The documentary "Art of Survival" by
Hidden River Films premiered at Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts on June 27th to a sold-out auditorium. The gala event was a wonderful launch for this labor of love – with editing, sound design and color correction by me – that started in 2018 and was completed in 2023. The film is a portrait of the
Kensington Storefront, an open arts studio in a converted storefront from 2017–2020, run by
Mural Arts Philadelphia and other neighborhood partner organizations, in coordination with the City of Philadelphia's
Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual Disability Services, and staffed by artists who ran creativity workshops in painting, drawing, writing, weaving, music, arts & crafts and more to a community plagued by addiction and housing insecurity, as well as a vibrant population of people in recovery from addiction. At the Storefront, you could stop by for a chat, stay for some tea or a sandwich, check out donated clothing, and participate in artistic endeavors. You could show up on Open Mic Night and sing a song, play a tune, or speak your truth. It offered a low barrier oasis, where you didn't have to be in recovery, but if you were ready to go there, people who could guide you toward services, housing, and self-respect were on site and eager to assist. Sometimes, the chance to paint a picture, or draw a graph of your life story, or write a poem, could be the difference between despair and hope. This film asks the question:
Can art save lives?Watch the trailer
Read the WHYY article
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