'Everyone has more to offer the world'
SEATTLE -- The homeless, who are so often shunned, are showing a side of themselves in Seattle that we rarely see.
"I've been drawing ever since I could hold a pencil," said Cindy Lyon.
Cindy Lyon's colorful art has always been an escape from her life in institutions and on the streets.
"I wouldn't wish homelessness on no one, worse than any institution, prison, jail, worse than anything," she said.
Her work is a window into her muddled world.
"I believe it has something to do with my mother," she said. "A Bible in one hand and a stack of gambling cards in the other that was my mother."
For a few hours, Seattle's Stonington Gallery is giving the homeless a voice; an outlet for their artwork.
Becky Shapiro came up with the idea of exhibiting her clients' creations.
"It's on a paper plate and on the back is a beautiful poem about bats, people don't see bats in this beautiful way," she said.
At the Downtown Emergency Service Center, Shapiro finds housing for the mentally ill and homeless who are often discarded.
"It's so important to show the other side -- you're a person, a person who has things you're good at and things to say to the world," she said.
It's breaking stereotypes through art, with fresh eyes.
"I hope that it tells us to take a second look at people and don't just write people off," Shaprio said. "Everyone has more to offer the world than what you see."
The exhibit only lasted a few hours at the Stonington Gallery but the organizers hope to find another spot in Seattle to display the work
"I've been drawing ever since I could hold a pencil," said Cindy Lyon.
Cindy Lyon's colorful art has always been an escape from her life in institutions and on the streets.
"I wouldn't wish homelessness on no one, worse than any institution, prison, jail, worse than anything," she said.
Her work is a window into her muddled world.
"I believe it has something to do with my mother," she said. "A Bible in one hand and a stack of gambling cards in the other that was my mother."
For a few hours, Seattle's Stonington Gallery is giving the homeless a voice; an outlet for their artwork.
Becky Shapiro came up with the idea of exhibiting her clients' creations.
"It's on a paper plate and on the back is a beautiful poem about bats, people don't see bats in this beautiful way," she said.
At the Downtown Emergency Service Center, Shapiro finds housing for the mentally ill and homeless who are often discarded.
"It's so important to show the other side -- you're a person, a person who has things you're good at and things to say to the world," she said.
It's breaking stereotypes through art, with fresh eyes.
"I hope that it tells us to take a second look at people and don't just write people off," Shaprio said. "Everyone has more to offer the world than what you see."
The exhibit only lasted a few hours at the Stonington Gallery but the organizers hope to find another spot in Seattle to display the work
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