While the Renaissance left an indelible mark on the art community, marble and bronze are not always needed to affect lives through art. Off the Square Club’s mission work demonstrates the inspiring impact of art on a local level. Off the Square Club, founded in 1979 by the Lutheran Social Services, has established what program director Jane de Roussan describes as mission-based art outreach to the homeless here in Madison. Art therapy aims to improve participants’ quality of life through the creation of art. Along with Positive Avenues in Eau Claire, WI, Off the Square Club is one of two such programs in the Upper Wisconsin and Michigan areas.
Off the Square Club’s art therapy program grew out of the success of a mural project completed by community members.
“The purpose of the mural was to raise awareness for the stigma associated with mental illness,” Natasha Flatt, an advanced standing social work student working as a community mental health intern for Off the Square Club said. “It was a way for members who are interested in art to come together and cope with the symptoms that they have and be able to express themselves to work with one another for recovery.”
The completion of the mural project, a breathtaking accomplishment akin to a Van Gogh painting viewed in disco light, mirrored participants’ personal growth as both individuals and artists.
“At first a lot of [members] weren’t really interested,” Flatt said. “They were nervous, they didn’t feel like they were artistic, that they had the ability to create a mural, and it’s amazing to see the end product that we have here. They really came together to create a beautiful piece of work that I feel like a lot of them are really proud of.”
Art knows no demographic. The mural project was crafted by many of the same homeless walking around State Street.
“A large majority of our members are homeless, and they feel marginalized in the community,” Flatt said. “They don’t have a place to live and are experiencing feelings of hopelessness. They feel unwanted like they don’t have a place in society.”
Through her involvement, Flatt seeks to create an accepting community for members in the art therapy classes.
“I want them to do group work,” Flatt said. “I’d like to see them identify with one another and help them grow as a group. I think they’ll really be able to help one another with anything that they’ve been dealing with in the past.”
Established goals for the group include the cultivation of identity and amassing the strength to move beyond the grips of past strife.
“[Art] allows them to create an awareness of self, an awareness of others, and with their past traumas it kind of allows them to process and recover. They don’t need to have these past experiences control their lives,” Flatt said.
A typical art therapy session enjoys an organic atmosphere.
“I really go with what the members feel they need. I want to start out a session with ideas. If they feel like they want to do self-expression, then I want them to do self-expression, so it’s going to be very open-ended,” Flatt said.
The organic structure allows members to drive their experience and serves as a catalyst for discussion among members of the group.
“Throughout the session, I want them to be able to express their feelings individually if they feel like they need to talk about certain issues,” Flatt said. “A lot of the members are coping with serious and persistent mental illness, so I want them to be able to process their thoughts and have support with one another.”
The art therapy bridges participants’ histories and creates a familial atmosphere for participants.
“The great thing about this club is they really work together as a family unit. Many of our members have known each other for 20 years. They really know each other and how to be there for each other through support,” Flatt said.
The art therapy class also seeks to remove the disconnect between the desire to create art and financial constraints.
“A lot of our members are very talented, and they don’t necessarily have the means to produce pieces of art. [Off the Square Club] is great because this is a nonprofit, so I’ve done all the fundraising. They have all the paint and the canvases, and anything that they need so that they can use all the energy that they have and focus that on something positive,” Flatt said.
The future of Off the Square Club’s art therapy classes will be multi-faceted and energetic.
“We’re going to use a variety of mediums,” Flatt said.
Upcoming projects include collages, smaller murals and a mounted showcase on a wall inside Off the Square Club. The showcase will consist of four works and will allow participants to take pride in an end product they personally created.
“At the end of the day they’re going to have a piece of art that they’re going to be able to identify with, and that’s going to be a strong part of themselves,” Flatt said.
Just as Michelangelo’s serene “David” swept the art community with it’s power and grace, the feeling of accomplishment this program affords participants is equally profound.
