Art has many purposes. It is therapeutic for veterans of war struggling to overcome Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. It serves as a mode of expression for people who have a hard time communicating. In addition to being purposeful, art is also powerful; it has torn down walls of racism and hatred, served as a light to those in the dark and built the foundations for modern thought. Art has the power to change lives, and for sophomore Allison Stocks, founder of the Home Is Where The Art Is foundation, this idea is not just a vision or an opinion; it is a reality.

Home Is Where The Art Is works to provide free, framed and original artwork to people transitioning from homelessness or a homeless shelter to a new home. Stocks’ foundation works closely with three shelters in Northern Virginia: New Hope Housing, Doorways for Women and Families and Shelter House.

“The way it works is there’s an online gallery that the caseworkers can show to the residents who are soon going to move out [of the shelters]. The [residents] can select the art from the online gallery and send me an email, saying this is the piece that they want and then I prepare it and get it ready and bring it over to the caseworkers, who give it to [the residents],” Stocks said.

The art that Stocks’ organization provides is all original, which Stocks stressed was of the utmost importance.

“[The art] had to be original and unique so that it was something special for the residents, so that it was something that nobody else had. It wasn’t just like; ‘here’s your handouts’. It’s something that they get to choose and own for themselves. We didn’t just want to have an gallery of the same 50 pieces,” Stocks said.

Stocks got the idea for her foundation during the ‘Snowzilla’ storm of February 2016.

“I was reading the Washington Post, and there was an uplifting article about a family that had been homeless. It told their story; about how they made their way and they found an apartment through a shelter in the area. It was a happy article … and it included some pictures of their new home. The walls [of the apartment] were kind of bare. I thought that it didn’t look very inviting or homey, and [thought] that I could help with that,” Stocks said.

At this point, many people might have been too daunted to take action and would not have known how to get an idea like this off the ground. Stocks did not have this problem. Instead, she jumped right in.

“The first thing I did was look to get some art. I found a Spanish immersion school [in DC], and [I] knew the art teacher through a family friend. I went and talked with her, and she gave me a lot of the art that students had left behind over the years…. Then I went and talked with the Arlington Artists Alliance and I got a lot of art from them. After that, I talked with a family friend, who is the executive director of the New Hope Housing Shelter, and also [talked to] the communications director at Doorways. I pitched the idea to them and asked if they thought residents would be interested and they said yes,” Stocks said.

Since then, Home Is Where the Art Is has established itself in the community and placed over 50 pieces of art in homes throughout Virginia. Currently, it is working to gain an official 501(c)(3), or non-profit status. Stocks admits that this process is complicated, but some of the initial steps she took were way more formidable.

“One of the things that has been the most difficult was getting the shelters on board. A lot of the shelters, the executive directors, even the head departmental directors really liked the idea of it, but getting it carried through…. Their caseworkers have so much else to worry about… like  finding [the resident] a job, making sure that the resident is safe in the apartment and things like that. Taking the time to show them the gallery and actually showing them the art, and spreading the word about the idea has been the most difficult part,” Stocks said.

Despite these initial difficulties, Home Is Where The Art Is has grown, and just recently Stocks was featured in an article in the Washington Post, which prompted her to set up a website. After the interview, Home Is Where The Art Is received a huge number of donations. Even though the online gallery greatly benefited from people’s generosity, Stocks emphasizes that donations were not the point.

“One of the reasons we did the Washington Post article was not to receive donations. As far as money goes, we are not in the need and we have a lot of art. It was instead to spread awareness that the shelters are in need and that this is what I’m doing to help, and to ask [others] so what can you do?” Stocks said.

Some people may want to take action in their community and are unsure about how to start. For them, Stocks has this advice:

“Just talk to people. Tell people about your idea and get their advice on how to make it better. Everyone that I told about my idea, had their [own] idea on how to make it better. And some of [these ideas] have been implemented. It’s helpful to get feedback from other people to get on the right track. Especially if it’s something that’s needed,” Stocks said.

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