Exhibit: Homelessness is My Address, Not My Name

Letter to volunteers from Cathy ten Broeke, Coordinator to End Homelessness, Minneapolis/Hennepin County.

August 24, 2010

Greetings Project Homeless Connect Volunteers!

I hope this finds you all well and that you are gearing up for our next big
event on Monday, December 13!

Today, I am writing to invite you to a very special art exhibit.  As you may
remember, at the last several Project Homeless Connect events, we have had a
section dedicated to gathering oral histories.   A professional photographer
has also been on hand to take portraits of the families and individuals that
stop by.  These portraits and the accompanying oral histories are now a part
of a new exhibit called Homeless is My Address, Not My Name.  Please visit
www.homelessismyaddress.org<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103622424939&s=1470&e=001k1fJBuOogv5BAZJenRtohSFSQnEg-8ymsO--nrQM1AY0sq-Q4C4Mpq94-9PxB4_hYIU011wC3SqfWRn96N_pNv7JnYVvQ9rcqLe7H8bsXT8j2KCpnvAjoPgbzVxODrDv>to
view the invitation to join us on opening night at the Chambers Hotel
/Burnet Gallery in downtown Minneapolis on Wednesday, September 15 from
7:00-9:00 p.m.   If you can't make it to the opening, please visit the
gallery from September 10-19 to see the exhibit.

A unique feature of the exhibit is that under several large portraits there
is a phone number.  The viewer can call the number on their cell phone and
hear that person's story spoken in his or her own words and voice.  It is
intimate and powerful.  And, as many of you know, the portraits are
stunningly beautiful.  I believe this exhibit will change the way people
think about homelessness.  Thank you for your role in making this possible.

See you on September 15!


Cathy

Cathy ten Broeke
Coordinator to End Homelessness
Minneapolis/Hennepin County

Accidental Mysteries as created by John Foster

'About' Accidental Mysteries: "John and Teenuh Foster share a passionate interest in collecting works of art by self-taught artists, as well as anonymous objects that to them, share attributes of great design and mystery. They consider vernacular photography to be a long overlooked genre of folk art, capturing elements of history, sociology, psychology and often “accidental” moments on film. John is a founder and past-president of ENVISION Folk Art of Missouri, where he also served as editor of the Journal that he produced for ten years. John serves on the Board of Trustees for SPACES (Saving and Preserving Arts and Cultural Environments) which is based in Aptos, California. Additionally, John is a member of the Advisory Board of The Folk Art Society of America"

Garage Sale Masterpieces as found by John Foster

Newsweek: John Foster is a meticulous and savvy collector—"and I do not buy in bulk," he says. Over the years that he's been collecting personal photographs from garage sales, antique shops, and eBay—including the last 10 to 12 years of hard-core buying—he's assembled roughly 1,500 photographs that, to him, represent true found-art. Rare is the weekend he doesn't hit up a flea market or dusty old antiques store, locate a box of old photos, and rifle through them one by one, searching for the single, perfect shot. "It's not of any particular period of time, it's not any particular type of photograph, it's not any particular style," he says. "It's all about the image—how does it transcend the ordinary?" The price of transcendence? As little as $10, or as much as $400—"if you're buying from people who know what they are."
For decades, Foster and his wife have also collected various forms of folk art for their St. Louis home, a passion that has informed his photo quest. "When you look at the idea of enjoying art that's made by people without formal art education, you can easily make the jump to snapshots," he says. "Everyone takes photographs."

Photo: A young boy with smeared with either mud or pancake makeup grins giddily for the camera. "When I look for images, I look for something that makes you almost uncomfortable in your own skin—something that makes you observe more intently," Foster says. "That's when I know I have something that's more than just a snapshot."

Local Natives - Airplanes

Old and decrepit

Photographer: Zeny Cieslikowski - Color Film

Uptown Art Fair - August 2010 - Zeny Cieslikowski lives and works in northern California and creates brilliant  photography in color. He's traveled extensively and is self-taught!

High Narrative

I experienced the last class of Photography in a Digital Age at MCAD (Minneapolis College of Art and Design) on Monday evening. What an incredible class we had. The discussions, the ideas we explored were riveting.

I left Monday evening feeling elated, yet at peace. It couldn't have gone any better.

Viewed beautiful work. Shared opinions, feedback, encouragement, critique. Talked about life in relation to photography, and vice versa. What is it about photography that we're aiming for? Is it important? Why is it important? To you? To me? To us? To the world?

What about our culture, and the ever-growing worldwide community? Have we begun to experience life for photography--to show someone else our own view of the world because we want to connect with others, or to show off? Why do we need to share our moments and our views? Do we create photography in order to explore life more deeply through a visual experience and the thoughts it evokes? Do we really need to capture everything we do in life with the camera? Why? Why not? Where is the line to be drawn between living life and documenting it? Can you do both at the same time? By the time you capture a moment on film or sensor, it's gone. But then comes the next one.

So interesting, so engaging, so satisfying. So incomplete. The perfect end to a wonderful class.