Worlds of Homelessness
WORLDS OF HOMELESSNESS - DAY 2: How have artists engaged with homelessness in a meaningful way?

 

Artists have a different way of seeing and describing the world. Art has often been political, and artists have often raised awareness for social issues through their work.
 
The discussion on day 2 of the Worlds Of Homelessness event series, which took place at NAVEL, a collectively driven cultural organization in Los Angeles, dealt with questions such as: How have artists engaged in a meaningful way with homelessness? What strategies have they used to engage with communities, or are they part of the communities themselves? What challenges do artists face, and how do they engage with these challenges? What types of artistic engagements with homelessness are problematic, and why? What could be described as best practices?
 
Radames Eger, who grew up in Brazil and moved to Frankfurt, Germany with a dance scholarship, joined the event via Skype for a Q&A session after the screening of his film EX°ST. He has experienced homelessness and designs and creates clothes for homeless people, including jackets that can be changed into sleeping bags that he distributes to the community for free.
 
Also screened was the film LONG STORY SHORT by Natalie Bookchin, in which over 100 people at homeless shelters, food banks, adult literacy programs, and job training centers in Los Angeles and the Bay Area in Northern California speak about their experiences of poverty. The panel following the screenings offered artists and creatives from Los Angeles, Germany, and Brazil a forum to present their methods, practices, and experiences, as well as to engage with each other and the audience to discuss some of these questions. Participants included: John Malpede and Henriëtte Brouwers of the Los Angeles Poverty Department, which has worked and engaged with the Skid Row Artist Community for over three decades, realizing the Festival for All Skid Row Artists, as well as award-winning performances, exhibitions and the biennial,  Walk the Talk parade. Licko Turle from Brazil has worked with social movements in Brazil, including the „Movimento Sem Teto da Bahia“and the Theatre of the Oppressed. Fabian Debora is an artist who served as a counselor and as Director of Substance Abuses Services & Programming as well as a mentor at Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles for a decade and is currently Executive Director of Somos LA Arte- Homeboy Art Academy. A very lively group discussion with the audience closed out day 2 of the event series.