STEVE Castel is an example of a man who didn't let a difficult upbringing control the rest of his life.
It wasn't an easy road, but Castel persevered.
Steve Castel performs on traditional hand drum: “I don't want to waste my time being miserable or grumpy’
"I don't want to waste my time being miserable or grumpy," Castel said, as he took a break from leading a group of young people in an art session at Graffiti Art Gallery on Higgins Avenue.
Castel is one of six participants in the Urban Canvas program at the gallery. The 48-week program gives emerging aboriginal artists an opportunity to work with professional artist mentors and instructors while developing career skills.
Growing up in Pukatawagan, Castel began expressing himself through art as a young child.
"I always came to school upset or angry about what happened at home," said Castel. "I'd be sitting beside kids that were so happy, and it made me wish I was them."
He moved to Winnipeg when he was 18 years old.
"My grandparents always said when I turned 18 I could do whatever I wanted," Castel said.
But the move to Winnipeg wasn't a smooth one.
"I struggled," he said.
Without a high school diploma, he had a tough time finding work. Eventually Castel wound up in prison.
But the time he spent there changed his life.
"Prison wasn't a bad thing for me. It really benefited me in a positive way because I found myself. I found my spirituality, my beliefs, my principles and my values," Castel said.
He said he was able to explore many different beliefs from Christianity to native spirituality.
"Getting out of prison was a different story because now you have to deal with society."
A friend introduced Castel to Steve Wilson, the executive director of Graffiti Art Gallery Inc. Castel applied to be a participant of Urban Canvas.
"You either apply yourself to opportunities or you don't, which is what I'm doing now."
Now 26, he chooses to focus on positive things, and hopes to become an art therapist.
"I try to come here every morning with a smile on my face," Castel said.
Wilson said the United Way has been a key supporter of Graffiti Art Gallery Inc. This year, the United Way invested $135,000 in the gallery and its programs.
"About 60 per cent of what we teach here is considered life skills," Wilson said.
Art hangs on the walls of the gallery from past and present Urban Canvas participants or they are welcome to use the gallery and studio space once they're finished the program. When the program began, the focus was on graffiti artists, though it's evolved to include other artists.
"We get a lot of phone calls from people looking for mural artists," Wilson said.
Last year, commissioned murals added up to $60,000, of which the artists get 60 per cent.
"It provided a lot of employment and money for the artists," Wilson said.
michelle.melanson@freepress.mb.ca
PREVIOUS
