Spirit of Generosity: Studio Incamminati
The Studio Incamminati art program has been offered for over 10 years to our residents across Project HOME, even during the pandemic.
Luis has been drawing since he was a little boy, but he never took any classes. That is until he moved into Project HOME’s Maguire Residence last year and learned about art classes with Studio Incamminati. “The professors said that I drew really well,” explains Luis, who is positively beaming at the idea of someone enjoying his work. “They’re proud of me.”
You might think that art classes couldn’t possibly continue in a pandemic, but the Studio Incamminati teachers wouldn’t let something like that get in the way. “Studio Incamminati’s partnership has been amazing,” said Barb Hadley, vice president of employment and education. “They have continued to support Project HOME artists throughout the pandemic, with the dedicated teachers dropping off art supplies to individual residents and conducting online classes.”
The Project HOME Art Program in collaboration with Studio Incamminati began nearly a decade ago. It was created to provide a foundational art workshop to individuals recovering from the trauma of homelessness. As participants learn principles of drawing, they also develop practical, social, and technical skills. Both organizations benefit from the enriching cultural exchange. More than drawing is happening and many students, like Luis, mention the meditative quality of drawing, for him “it is peace and concentration.”
Studio Incamminati teaches our residents a 10-week course through a combination of Bargue copying classes (which means drawing the subject exactly) and still life programs which hone the student’s knowledge of shapes, shading, and drawing. An interesting silver-lining of lockdown in the pandemic meant that teachers have been able to work with students one-on-one. This created a safer environment for our residents to be vulnerable, an emotion that so often comes with personal expression.
“One of the easiest rewards that I hadn’t been expecting...was the intimacy of those calls,” explained teacher Michela Mansuino. “We were connected in a way that we weren’t in a classroom.”
The program is made possible because of the generosity of Studio Incamminati board member Richard Rossello, owner of Avery Galleries in Bryn Mawr, and New York City. The Rossellos have supported a multi-year collaboration between Project HOME and Studio Incamminati. We are so grateful to the Rosellos and Studio Incamminati for this essential bond that has been created between residents, art, and expression.
We would also like to celebrate Studio Incamminati moving to their new school space on the 7th floor of the Bok Building at 1901 S. 9th Street. We wish them nothing but success and so appreciate their partnership.
