​Edited by Megan Schmidt

Long before the written word, images were fundamental to the human experience. Our ancestors used tools to engrave, carve and paint images that had deep significance to their communities. Our world today is still very much a visual one. Perhaps that is why the arts are an ideal way to connect a community.

40 West Arts brings together artists, neighbors, business owners and students who are committed to making art education and experiences accessible. In partnership with 40 West Arts, Metro West Housing Solutions (MWHS) provides a free live/work space at our Lamar Station Crossing community for a year to one artist who wants to share their passion and knowledge with Lakewood residents and beyond through public art workshops and other events.

Recently, MWHS sat down with the fourth artist in residence James Overstreet to reflect on art, community service and what inspires him. The born-in-Colorado, raised-in-Wyoming 29-year-old Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design (RMCAD) graduate says that if he instills an interest in art in at least one person, he will feel as though he accomplished something during his tenure as artist-in-residence, which will be coming to a close later this month. 

by Megan Schmidt

April is Fair Housing Month. It commemorates the landmark legislation signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on April 11, 1968—just days after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4.

The act prohibited housing discrimination based on race, color, religion and national origin. Discrimination based on sex was added in 1974. A 1988 amendment added important protections for people with disabilities and familial status.

Legacy of MLK
King, who had been on the front lines on the fight for fair housing, believed that open housing was the foundation for a truly integrated and equal society. Throughout the 20th century, racially restrictive covenants, deeds and leases were used to prevent people of color from renting and purchasing homes in white communities. Redlining—the refusal to back mortgages on properties located in or near black communities—was another common practice.