Our History

I Love a Parade was incorporated in 1996 by Sandra Haff and a small group of homeless and middle-class people.  During our first two years we developed a community support base, conducted a marketing study (labor donated by a local marketing professional), located a studio site (donated by Alliance of the Streets) and conducted a trial run with the artists.  Most importantly, homeless individuals participated actively in all phases of the planning and implementation of what has become I Love a Parade.  And in 1998, we received our first start-up grant from the Carolyn Foundation, which allowed us to hire our first artists in 1999.

We are have completed our tenth year of operation and have experienced a great deal of success.  More importantly, we have been encouraged by the dedication of some of the artists who have managed to stay on the job much longer than the six month average.

Although the artists currently earn an hourly wage of $10, their financial gain is secondary to the personal growth they have experienced.  Not only have they become skilled artists, but the process has also altered their self-images and their ability to deal with their personal struggles.  Our director has been a consistent and genuine advocate and friend with each I Love a Parade artist.  As a result most of the artists have achieved a number of personal goals such as finding and maintaining affordable housing, completing chemical dependency treatment, restoring custody with children lost to the system, and gaining a positive and deliberate sense of self-worth.

Furthermore, we have been very pleased that the local art world and the general public have enthusiastically embraced and supported I Love a Parade.  We have participated in several juried art shows, received merit awards, been featured in numerous newspaper articles, and have exhibited our work in several art galleries.

We are pleased to note that our art catches wide spread attention - first, by virtue of the quality and off-beat composition of "Dancing for Joy" pins, "Wild Women Don't Get the Blues" pins, and "Puppets with Attitude", "Fantasy Faces" masks and one-of-a-kind design appliquéd purses and secondly due to the amazement by the community that all of our art is created by women who are homeless.

Recently the I Love a Parade artists embarked upon the most exciting and the most difficult art adventure in our history, a traveling exhibit called The Dolls: Women who have experienced homeless telling their stories through art.

Finally, it is important to mention the collaborative relationships we have developed throughout the years.  Some of the agencies with which I Love a Parade continues to partner are: The Alliance Housing, Alliance of the Streets, Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, COMPAS, Chrysalis, and The Guthrie Theater.