The Art Cart visits the HomeGround festival at Oppenheimer Park

This week, after a long winter hibernation, the Art Cart visited Oppenheimer Park for the annual HomeGround festival, a gathering for homeless and underhoused community of Oppenheimer Park.

The Art Cart (a partner project of Gachet and Oppenheimer) is a mobile bike-powered art sales, gallery and workshop space. Throughout the spring and summer, the Art Cart will be venturing out to festivals, markets and community gatherings.

The Art Cart was also designed to be written on and at HomeGround became a space for collaborative writing — in response to the question “Is Homelessness A Crime?”

Try walkin’ in my shoes

Yes…the criminals are the politicians who don’t address it

To be loveless is a crime

Over several hours the Art Cart filled with responses.

Being homeless is a mother.

No. The crime is keeping people in a state of fear.

Thanks to the organizers of HomeGround for having the Art Cart at the festival & to everyone who wrote.

The Art Cart is available for DTES workshops and gatherings. Community members are encouraged to attend an Art Cart Operator training session and learn how to take the Cart out. If you’re interested in the Cart for your group or project, email Alex Leslie at artcart@gachet.org.

photo credit: Ali Lohan

Metro Vancouver Cultural Grants, Regional Projects, the Great Beginnings program and the CACV are acknowledged for their support of the Art Cart project.