EAST VILLAGE — The room buzzed with activity as nearly 20 men and a dozen volunteers gathered to make music-themed collages at the Project Renewal Third Street Men’s Shelter last week.
The art work was more than just creativity. For a shelter resident who gave only his first name, Alvin, it was also a form of meditation.
“It helps me release, helps me keep my mind off things,” he said.
The activity was part of the Bowery Arts Project, which has been holding weekly sessions for the East Village shelter's fourth-floor clients for the past four years, according to co-founder Shelley Sonenberg.
Allen Johnson, a substance abuse counselor, said the program has been a welcome addition to the floor, which treats men that have abuse issues as well as possible mental health or homelessness concerns.
“They’ve been such a great help. I can’t stress enough how they have brought a new dimension to recovery,” he said.
The men, for the most part, seem to enjoy the art classes, Johnson said. And the sessions also show that people care about them and that they can socialize with others while sober.
“It’s helped these guys in so, so many ways,” Johnson said.
During a recent class, the men listened to classical music performed by musicians from Groupmuse — a startup that connects young classical musicians to local audiences — before creating collages inspired by the performance.
As the musicians — who also study at Julliard — played Mendelssohn’s “Quartet in D Major,” some of the men closed their eyes, responding to the musicians’ prompt to visualize a scene as they listened to the music.
Others quietly bobbed their heads and tapped their feet while Johnson swayed to the melody, moving his arms as if he were playing a violin.
When the song ended, the men clapped, cheered and gave the musicians a thumbs-up.
“It’s very lovely,” said Herbert Keys, 52, who is staying at the shelter. “It was great. [The music] relaxes you and gives you time to meditate.”
The program is run completely by volunteers, said Shelley Sonenberg, who founded the group with Pamela Bell, a friend and member of the Project Renewal's board of trustees.
“Every week we just come, hang out and do the art. Really, it’s about communicating with somebody, sitting down at the table and sharing ideas and making art,” said Sonenberg.
“It’s about contact and community."
