Hobos to Street People:
Artists' Responses to Homelessness from the New Deal to the Present
Book Reviews
The Never Ending Tale: Images of Despair and Hope from the Great Depression to the Great Recession
by: Paul Von Blum on November 29th, 2011
Tikkun Daily
Hobos to Street People: Artists’ Responses to Homelessness from the New Deal to the Present
by: Harvey Smith
Hobos to Street People: Artists Uncover Hidden History of Poverty
by: Margot Pepper, on September 1, 2011
Street Spirit
Homelessness in Art from the New Deal to the Present
by: DeWitt Cheng on September 1, 2011
Street Spirit
The Book
Hobos to Street People is available in different ways. The best way to both get the book and help out in the struggle for the rights of homeless people is to buy the book directly from the Western Regional Advocacy Project. WRAP and its activities is the motivating inspiration behind this book. You can get other WRAP merchandise including posters and t-shirts here. In fact all of your social justice shopping is right there for you.
You can also purchase directly from Freedom Voices. Or if you want a signed copy go to arthazelwood.com for details.
On Tour
We've had some great events surrounding the book Hobos to Street People. At Time Tested Books, in Sacramento, the evening was led off by a member of Safeground Sacramento who talked about their efforts to create basic housing for homeless people, pointing out that during the Depression Sacramento allowed Hoovervilles of homeless encampements whereas today the new Hoovervilles (Hoovervilles 2.0?) are being shut down by police sweeps. A young homeless couple talked about their day to day experiences. The audience, which included many local activists, kept a lively discussion going throughout the presentation.
At Chico State University my presentation was introduced by Michael Coyle of the Department of Political Science, and director of the Peace Institute their. The event was sponsored by several on campus groups including the Turner Print Museum. The event was a benefit for the Jesus Center, a shelter in Chico.
This last week we had moving evening of speakers and a wide ranging discussion about Art as Organizing in San Francisco at the new Eric Quezada Center for Culture and Politics. I led off with a talk about the historical context of homelessness and artistic and social responses to it. I was followed by an energetic and moving multimedia extravaganza by Machiko Saito and youth from Roaddawgz Homeless Youth Creative Drop-in Center, Francisco Dominguez led off a presentation of his photographs of political struggle with photos he had just taken at the pepper spraying of students at UC Davis. Coalition on Homelessness civil rights organizer,Bob Offer-Westort tied together the use of art in the struggle to oppose San Francisco's law against sitting on city sidewalks. The night was summed up by Paul Boden of Western Regional Advocacy Project. The walls of the center were covered with an exhibition of political art posters, prints, and photographs.
The Show
The exhibition Hobos to Street People ends this weekend at the de Saisset Museum. Two additional shows curated by Art Hazelwood connecting the political art of the 1930s and today are on view at the de Saisset Museum at Santa Clara University.
http://www.scu.edu/desaisset/exhibitions/current.cfm
The Hobos exhbition moves next to the Riverside Metropolitan Museum in Riverside, California.Social Justice Shows, DeSaisset Museum, Santa Clara University
by: DeWitt Cheng on August 25th, 2011Check out this slide show comparing the 1930s and today using the contemporary photographs of David Bacon and Francisco Dominguez contrasted with Dorothea Lange's photos of the Great Depression.