Derbyshire charity to host art exhibition displaying artwork produced by the region's homeless

Pathways of Chesterfield are hosting the exhibition on Monday December 2 at West Studios on Sheffield Road between 3pm and 8pm.

The artwork that will be on display has been produced by homeless people in an art and social group run by the organisation.

Pathways CEO, Sian Jones said: “Some of the people in the art group have produced some of the most amazing artwork and we want to showcase that.

“Homelessness can often make people feel like they are not a person or not valued. I think this is a really nice way to show some of the brilliant skills that some of the people we are working with have got. The artwork is fantastic and we want to showcase something positive from the homeless community.”

Pathways art group is one of several social groups that the charity runs. These include a games group, women's group, wellbeing group, and a monthly music group.

The groups aim to provide a positive space for the homeless community to rebuild social connections and self-esteem.

CEO Sian said: “A lot of people who are homeless have got extremely low self-esteem. Things have gone wrong in their life and they feel very down on themselves. These groups are a really good opportunity for them to show that they actually do have loads of skills to offer.

“They also provide a sense of belonging to something. Our clients talk about the group as feeling like a family to them and we’ve found a lot of the groups then carry on interacting with each other as a positive support network outside the group setting.”

Sian also highlighted that these groups give people the opportunity to learn new skills and unlock their talents.

She said: “One of the people we are working with at the minute had never done art before and by attending the group we discovered that she was actually massively talented.

“Now, she is more settled, and is looking at setting up her own little art studio. So the positive impact the group can have, taking someone with zero confidence, to them wanting to take it up as almost like a career path, can work wonders.”

Alongside the exhibition, Pathways will also be hosting a silent auction. People will have the opportunity to bid for artwork that catches their eye with slips that can be found on the Pathways website as well as on the day at the venue. The auction will remain open for a week before the winners are announced.

Money raised by the auction will go towards funding Pathways groups and projects.

Pathways are looking forward to the event, especially those whose artwork will be going on display.

Sian said: “They’re feeling really proud about having this art exhibition to show their work. Some of them have been able to invite friends and family and it's just an opportunity to show off something positive going on for them. They’re excited.”

The exhibition will be free to attend and will include canopies and mocktails. People can arrive or leave at any time and Pathways are hoping to see many local pop down to see some amazing artwork and show their support.