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On an overcast Friday morning in November, artist Richmond Futch Jr. stood at an easel in a small upper room at St. Joseph’s House of Hospitality, applying thin washes of paint to a work-in-progress. The walls of the space were lined with his paintings and those made by people who join his Revelation Rochester Art Sessions each week, taking time away from dire concerns over unsafe housing situations, addiction, abusive relationships, and other traumas to sit together and make art. The sessions are specifically for folks who don’t otherwise have access to creative materials and space to express themselves, but anyone who is 18 or older is welcome.

“It’s like a little family,” Futch said. “There’s a core group who always show up. We talk about our childhoods, reminisce about what we used to do when we were younger.”

Joanna Mingo, 40, was a participant that Friday morning. She still struggles with childhood traumas and is an addict in recovery, but she’s in the process of working to improve her housing and work circumstances.

“I started to do art in school to take my mind off the bad things that happened to me,” Mingo said as she sat at a table filled with art supplies, drinking coffee and filling in spring-themed coloring pages. “And the reason I do art now is because I’m still going through some hard things.”

Futch, 63, has been providing people with this separate peace for about 12 years. He’ll put on some jazz and set up art stations where participants can work in silence or chat if they feel like it. The year-round gatherings are hosted at St. Joseph’s (402 South Ave.) on Friday mornings and at House of Mercy (285 Ormond St.) on Wednesday afternoons.

The Revelation Rochester sessions aim to acknowledge everyone’s dignity and help expand access to the benefits of creative expression, which include a sense of serenity, community, and ability to participate in creating beauty. "I supply a safe environment and time for relaxation and reflection,” said Futch, “where they can forget about the troubles and the challenges outside of that room that they go through every day.”

This past September, Revelation Rochester received a $10,000 ArtsBloom grant from the city of Rochester to support its efforts. Futch said that the money will help support the purchase of arts supplies and launch an exhibition of work by the art session participants in summer 2024.
artsrichmondfutchjr.com

Rebecca Rafferty is an arts writer at CITY and the producer-host of art/WORK, an arts conversation video series created in collaboration with WXXI. She can be reached at [email protected].