The M4N Art Workshop

Moses M. - untitled (head)
Buck - untitled (flowers)
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M4NAW - J.I. - Carved Soap.png
Moses M. - untitled (Fighting Iris)
M4NAW - Sewing (1).png
M4NAW - Art Workshop (1).png

About

The Motels4Now Art Workshop (M.4.N.A.W.) is a site-specific art workshop organized by artist and staff member M.T. Giddings with the “guests” of Motels4Now (M4N), a low-barrier homeless shelter in South Bend, Indiana, that is a program of New Day Intake Center, a 501c3 non-profit. It was founded in March of 2024.

We have had two exhibitions to date: our inaugural show at Our Lady of the Road (June-September 2025) and “We’re Here” at Colfax Cultural Center (December 2025-January 2026).

The goals of the program are:

  • To positively impact the guests’ experience at M4N, both aesthetically and socially

  • To help guests develop creative outlets that they can draw from for the rest of their lives

  • To tap into the abundant creativity of our guests to explore what is possible together

  • To positively impact local arts and homeless communities through meaningful exchange

  • To humanize and destigmatize homelessness

The workshop has three main dimensions: 

  1. It is an approach that is tailored to M4N for supporting and promoting artmaking

  2. It is a multipurpose studio stocked with art supplies and equipment

  3. It is consistent weekly group meet-ups in the studio

Our approach (abbreviated): 

  1. Treat each participating guests as an artist

  2. Leverage trust earned in real relationships

  3. Welcome any level of participation

  4. Meet people where they are at and make no assumptions about ability

  5. Take direction from guests

  6. Maximize the artmaking abilities of guests

  7. Showcase artwork

Principles of the Studio (abbreviated):

  • Use the materials at hand

  • Source additional supplies from waste and reuse streams

  • Keep artwork safe 

  • Develop as a multipurpose space and resource 

Meet-Ups (abbreviated): 

  • Regular weekly drop-in group sessions

  • Provide a consistent invitation to connect with artmaking

  • Support artmaking throughout the week

Support

Funds and donated supplies and equipment provide essential support our year-round art-making and exhibition program.

Donations are tax-deductable.

Contact M.T. (info at bottom of the page) to make a donation online.

Checks can be made out to New Day Intake Center, with Motels4Now Art Workshop in the memo, and sent to P.O. Box 11162, South Bend, IN 46634.

Materials Wishlist (new and used welcome!)

Download 1-page wishlist here

Tools & Equipment

  • Brushes

  • Exacto knives; box cutters; paint scrapers

  • Pencil sharpeners, manual and electric

  • Hot glue guns

  • Clipboards (15-20)

  • Corner clamps for framing

  • Mat cutter or mat cutting system

  • Tall, locking filing cabinet (1-2)

  • 6-8’ sturdy folding tables (4)

  • Drying rack

  • Flat file drawers

  • Comfortable/padded folding chairs or stackable chairs (10-20)

Supplies

  • Paint: tempera; acrylic; oil; watercolor; house paint; auto paint; spray paint; clear coat; gesso; paint pens

  • Glue: glue sticks; spray mount; wood glue; hot glue gun sticks; glitter glue; super glue; epoxy

  • Drawing media: colored pencils; markers; sharpies; pencils; pens; gel pens, pastels; chalk; charcoal

  • Paper: sketchbooks; cardstock; watercolor

  • Picture frames; framing wire, hardware, and tape

  • Exacto blades

  • Sand paper

  • Matboard

  • Glitter, tinsel, confetti, mirrors (pieces and whole)

    For material donations:

  • Drop-off at Motels4Now, 3233 Lincoln Way West, room 206

  • Arrange a pick up (contact at bottom of the page).

  • Order from our Blick Art Materials Wishlist to have supplies mailed directly to us.

M.4.N.A.W. Founder/Facilitator

M.T. Giddings (they/them; mtgiddings.com) is an artist who collages found material in diverse forms, from visual art to performance to developing organizations. They have developed art workshops for Boys and Girls Clubs (Bloomington and South Bend, IN), YMCA (San Francisco), Filipino Educational Center (San Francisco), Blackstone Bicycle Works (Chicago), Experimental Station (Chicago), St. Stanislaus Kostka School (Chicago), South Chicago Art Center (Chicago), Southside Hub of Production (Chicago), and Elsewhere Living Museum and Artist Residency (Greensboro, NC). They supported the artmaking of adult artists with developmental disabilities at Creativity Explored in San Francisco. M.T. also founded and ran The Collaboration Room, a studio for the exploration of intergenerational visual arts collaborations. Most recently, M.T. completed a two-month artist residency with Werkhaus Muenzviertel in Hamburg, Germany leading a daily collaborative art workshop for youth experiencing homelessness between the ages of 18 and 25.

Supporters

The M4N Art Workshop is supported by the Indiana Family & Social Services Administration: Division of Mental Health and Addiction; Indiana Arts Commission, Community Foundation of St. Joseph County, Blick Art Materials, American Art Clay Company, St. Margaret’s House, and the generous material donations from our community.

The Impact.

Testimonials

“From the audiences who get to experience these powerful works, to those who purchase pieces and bring them into their homes, to the community members who begin to see our unhoused neighbors in a new, more humanizing light — your programming is creating cultural and social shifts. You're not just supporting individuals, you’re fostering a more inclusive, empathetic, and inspired community.”

-Charity Stowe, Herstoric Development

“The art produced is meaningful and powerful, but equally important are the human connections formed and the sense of self-worth the artists carry forward. […] When their work is shown publicly, our wider community learns to see unhoused people in a new light. They are not statistics, they are neighbors with creativity, resilience, and something to offer. That shift in perspective is powerful, and it creates a ripple effect toward a more compassionate community.”

-Doni Funkhouser, Director of Art Programming, St. Margaret's House

“The Motels4Now Art Workshop offers an important stepping stone for anyone looking to move their lives forward. It offers a space where anyone can walk through the door and begin the process of creating their future life and path at the four top table. Come in, sit down, make something, have a conversation, drink a cup of coffee and leave, after a bit, with a new creation, a new direction, a new vision of your future. I can’t think of a better place or need in which to insert the practice of making art.”

-William Tourtillotte, Senior Lecturer of Printmaking, Raclin School for the Arts, IUSB

For all matters related to the M.4.N.A.W., please contact M.T. Giddings at mt@newdaysouthbend.org or call Motels4Now at 574.222.0417 Sunday-Tuesday.