POVA Artist, Kateri, Purchases Her Own Vehicle

When Kateri began selling art at POVA in 2014, she was sleeping in a tent and relying on a cane and wheelchair to get around. She had no extra income for luxuries like bus fare. In 2015, Kateri was fortunate to receive much-needed knee surgery, as well as transition into section 8 housing with the help of Open Table Nashville, Inc.

Over the last 6 years, Kateri has perfected her artistic craft, becoming a top seller year after year at POVA. However, her biggest limitation to success and participation in our program continued to be transportation. After WeGo's budget cuts, routes were reduced and buses would regularly be packed or broken down. While the knee surgery improved her mobility, Kateri still endured pain especially when waiting for hours at bus stops without shelters or benches.

After saving portions of her POVA artwork sales income, as well as saving her stimulus check, Kateri was finally able to purchase her own vehicle this month. She is now accessing a newfound level of freedom like never before! Kateri says she's most looking forward to using her car to transport her own artwork like she did today.

We are so proud of Kateri and thankful for everyone in our community who has invested in her artistic and personal life, whether through purchasing art, donating supplies, or volunteering time. You can continue to help our artists achieve their goals by shopping their works at PovertyandtheArts.org.