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Photograph by Thomas Crone
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Photograph by Thomas Crone
Artist Paul Stanton at work at Artists First.
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Photograph by Thomas Crone
Facilitator Tim Jordan and artist Paul Stanton at Artists First in May 2016.
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Photograph by Thomas Crone
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Photograph by Thomas Crone
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Photograph by Thomas Crone
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Photograph by Thomas Crone
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Photograph by Thomas Crone
Yesterday, on a lovely spring morning, a woman walked into Artist First’s studio and gallery on Manchester. The Maplewood storefront usually only draws a couple of walk-in shoppers a week, but she’d come in to visit the program’s small shop and found a bracelet for purchase. The artist who’d made the piece was there, though suffering from a bad day. While that artist quietly cried near the front door, the new customer and AF executive director Sheila Suderwalla each had a hand on her shoulders as the artist found a moment of calm and peace.
“When there are challenges that are experienced outside the studio,” Suderwalla says, “it comes with them. She’s having a hard day, physically. She called one of her support workers, or case managers, and she’s supposed to go to the ER. There’s a lot of anxiety that comes with that; no one likes to go to the ER. Navigating that, self-advocating, that can be really overwhelming.”
And, so, while moments like this aren’t a constant, they are definitely known at Artists First, a place that’s dedicated to arts, healing, and service.
SEE ALSO: Painter Paul Stanton's All About the Music
In the past year, Artists First has worked with nearly 200 individuals from across the St. Louis region. Some are in the program briefly, but others are at the Maplewood studio on a constant basis, creating work across all sorts of media. AF supplies a team of volunteers, interns, and four staff facilitators, who sit and work with the artists. Sometimes, it’s artistic guidance they offer, though there’s also emotional support that comes with each day’s interactions.
“For some artists,” she says, “they come every day. This is their sense of purpose, their sense of belonging.”
On July 1, the staffing, the studio, the programming… all will be stressed as the new fiscal year arrives. As reported by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Nancy Cambria on May 13, “The bad news about funding cuts from the St. Louis Office of Developmental Disabilities Resources arrived in people’s inboxes on Monday. Agencies that serve the city’s developmentally disabled learned that their share of a fund supported by nearly $10 million a year in property tax revenue was being cut.”
The piece cited Suderwalla, noting that she “held back tears when she addressed the board regarding a 70 percent cut to her agency’s program that helps the developmentally disabled earn income off their own art. She said the group was encouraged by the disabilities office to expand its program and hired extra staff. Now, she said, the entire nonprofit will likely have to shut down because of the $68,000 cut.”
Last week, Suderwalla was still fighting back tears as she discussed the group that occupies the space outside of her office daily.
She noted that the interactions are “therapeutic. One particular artist, we’re really worked with her on her communication skills, self-advocacy, self-confidence. The woman who was just in had never been here before. She wanted that bracelet, just as the artist was having a very difficult time. That boosts their confidence. We remind them to remember what they’ve learned through their activities and art: ‘How can you apply those moments to other areas in your life?’ Our artists experience the same challenges that we all do, and, at times, more.”
That would true even without the recent news. And, to be sure, the cuts proposed by the DDR are program-threatening.
“It’s a significant budget cut,” she says. “Significant. But we’ve been through tough times before, and in my heart of hearts, I believe we’re going to make it through. We have no choice. We have to.”
Suderwalla says that she doesn’t typically share the daily ups and downs with the program’s participants, worried about adding “unnecessary stress” to their day. The flipside to that is that she feels their energy allows her to organize during this time of trial for the nonprofit, one of dozens affected by the DDR cuts.
“The artists give me encouragement every day,” she says. “They’re my inspiration. They come through that door every Monday morning, determined. That’s my example right there, to be honest. People know we do good work in the community, and that’s encouraging. We need to advocate for them. We need to sustain and build opportunities for people with disabilities. And that relates to finding funding sources.”
Thus, the work right now, Suderwalla says, “is two-fold. There’s a priority that we fundraise what’s needed to continue to serve our current artists. The program that is most affected is the supported employment program. I have nine on the waiting list right now. To serve those nine, I would need to raise $54,000. We also need to continue serving the ones we currently have in that program, I’d have to raise over $25,000 immediately. Our focus in maintaining the same quality of service now provided. The simultaneous need is for advocacy. We need to advocate for those that we serve. They haven’t always been afforded the same opportunities in life, especially as it relates to employment.”
Yesterday's scene, she believes, was typical for her program: Her staffers and interns (who come from both arts and social service degree programs) were mingling with the artists. A family member or two dropped by to visit. Taking busses, program members came at intermittent times. And, yes, at least two of them left early, due to stresses in their life. But the general vibe of the spot was upbeat, supportive.
In effect, it was “a regular Thursday morning. Four of our artists come in together in a van. I love that. We call them The Vanity Crew. I love, love, love watching them walk in. They walk in with a sense of eagerness and determination; they’re so ready for work. One of those participants has really been part of my motivation. She lights my fire. Recently, I’ve seen what a different person she is from when she started here. There’s a self-confidence. She’s smiling right now! And her artwork’s amazing, where it’s at today. I love that. That’s who we need to make sure we serve.”
While larger fundraising opportunities will continue to emerge between now and July, individuals can donate to Artists First here.
