A multi-disciplinary project that uses visual arts and performance to reflect on homelessness from the unique perspective of artists who have experienced it first-hand.

It is a result of my long-term collaboration with Marcus Moore, activist, spoken word artist and member of Picture the Homeless (PTH), a Harlem-based grassroots organization founded and led by unhoused people; Maaji Newbold, poet and actress with Theatre of the Oppressed NYC; and Michael Deegan, Lantern Community Services’ resident, painter and performer. 

I met Marcus, Maaji and Mike while working on Still Lives. As the project progressed, we got to know each other and appreciate what each of us, with our diverse lived experiences, brings to the table. Our collaboration has grown to include performance and interactive public talks, alongside the photographic images. Presenting our work in different venues, including Smack Mellon and Word Up Community Bookshop, proved powerfully engaging.

With the Covid-19 pandemic pushing millions more Americans into poverty and out of their homes, we have been conceptualizing how we can utilize our artwork to change the way homelessness, as well as broader intersecting social issues, are perceived by the general public. This is how BEING THERE was born.

In 2022, supported by an LMCC’s Creative Engagement Grant, we produced a month-long event at Buunni Inwood which included a visual art exhibition and a series of live performance and video screenings accompanied by public talks.

For more information and press, see BEING THERE