The art of charity

The snotty high-brow attitude can't last forever. Sometimes, the most authentic and inspirational pieces of Mexican art are not art at all; not sold in a gallery or on display at a museum or sitting at an expensive trade shop. Sometimes, they're piled under a wad of sweat shirts and bicycle parts. The crafts and decorations at St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store, on South Sixth Avenue and Stone, prove that it doesn't need to cost a hundred bucks to visually embrace a culture.
St. Vincent the organization has a rich history: It began as a Catholic charity in 1833 when a law student at the Sorbonne (in Paris), Frédéric Ozanam, was challenged during a debate to show what he and his peers were doing to help people in need. Within weeks, the 20-year-old created the "Conference of Charity," which had him and his friends going door-to-door giving out foods and necessities payed for out of their own pocket. Soon after, the charity organization grew 600-strong. Now, the operation has expanded to thrift stores, shelters, outreach programs, employment services and more.
This particular Vincent de Paul store is located on the edge of downtown, where the small shops and local flavor the south side begins. The store is one of the biggest Tucson has to offer, with seperate rooms for clothing, art, stitching materials, bicycles and patio faire, plates and furniture. St. Vincent even has a room where the less-well-off can shop for basically free.
When you search around, you can find countless examples of Mexican arts and crafts. For example, I saw these Mexican puppets; so old that the color was chipping off, with strings tangled together and dusty faces. But that gives them all the more character. Another interesting series of artifacts are the life-like diaramas of miniature saints. While they may seem goofy to us, these are used as religious shrines for many Mexican Catholics.
St. Vincent has a plethora of bizarre, beautiful and original objects. If you just take the time to dig, you might be rewarded.