There are currently over 10,000 homeless people living in Phoenix. With the help of live music and a painting canvas, community members hope that number will drop.
A live painting and charity benefit was held Thursday night at Phoenix’s Crescent Ballroom, a music venue, lounge and restaurant with profits from the event going to Central Arizona Shelter Services.
Hugo Medina, 38, did the live painting for the charity event, which went from 8pm-1:30am. When the night began he sat on a makeshift stage with a blank canvas in front of him and set out to paint a picture that would help get thousands of men and women off the streets.
Accountant Shannon Jones lingered around Medina as others came and went. She admitted to being in awe of him. “He’s been painting since he’s been here,” she said during hour three of the event. “It’s amazing, the talent he has.”
CASS is an organization that provides support and shelter for 10,000 homeless people every year in the Phoenix area. The organization helps them find jobs and other assistance in rebuilding their lives.
While Medina has never worked with CASS before, he has worked with other charities, such as Crisis Kids.
Hugo emigrated from La Paz, Bolivia to New York as a child, where he was first able to start focusing on his art.
“Considering where I came from and the sacrifices my parents made, I’m very much living the American dream,” he said.
Medina has been an artist ever since, teaching art, painting, sculpting and designing custom metalwork.
His artistic inspiration comes from his two daughters, Olivia and Emily.
“Olivia is a tomboy fashionista that sculpts and paints, and Emily is a brilliant writer and fashion designer,” Medina said “My daughters are my inspiration for everything I do. I want to make my girls proud.”
Those who came to the event to support CASS alternated between the live music, grabbing a drink and surrounding the painter.
Paralegal Kristina Jones was extremely supportive of the cause.
“CASS is a great organization because of what it does for the community,” she said. “It gives people somewhere to go and something to do.”
For Medina it seemed easy to paint the night away for charity. “It’s all I’ve ever done and loved,” he said. “It’s a life long passion.”
Medina will be making another live-painting appearance at the Crescent Ballroom in March – this time to benefit the Sojourner Center, a safe house for abused woman and victims of domestic violence.
Contact the reporter at jasmine.barta@asu.edu
