Jimmy Tsotomu Mirikitani , a brilliant artist, lived on the streets of New York until 911 when a remarkable young woman took him in to live in her tiny New York apartment. 

She had been buying his paintings, chatting him up, and filming him, on her visits to his makeshift home/studio on the street. Hunched over he painted every which possible way, it seemed especially with paper laid out on the sidewalk.

Then 911 came. Linda Hattendorf filmed the towers, the destruction; the fiming is over a 10 year period. She filmed Jimmy. There he was on the street. Still painting. Jimmy painted cats. And he painted scenes of interment camps.

Jimmy and Linda became family. She helped him find his past and his family. She helped him find his reinstated U.S. citizenship which was revoked when he became interred.

She facilitated the return of his identity, in a way that allowed him to maintain his fierce pride.

Remember I said that he was bent over? By the end of the documentary he was standing straight exhibiting and teaching his art!

This is such a beautiful story of the healing power of true friendship. It makes my heart swell and eyes moist thinking of it again. It made me proud that the goodness in humanity is still accessible and in action.

The DVD is available on the Cats of Mirikitani website.

PICTURES AND BIO OF JIMMY

JIMMY'S ART

"There are two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." -- Albert Einstein

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Deborah Pearce is a Kelowna Business Woman & webmaster established with locals and internationals in various aspects of Interiors, Art, and Business for over 20 years. LIVING SPACES features over 140 ARTICLES on Staging, Art and Interiors.

Deborah speaks on a variety of subjects. Her blog frequently features interior design, real estate, community, environmental, internet, travel, art and human interests.