by Anna Murphey, Coordinator of Community Programs 

     Pirate gold. Jewels. Buried treasure on a desert island. Theseare images that often come to mind when we think of the word “treasure.” But as students in a recent visual arts class at Jane Addams Place discovered, “treasure” can mean so much more.

      Guided by BuildaBridge Teaching Artist Jesse White, the students, who are living in a West Philadelphia homeless shelter, generated a list of things they treasure. Their initial responses included “money,” “jewelry,” and “video games.” However, the students quickly realized that people and nonmaterial things can also be treasures. As Jesse’s assistant recorded their responses on the blackboard, the students eagerly called out, “my mom,” “my little sister,” “my friends.” Their final list included “my community,” “learning,” and “God.”  

      Jesse then asked the students to think of memories they treasure. She explained that memories could be good or bad, and that we get to choose which memories to hold on to, to “treasure.” After a moment of silence, the students began sharing. Their responses ranged from happy – “my birthday cake” – to sad – “when my dad died” – to scary – “when I was hit by a car” – to silly – “when my teacher pulled her wig off.” Jesse announced that the class would now begin translating some of these memories to paint and canvas. 

      At a nearby table, each of the students received a plain wooden “treasure box” and a set of canvass “scrolls” to record the people, memories, and things that they treasure. Sitting side by side, the students worked calmly and with focus as they mixed paint and designed their scrolls. The images they created were simple, yet conveyed powerful emotions. One student made a cheerful painting of a family shopping trip to the Gallery. The boy who was hit by a car painted himself lying in the road as an ambulance arrived to take him to the hospital.