Meet Sophie Alpert

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Sophie Alpert. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Sophie below.

Sophie, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
I am a first-generation American and the daughter of a Holocaust survivor. I was constantly inspired by the resilience and positive energy my father displayed despite all he had endured. My father instilled a spirit of gratitude and sense of purpose in me. I felt compelled to give back to those less fortunate because my life was very blessed. In my 20’s, I worked at a child care center in Skid Row. The poverty, neglected youth and lack of resources available for families affected me deeply. I could not get the images of the children I met out of my head and knew this was a community I wanted to focus on helping. Years later, that sense of purpose evolved into creating, Piece by Piece, a non-profit serving families and individuals experiencing homelessness.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
In 2007, I founded Piece by Piece, a social enterprise arts non-profit that offers mosaic workshops and materials free of charge for residents of South Los Angeles, Skid Row, and neighboring communities. Through sales of their artwork, Piece by Piece provides opportunities for participants to learn skills, earn supplemental income, and gain self-esteem and improved wellness, Discarded materials such as broken china, ceramics, tiles, and stained glass remnants are purposely used as they are accessible allowing participants to source them on their own. Using recycled materials also allows Piece by Piece to save an average of two tons of materials from landfills each year. Putting broken pieces together to create beautiful new art can also be seen as a metaphor for how some of our participants are healing through art to give their lives new meaning.

We have grown and are proud to be heading into our 17th year of programming. Some of our own participants have become mentors. Today, our talented artists work on commissioned pieces and large-scale public art projects.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Passion, a willingness to ask questions, and listening have helped me the most in my Piece by Piece journey. There was so much I didn’t know when I first started Piece by Piece. I think a willingness to learn, perseverance and not taking no for an answer is important for anyone embarking on a new path. Networking and taking the time to appreciate other perspectives have been helpful, as well.

How can folks who want to work with you connect?
We love to collaborate and are always looking to partner with other organizations or individuals. Our artists can create awards, personal meaningful pieces or large-scale murals. Additionally, participation in our workshops is open to the community. Our workshops are uplifting, healing, and inspiriting. For more information, please contact us through our website at [email protected].

Contact Info:


Image Credits:

Maya Myers Photography Dawn Mendelson

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