VALENTINE
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, the VALENTINE project connected over 60 local artists and over 100 recently unhoused villagers in a city-wide art exchange to welcome people into their new homes with inspiration and love.
…I wish you all could have seen them when I delivered the artworks. Tears were shed and they immediately shared their new pieces with others. They have been googling all of you and are so proud to be collectors of your work… It’s hard to put into words how special it was. Everyone asked me to send you their deep appreciation and gratitude for acknowledging them and caring about them enough to donate your beautiful work.
—Dana Louis in a thank you letter to participating artists
Tiny artworks for tiny homes
VALENTINE is a Gather:Make:Shelter project in partnership with the coalition C(3)PO (Creating Conscious Communities with People Outside). In 2020, we partnered with C(3)PO both as a response to the pandemic and a continuation of our mission, and helped with the formation of three shelter-in-place outdoor communities: BIPOC, Queer Affinity, and Blended Villages.
In 2021 Multnomah County purchased 100 tiny houses to shelter some of these villagers more permanently. The VALENTINE project intended to create beauty, inspiration, and connection for previously/recently unhoused members of our community involved with GMS and C(3)PO programs.
We asked local artists to donate small artworks to be exhibited at our headquarters for the month of February, during which villagers were invited to select a work of art for their homes and given the opportunity to create a personalized letterpress valentine for their artist in workshops with artists from cumbersome multiples.
This heartfelt exchange of creativity and inspiration helped connect our housed and unhoused communities and provided a bright welcome to villagers moving in to their new homes.
THANK YOU TO ALL PARTICIPATING ARTISTS, INCLUDING:
Vin Angel, Pippa Arend, Roberta Aylward, Kristina Bell DiTullo, Acacia Blue, Christine Bourdette, David Brandt, Ameenah Carrol, Samantha Cohen, Corii, Chris Cox, Nan Curtis, Madelynn Dubin, Daniel Duford, Jeana Edelman, Judilee Fitzhugh, Dakotah Fitzhugh, James Galluzzo, Barbara Gilson, Anne Greenwood, Catie Hannigan, Stephen Hayes, Judy Hill, Linda Hutchins, Bruce James, Malia Jensen, Julie Keefe, John Kirkley, Cynthia Lahti, Patrick Long, Sam Loper, Jordanna Macintyre, Lori Mason, Georgiana Nehl, Jamie Ng, Ilsa Perse, Seza Pingo, Quire, Christopher Rauschenberg, Dawn Riddle, Rich Rollins, Bethany Rowland, Brian Shannon, Manya Shapiro, Deb Stoner, Steven Tatar, Roy Tomlinson, Gay Walker, Samantha Wall, Heather Watkins, Barb Welty, Don Welty, Mardy Widman
