This past August, the headquarters of Life Pieces to Masterpieces, a local nonprofit that lets African-American males channel their energy into art, was vandalized almost to the point of complete destruction.
“Thousands of dollars in damages,” Maurice Kie, LPTM’s Program Coordinator and a member of the organization’s Board of Directors, said. “Computers messed up, TVs … art supplies, books, bookshelves, they just pretty much had a ball.”
With the help of volunteers, LPTM—which offers effective academic training in addition to its art programs—was able to get back on its feet, with a touching exhibit of multicolored canvas collages at the Pepco Edison Place Gallery.
The poignant exhibit, entitled “Expressions of Gratitude,” consists of distinctive, painted canvas works made by the apprentices—African-American males ages three through twenty, from low-income areas—who have had their work appraised for as much as $7,000.
The works featured in the exhibit were created by sewing together separate pieces of painted canvas to form pictures. The show contains both abstract and figurative paintings, and the subject matter varies from the simplicity of childhood to political statements on unity and leadership—showcasing the diverse concerns of the program’s participants as they grow from toddlers to young adults.
Many pieces are basketball-related, especially those made by the younger apprentices. The basketball players in the boys’ works are accompanied by representations of other dream careers, such as astronauts and teachers. The pieces with darker overtones include “Neighborhood Block,” which depicts four arms—one of which is shooting a gun—grabbing each other in a square formation. The area that the gun destroys is represented by a hole in the canvas, drawing the eye out of the picture toward an unseen target. The painting’s violence and unsettling realism serve as a counterweight to the more lighthearted works, reminding the viewer of the dangerous environments from which many of the artists come and advocating for social change.
Despite the heavy themes present in some of the paintings, the use of bright colors and the wide range of topics represented give the exhibit a distinctive sense of hopefulness. The pieces clearly illustrate both how much the apprentices have gained from LPTM and their appreciation for all those who helped in its restoration.
The program’s future was jeopardized by this summer’s vandalism, but its mission was ultimately reaffirmed, thanks to the concerted community response.
These ain’t your grandma’s quilts, unless your grandma is an inner-city, teenage artist.
“Even people in the community who … wouldn’t be up to the ‘right kinds of things’ in their personal lives, they decided to help out,” Kie said.
After the headquarters were repaired, Kie said, LPTM’s next goal was to show appreciation for all the volunteers. “Expressions of Gratitude” is a tribute not only to the program’s resilience, but also to the volunteers who lent a hand when it was on the verge of collapse. The skillful creativity and optimistic themes showcased in the works clearly convey that message of thankfulness.
