April 29, 2009 - Cleveland, Ohio - Sometimes art isn't sexy or pretty. Sometimes it's ugly but maybe then it's meant to make you think. Maybe, just maybe when you do look at it you'll think about how lucky you are to have a wall to hang it on.
In December of 2007 I issued my print "there but for…", a homeless man sleeping on a bench on Public Square in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. It's not pretty and it's not meant to be. Some see a bum. "Get a job," some say or think. I see "there but for the grace of God go I." This was intended to be the first in a series of ugly contemporary / modern art prints meant to make you think. Maybe, hopefully make you appreciate that you were given the tools to thrive and not just survive in this world. Something to display on your wall that when you glance at it you remember you could have been born to parents who were homeless. You could have been born without the tools to succeed. If the dice of life would have rolled just a little different that could be you.
Some years back I had the opportunity to do a major photo project for the Salvation Army. I finished that multi day project a different man. I was emotionally drained from seeing the kids born into this world with virtually nothing and even the adults, the parents that for whatever reason didn't have the tools to do anything more than survive let alone raise children. We see the salvation Army on TV during disasters or after a fire in someone's home when they come to help. These people deal with life's disasters every day. Not just after a hurricane, a tornado, a flood or a fire but every single day. I never knew how much they do until I saw it for myself. I never knew how hard of a job that is until I saw and experienced it for myself.
Seeing what these fine folks at the Salvation Army do I learned it would be easier to deal with the victims of a flood or a fire or even a hurricane. These victims you know or at least believe that with some help they can put their lives back together again. For them, you believe, tomorrow will be better. Then there are the hundreds you deal with that as much as you want to help you know the best you can do is help them to simply live until tomorrow until they're back the next day.
In December of 2007 I issued my print "there but for…", a homeless man sleeping on a bench on Public Square in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. It's not pretty and it's not meant to be. Some see a bum. "Get a job," some say or think. I see "there but for the grace of God go I." This was intended to be the first in a series of ugly contemporary / modern art prints meant to make you think. Maybe, hopefully make you appreciate that you were given the tools to thrive and not just survive in this world. Something to display on your wall that when you glance at it you remember you could have been born to parents who were homeless. You could have been born without the tools to succeed. If the dice of life would have rolled just a little different that could be you.
Some years back I had the opportunity to do a major photo project for the Salvation Army. I finished that multi day project a different man. I was emotionally drained from seeing the kids born into this world with virtually nothing and even the adults, the parents that for whatever reason didn't have the tools to do anything more than survive let alone raise children. We see the salvation Army on TV during disasters or after a fire in someone's home when they come to help. These people deal with life's disasters every day. Not just after a hurricane, a tornado, a flood or a fire but every single day. I never knew how much they do until I saw it for myself. I never knew how hard of a job that is until I saw and experienced it for myself.
Seeing what these fine folks at the Salvation Army do I learned it would be easier to deal with the victims of a flood or a fire or even a hurricane. These victims you know or at least believe that with some help they can put their lives back together again. For them, you believe, tomorrow will be better. Then there are the hundreds you deal with that as much as you want to help you know the best you can do is help them to simply live until tomorrow until they're back the next day.
I offered to do photos for a "There but for…" Salvation Army calendar to raise money. I got the project approved by the Salvation Army and began to try and find someone who would donate the printing. This wasn't going to be pretty seasonal photos. It was going to be photos of life on the streets or a woman and her kids in a battered women's shelter with no place else to go. As the project moved toward completion I began to concentrate on the kind of photos I wanted to do. It was then that I began to wonder if anyone would buy these calendars. Would most find them inspiring or depressing? I knew if I got the photos I wanted it would border on shocking and that's when I realized maybe I couldn't do it. I remembered how long it took me to get over the emotional drain of days I spent working with the Salvation Army for the first shoot I did. I really began to doubt I had the emotional strength to do this. If I did I really began to doubt anyone would buy the calendars because of the emotional power of the photos I wanted. I let the project die but I still wanted to do photos based on "There but for…".
The sales of my first "there but for…" print kind of proved my fear about the Salvation Army Calendar project. No one has bought this print. This is very much an important project to me so I have 3 new prints I will be announcing in the next couple of days. "there but for… II and III as well as a print I am titling "home sweet home".
A while back I was helping serve lunches to the homeless at a downtown Cleveland Catholic church (they let me help even though I'm a Methodist). One of the nuns knew and knew of many of the lunch visitors. One she told me of was a woman who has been a school teacher. One day she was gang raped by some of her students. She couldn't handle it emotionally and spent the rest of her life by her own choice homeless. This nun bought this lady a new blouse and she declined it. She said what she had was fine for where she lived and asked the nun to put it on her for her funeral. The nun did.
Two of my new prints are of Fred. Fred is a happy man. His entire existence is in the shopping cart he pushes everywhere he goes. I chatted with Fred while I did some photos and he smiled pleasantly as he explained and watched for my reaction to telling me he was sent here to America from Mars so he could report back. He was embarrassed because he chewed tobacco and when he sleeps he drools and gets stains on his shirt. Fred truly is a happy man and is fun to talk to. He has succeeded with the tools he was provided in life. Fred's not a bum and he doesn't want pity. Fred reminds me of something I read in Clarence Thomas' book My Grandfather's Son. Justice Thomas' Grandfather told him take what God has given you and make the best of it. Fred and so may others like him have done just that. Relatively speaking, Fred has succeeded.
There but for the Grace of God that could be you or me or Justice Clarence Thomas pushing that shopping cart.
That is why I have 3 new prints based on homeless coming and more to follow.
© 2009 DOUGLAS Art Prints. All rights reserved.
The sales of my first "there but for…" print kind of proved my fear about the Salvation Army Calendar project. No one has bought this print. This is very much an important project to me so I have 3 new prints I will be announcing in the next couple of days. "there but for… II and III as well as a print I am titling "home sweet home".
A while back I was helping serve lunches to the homeless at a downtown Cleveland Catholic church (they let me help even though I'm a Methodist). One of the nuns knew and knew of many of the lunch visitors. One she told me of was a woman who has been a school teacher. One day she was gang raped by some of her students. She couldn't handle it emotionally and spent the rest of her life by her own choice homeless. This nun bought this lady a new blouse and she declined it. She said what she had was fine for where she lived and asked the nun to put it on her for her funeral. The nun did.
Two of my new prints are of Fred. Fred is a happy man. His entire existence is in the shopping cart he pushes everywhere he goes. I chatted with Fred while I did some photos and he smiled pleasantly as he explained and watched for my reaction to telling me he was sent here to America from Mars so he could report back. He was embarrassed because he chewed tobacco and when he sleeps he drools and gets stains on his shirt. Fred truly is a happy man and is fun to talk to. He has succeeded with the tools he was provided in life. Fred's not a bum and he doesn't want pity. Fred reminds me of something I read in Clarence Thomas' book My Grandfather's Son. Justice Thomas' Grandfather told him take what God has given you and make the best of it. Fred and so may others like him have done just that. Relatively speaking, Fred has succeeded.
There but for the Grace of God that could be you or me or Justice Clarence Thomas pushing that shopping cart.
That is why I have 3 new prints based on homeless coming and more to follow.
© 2009 DOUGLAS Art Prints. All rights reserved.
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