Caritas, translated from Latin, means “love for all
people.” And that’s what Caritas is
largely about; people… bringing them together, welcoming their story, and
loving them because of it. On any given
day inside this old brick building off of Harvard Ave, you will witness the
stories being told. They’re being told
at tables spread throughout the big room.
Sometimes it’s very quiet, there are quiet murmurs between people. On other days, it’s loud and stories roar
from table to table. Even when this place
is empty, there are stories captured in works of art and they’re covering the
walls.
Frank D. Robinson is Caritas’ artist in residence. He grew up in Whitehaven and attended The
School of The Art Institute of Chicago.
Frank is a storyteller of an unconventional variety. Using debris found in every day life, things
that most people overlook, Frank creates chaotically controlled portraits. Looking at the portraits, it’s hard not to
come up with some sort of narrative about the subjects. They are covered in discarded labels, hair
combs, bottle caps. According to TheEnvironmentalistEveryDay.org,
the average American throws away 4.5 lbs of trash a day… Frank first fell into
using these unwanted items while living in Washington, DC. “I wasn’t thinking about recycling… I just
didn’t have any money.” Frank’s approach
was perhaps initially out of convenience but the pieces, filled with labels and
items that our consumerist society is overridden with, carried a message that
was impossible not to read and so, he ran with it.
“At first, the work was kind of clumsy but it still came out
calculated and revealed my message.” And
the pieces are in fact kind of chaotic, typically filled with a single figure
surrounded by bright colors, words and thoughts penned by Frank himself and
labels that we see in every day life.
“You know, if you throw away something, you might see me
pick it up or me and you might be walking down the street and then you’ll find
yourself picking up stuff for me… me and you might be sitting down at Caritas
and you might tell me a story about your grandpa and I’ll hold that story in my
mind so I’ll take that story and put it in a piece and when you see it, you’ll
be like “yeah, I get it.” And it will
mean something to you… but it might not mean something to other viewers until I
tell them the story… You know how your grandmother has this dresser or this
drawer that you cant touch? And you
don’t know what to do with all of that stuff?
I take the stuff in the dresser and it goes into the work and it becomes
her story manifested in a piece.”
The connectedness of every human story, the small and quiet
similarities in all of us are what many search for, we need to feel that we are
not so alone and our story is shared.
Frank’s goal is to carry the story and cause the viewer to relate. “I want to make you feel something; if it’s
sad, I’m doing my job… all stories aren’t happy ever after. They always tell the story of the couple,
ending happy, walking hand in hand into the sunset but they never tell what
happens after… it’s messy."
The work of Frank D. Robinson
can be seen all over Memphis but it’s born out of the heart of Binghampton,
just across the street from Caritas.
Nearly every day, Frank’s funky VW can be seen parked in front of the
studio across the street or he might be hanging out in a booth at Caritas,
sketching and collecting stories from the many different people that visit
every day. He is a carrier of hope, he is a carrier of strength, and his voice, embodied through painting, speaks the stories of all that he meets. It truly is an honor to have such a powerful presence with us at Caritas... and we are so grateful for the stories shared.
In addition to Frank’s studio, Caritas offers studios for
rent in the green house directly across the street. The two studios range from $200.00 - $250.00
a month. Contact us at Caritashopegallery.gmail.com for more info!!!!
