I love this story. For two years, Mike Bancroft and a group of fellow artists collaborated with over 100 Chicago-area youth and community members to bring attention to an often overlooked issue: homelessness. They reached out to local high school art classes and after school programs, and set up 3 temporary factory spaces where they created over 200 papier mache piñatas stuffed with emergency space blankets. They called the project Pinata Factory, and this winter, they displayed the piñatas under highway underpasses that homeless people used for shelter before the underpasses were fenced in by the Illinois Department of Transportation. They disguised their truck as a sanitation vehicle so they could freely make their deliveries, and always left piles of extra space blankets behind to be easily accessible to people who needed them.

The piñatas are amazing: Giant sculptures of people and animals, simultaneously political and artistic, giving kids a creative outlet while strengthening community and bringing attention to how we treat our most vulnerable citizens. Co-op Image is the group responsible for this project and for many other public arts programs that connect local artists with youth in under-served communities.

takepart and watch the Piñata Factory in action.  Admire photos of the piñatas, and support Co-op Image’s efforts to strengthen communities through public arts education programs.

(Photo: DROOO’s flickr photostream)