Homeless: What Image Comes to Mind?

What image comes to mind when you hear the word "homeless"? What adjectives come to mind; what are common words used when the conversation turns to homelessness and homeless people? My personal favorites are: bum, lazy and does not want to work. While there may be lazy people among the homeless population, laziness probably played no part in the person becoming homeless. Does not want to work? Many homeless people hold jobs while living on the streets or in shelters. Many also became homeless after a lifetime of working. How exactly does one define the word bum? There have been reports of 400 Iraqi War Vets that have found themselves homeless after risking their life in Iraq. Are they bums?

Changing perceptions that people have about the homeless population was Cal State Long Beach's Visual Communications senior class project. The completed projects were displayed at Long Beach's East Village Arts Park in conjunction with "2nd Saturday Arts Walk" on May 12. The showing was presented again on Sunday, the 13th. I spoke to some of the students and they credit their professor, Mike Whitlow with originating the idea of "changing perceptions of homelessness in Long Beach through art". The attitude among the young men and women showed that they enthusiastically embraced the subject matter and put much effort into their assignment

The first thing I noticed when I entered the small gated park was the foot mat with the words "Please Wipe Your Feet" followed by "5000 men women and children call these streets their home". The "Change Please" logo with information about the Art's Park event is also printed on the mat. The next thing I saw was a sign with pie chart statistics. "Women and children make up 41% of the Long Beach homeless population." Surprising? When I asked at the start of this article "what image comes to mind when you hear the word homeless", was your image one of a woman or child? Can a child or teenager truly be considered a bum?

Displays included oil and acrylic paintings as well as pen and ink sketches. Some were portraits of Long Beach homeless living at the Rescue Mission and it's woman's site, the Lydia House. A "Chutes and Ladders" board game created by Jen Hansard titled "A Broken System", was divided into 3 sections: homeless, middle class and wealthy. The chutes and ladders clearly showed how people slide into homelessness or can climb out of it. Professor Whitlow's book, "Cardboard Walls" featured provocative poetry and drawings. There was quite a line of people wishing to read the book, so I did not view all 54 pages.

Cardboard boxes were stacked at angles to feature photographs of homeless people and service organizations conditions. Atop the boxes one could read about the black and white photos. The students notepads listed notations about other photos they took around Long Beach. I would have enjoyed seeing all of them, but only 3 from each student were on display. One photo showed a doorknob and jam in need of repair. The notation said the organization would choose to spend $10.,000. on direct services for homeless people rather than on repairs.

Speaking of cardboard, hanging on the parks wire fence was a display of cardboard signs mimicing those used by homeless people. "Homeless Not Hopeless" might be the sentiment of the few homeless people that sit on the garden style wooden chairs in the Art Park during the day. A small park with no restroom facilities it is a quiet place for homeless people to read a book or daily newspaper or simply enjoy the fragrant flowers and butterflies. Long Beach's visible homeless do not often sleep in cardboard boxes, but do use cardboard as a cushion between cold cement and sleeping bags or blankets. They also use cardboard as "walls" to block the wind.

The students showed an understanding of an often overlooked aspect of the causes of homelessness: poverty. Joanna Wyzgoska and Shevaun Seene had help creating a 20 minute documentary, "Voices". Though it was filmed in Los Angeles, it showed the disparity between beautifully landscaped homes and the poor side of town where many homeless people are forced to spend their time. Ms. Wyzgoska and Ms. Seene interviewed homed and homeless people. They did an excellent editing job interspersing voice clips with statistics and film clips. The film held the attention of people that viewed it in a black plasitc bag makeshift tent. Long Beach homeless would sometimes make a similar shelter huddled close to trees alongside the LA riverbanks.

Immediately following the documentary was a startling 30 second television spot entitled, "The Streets Are Not a Home". The opening shot is of a cropped photo of a child's face: eyes, nose and part of a ski cap. Street people call the ski caps, "beanies" and even in sunny, Southern California they are a "must have" for the homeless to stay warm against the chill night air. "Advertising" was a group project which included the welcome mat, print campaign, Real Estate Guide and coffee cup sleeves by Hide Konishi, Mariam Farooq, Adam Rosinsky and Tareeda Boonyawatana.

One of the highlights of the art show was "Invisible" by Aaron Bird and Jesse Echon. It included a sculpture of an "invisible" person. Created with found ripped clothing including sneakers and hooded sweatshirt, the stiff, faceless sculpture was placed in front of a screen. A film, accompanied by an original musical composition, showed real people hustling about their business. Their goal was "to communicate the isolation, despair and hopelessness" faced by homeless people. I do not know that the students knew that feeling invisible is a homeless experience. In addition to live music, free sandwiches and sodas for guests, the students had a large box for food and clothing donations that they will distribute to the homeless through the Rescue Mission.

My feeling after viewing the show and speaking to the students is these 26 graduating seniors will use their talent to make a positive difference in their communities. The "Change Please Long Beach" art show could also change people's perceptions about the homeless population living within the midst of any community. To see a sample of CSLUB students graphic arts work visit "Change Please Long Beach". You will need to disable popup blockers to view the short presentation.

(Long Beach California News, May 12, 2007)