Gallery and at our GMS Headquarters. The exhibition included collaborative works between Academy partners as well as examples of the work our professional collaborators make in their own practices.
The Academy grew out of the passion of Portland’s artists experiencing houselessness and our renowned ceramic community to build more opportunities to create and grow. Through one-on-one collaborations with professionally practicing artists, we created opportunities for future interpersonal connectivity and skill building leading to entrepreneurial actions and creative work.
These Academy leaders have built strong relationships and platforms to take action both for their own benefit and the benefit of others. We believe that the GMS family has a unique ability to apply their lived experience and creative thinking to houselessness issues in Portland and nationwide. By recognizing our shared humanity, we forge connections between residents, businesses, policy-makers, local artists, and organizations to strengthen the Portland community as a whole. By building an intentional city of neighbors, we can turn surviving into thriving.
