Talent hides in unusual places
By John Mohan

Two weeks ago nobody outside a small circle of family and friends heard of Scottish amateur singer Susan Boyle.

There seemed nothing extraordinary about her that would draw the attention of the world. Middle-aged at 47 she is unmarried and unemployed.

On the heavier side, wearing a modest-cut dress and an outdated hairstyle, she was unlike anyone or anything that influences pop culture.

She was so clearly out of place compared to her younger, fashion-conscious competitors that people cynically laughed as she walked on stage of the first round of Britain's Got Talent.

People believed she was either an intentional comedy act or obviously out of touch with reality if she thought she could actually compete. They laughed at her appearance and they laughed at her aspirations. (She'd heard those snickers all her life.) Then she sang an angelic-like rendition of I Dreamed a Dream from Les Miserables.

Judges and audience were awestruck as was the rest of the world that have seen her performance on television news and millions of YouTube hits.

Susan Boyle has become our summer obsession for 2009 who may be forgotten in a few months. But perhaps she will be more than that.

Perhaps she will teach us about how we should view people and you don't have to look Hollywood-ish to have talent, or more importantly, value.

But you don't have to look to the United Kingdom to learn that lesson.

If you walk into the art room at Siloam Mission you will see the walls covered with varying degrees of talent. The artists are Winnipeg's inner city poor and homeless.

They are people who struggle with mental illnesses and addictions. They live in poor housing conditions or on our streets or in our shelters.

They rely on agencies for food and support and community. They are weathered, scared people -- sometimes to the point of looking frightening. But they are broken and marginalized; convinced they have no redeemable qualities.

As you look over the mounted art pieces, you will soon be drawn to several detailed landscapes that seem to stand out from the everything else. You will likely assume the creator is a well-known, well-healed artist with a fine home and loving family. But that is not the case.

"Angie" is in her 50s but looks like she's 65. She is slight and has a few missing teeth.

Her clothes are too small and clearly from another decade. And she wears interesting hats. At first meeting no one would guess she is capable of painting gallery-quality art.

But she does. And she is a person of worth and talent -- no matter how she looks.

Maybe Susan Boyle and our homeless artists can do more than sing and paint.

Perhaps they will create better people who have learned to look beyond appearance.

--John Mohan is the CEO of Siloam Mission.

Originally printed in the Winnipeg Sun, Wednesday, April 22, 2009.
Reprinted with the permission of Sun Media Corporation.