Giving HeART Back to the Community

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“When you’re homeless, February is the most dangerous month of the year.”  During the winter months, many people throughout the Mid-West will freeze to death or be exposed to severe illness. Others simply live with the physical ache of the perpetual cold, waiting until morning comes to find a place of warmth.

The Art Central Foundation has been offered a unique opportunity to host a very important traveling exhibition entitled “Homeless: Telling Our Own Stories”.   The show includes three series of work, each asking the viewer to explore homelessness through the eyes of the individuals for which it is a reality.  The exhibit will open throughout the Art Central District in Middletown on November 22 and replace the ACF’s traditional GOT ART! display.

One series, Telling Our Own Stories, is a group of self-documenting photographs. Using disposable cameras, homeless individuals took time to document their lives, taking pictures of friends, personal treasures, the city and their daily routine.

Another project is by artist Mark Anthony Mulligan. Mulligan’s work has been featured in a variety of exhibits around the country and is in the permanent collections of the New Orleans Museum of Art and the Folk Art Museum at Morehead, KY. Mulligan himself has been homeless off and on for the last 20 years and has been diagnosed with a severe mental illness. In 2001, Mulligan spent six months using a Kinko’s as his regular art creating space. Sixteen hours a day, Mulligan would draw his brightly colored, primitive city landscapes that featured his affection for oil signs and his narratives of how he viewed the world and himself.

The final series, In Three Years, is a collaborative effort by several homeless individuals & a group of visual artists.  “In three years, what do you want to be doing?” This was the question each of the homeless subjects in these photographs was asked. After gathering answers to the questions, the Sojourn Visual Arts group worked with the subjects to illustrate their answers.  A similar local collaboration will occur between Middletown’s homeless population & artists from the Oaks Community Church on Central Ave.

In addition to the three series of work, there are two multi media installation pieces that are part of the overall exhibit.  Voices Real, Voices Unheard is meant to relay the mental weight of homelessness to the viewer.  Not unlike when a weather worn homeless person enters a room, the brightly colored box sticks out and grabs the attention of people. Once inside, participants experience some of the weight of being on the other side of homelessness.  The Middletown Public Library will house Voices in their lobby.  The second work, A Home for the Homeless, melds video interviews with a wall drawing to create a unique multi media experience exploring the thoughts and expressions of homeless men.  This piece can be viewed at the First United Methodist Church across from the Library on Broad St.

The show premiered in Louisville, Kentucky, in February of 2008 and was organized by Jesse Eubanks of Jefferson Street Baptist Center, a mission in Louisville dedicated to serving the homeless.  It has since travelled throughout the Eastern United States, appearing in galleries, art centers & college campuses, and is currently showing in New Orleans at the Convergence Center for the Arts.

The Jefferson Street Baptist Center is not what most would think of when considering a homeless shelter.   Jefferson Street is the direct mailing address for over 1700 homeless individuals.  Not having an address to put on job applications or that family members can use to keep in contact is just one of the many overlooked obstacles the homeless must face.  The Center has four distinct programs that directly address the many issues that can lead to homelessness and attempts to assist those caught in its web.

JSBC Website: http://jeffersonstreet.org
HOPE Website: http://hopeforlouisville.com