Portraits of Homelessness a collection of photographs and stories
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2100 lakeside
Portraits of Homelessness is an exhibit of 40 photographs and personal stories of Cleveland area individuals who are homeless, illustrating the human impact of this societal problem.Lydia Bailey, the Coordinator of Volunteers at Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry's 2100 Lakeside Men's Emergency Homeless Shelter, Ohio's largest such facility, compiled the photographs and personal accounts of 40 shelter residents. The 2100 Lakeside shelter serves more than 3,000 men annually. Bailey's intent is to bring the experiences of the men to life and the problem of homelessness into public consciousness. "My hope is that this exhibit can evoke a sense of appreciation for these men, their gifts, their struggles, their humanity," said Bailey."In these portraits of homelessness we can see a powerful microcosm of humanity and society, strength and frailty, brokenness and resilience, hope and sorrow, and indeed potential," said Michael Sering, Director of Housing & Shelter at Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry.The Dominion Foundation provided a $5,000 grant to fund the entire exhibit. With Portraits of Homelessness on the move to many venues, Community West Foundation funded a duplicate set of photographs and text to be on permanent display within the shelter of 2100, where hundreds of men pass through monthly. "Fitting that the shelter residents themselves have these portraits to whom this show is dedicated," says Lydia Bailey.In addition, Community West paid for 5 additional portraits to supplement the original collection of 35. As Bailey explains, "After the initial completion of the exhibit, I felt I could more specifically speak to just how awful homelessness is - how confusing and fearful, unlike anything else a person has known." The additional photographs and text address these concerns.For more information on the show, please contact Lydia Bailey. Dr. Stephanie FallCreek, President/CEO of Fairhill Partners: "“The main entrance of Fairhill Partners joyfully sheltered Portraits of Homelessness for several weeks in August 2010. Everyone who took the time to stop and examine the portraits (and hundreds of people did) were enriched by the beautiful visual and narrative messages. They were both inspiring and troubling- how could this be that so many are so vulnerable? Any stereotypes about what homelessness looks like were shattered if you stopped and absorbed even half a dozen of the images. Despite the sadness and frustration expressed by some, a spirit of optimism overpowers circumstance in portrait after portrait.”"From Stephanie Hiedemann, Service Director of Hathaway Brown School in Shaker Heights:HB has actually set up a year of programming inspired by your exhibit! Our theme for this school year is "There is No Place Like Home" and we are sponsoring service projects throughout the year focusing on hunger and homelessness. The opening night of Portraits of Homelessness we are hosting an Empty Bowls benefit which raises awareness about hunger. And, we are collaborating with Transitional Housing, Inc. to develop an interdisciplinary production on homeless women. Lastly, all of our donations to charity benefit causes pertaining to hunger and homelessness. So, your exhibit has greatly raised awareness at our school!
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