There is a common misconception that art is too intangible or too impractical to create social change. Shelter Song: Art from the Homeless proves otherwise.

Documentarian Joan Laskoff discovers artists and performers who show that dauntless creativity can exist even in the direst circumstances. The film explores the work of artists who are or have been homeless, giving us a candid look at their lives and the context for the wide range of art – from painting to hip hop – they produce. We also get invaluable insight into the therapeutic, empowering, and political potential of art.

Laskoff’s filmography includes biographies on Gustave Eiffel and Joseph Pulitzer, and We Put Her There, a documentary on the Statue of Liberty

Producer, writer, & director: Joan Laskoff. Cinematographer: Ronald Myrvik. Music advisor: Ronn Yedidia.

U.S.A./2016/25 minutes/Color