HOME ABOUT SERVICES ART PROGRAM DONATE CONTACT Art Program Opening doors to self- expression through the creative process. Art Cards and Coloring Books Available for Purchase Click here to purchase Art Cards and Coloring Books. All proceeds benefit the Art Program. Mission The mission of the Shalom House Art Program is to encourage self-expression through the visual arts for people living with psychiatric disabilities. Our goal is to provide a safe, supportive environment where participants can freely explore and express ideas, learn new skills and discover their strengths and abilities. About the Program We offer a variety of classes that appeal to the beginner as well as those who are looking to further their knowledge and skills. The diverse projects engage the clients’ visual and physical abilities and expand their sense of personal and creative potential. The benefits are many and varied as each individual brings a distinct perspective and life experience to their involvement with art. For some, attending the classes provides an ongoing therapeutic effect that helps lessen the intensity of their mental illness. Artists participate in art shows through the year where they have the opportunity to exhibit and sell their work. These include South Portland’s annual Art in the Park, the MECA Holiday Sale, the Cabin Fever Art Show and the Shalom House Hope Awards. The opportunity to learn new skills and to explore one’s creative potential through self-expression can have powerful and lasting results. For an individual living with a mental illness art can be an avenue for self-recovery, a tangible example of what is possible in their lives. Art Program Wish List Tenney Swift, Art Instructor Tenney has been the Shalom House Art Instructor since 2007. A Maine College of Art alumna, Tenney spent six years facilitating an Art Program for adults with developmental disabilities. In 2007 Shalom House approached her about running its program. When she met some of the people at Shalom and got a look at the studio space, she jumped at the opportunity. “I want people to understand that this is a facilitated working studio space,” says Tenney. “I am the facilitator. I don’t stand up and lecture. I want the pressure off, so people are more inclined to come in. You can jump into a group project at any time and you can work on your own projects, too. For some people, it’s almost like coming in and directing their own therapy. They might choose a project that helps quiet their own symptoms. In a way, you’re in the driver’s seat with your own art therapy.” “My number one focus is getting people to feel confident putting their own artwork out there and to also feel confident pricing their own artwork and becoming independent. And I want them to enjoy it here and keep coming back. Email: tswift@shalomhouseinc.org Fax: 207-874-1077 Mail: Attn: Tenney Swift Shalom House, Inc 106 Gilmam Street Portland, ME 04102 Art Program Gallery View art created at Shalom's Art Program. Shalom House, Inc. Tom Gorman Center and Residential Campus 106 Gilman Street, Portland, Maine 04102 Tel: (207) 874-1080 Fax: (207) 874-1077 Mon-Fri: 9am to 4pm Email: generalmail@shalomhouseinc.org Select Language Afrikaans Albanian Amharic Arabic Armenian Azerbaijani Basque Belarusian Bengali Bosnian Bulgarian Catalan Cebuano Chichewa Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Traditional) Corsican Croatian Czech Danish Dutch English Esperanto Estonian Filipino Finnish French Frisian Galician Georgian German Greek Gujarati Haitian Creole Hausa Hawaiian Hebrew Hindi Hmong Hungarian Icelandic Igbo Indonesian Irish Italian Japanese Javanese Kannada Kazakh Khmer Korean Kurdish (Kurmanji) Kyrgyz Lao Latin Latvian Lithuanian Luxembourgish Macedonian Malagasy Malay Malayalam Maltese Maori Marathi Mongolian Myanmar (Burmese) Nepali Norwegian Pashto Persian Polish Portuguese Punjabi Romanian Russian Samoan Scottish Gaelic Serbian Sesotho Shona Sindhi Sinhala Slovak Slovenian Somali Spanish Sudanese Swahili Swedish Tajik Tamil Telugu Thai Turkish Ukrainian Urdu Uzbek Vietnamese Welsh Xhosa Yiddish Yoruba Zulu