Humble Beauty: Skid Row Artists

A story about talented homeless and formerly homeless men and women who, despite a daily struggle for survival, paint and create art in the worst area of Los Angeles. It's also about the ubiquity of art in human life. People strive to make art, no matter how humble the circumstances. For four years, we followed the lives and progress of several artists from LA's Skid Row, the largest concentration of homeless people in America. Some artists find their art supplies in garbage cans and dumpsters. They draw on old paper bags. Many have joined Art Workshops led by dedicated artist-social workers and are given paint, canvases, frames, easels and the technical, creative and supportive guidance to create remarkable, often therapeutic, works of art. Many of these Art Workshop members have shown-- and sold-- their work in downtown Los Angeles galleries. Art changed their lives dramatically. One woman told us that coming to the Workshop is the only reason she has for getting up in the morning. A directionless hustler has become a known, respected painter and employed community leader. A shy immigrant who creates, in classic primitive style, riotously colorful scenes from his childhood in a tiny Mexican village has suffered a major setback - he's been admitted to art school at University of California, Berkeley, and awarded a scholarship, but can't attend due to his immigration status. One artist was a 12-year old runaway from an Indian Reservation in 1941 and has been on the streets of Skid Row ever since. There are many stories among the artists of LA's Skid Row and unimagined talent to bring to the attention of a worldwide audience.