We Are All Homeless
We Are All Homeless is a visual arts project created by Willie Baronet in 1993.[1] Baronet, who works as a professor of advertising at Southern Methodist University, has collected over 2,200[2] signs from homeless people across the world which he displays through the project in a variety of exhibitions across the United States and United Kingdom. Since 2009, over 90 We Are All Homeless exhibits have been installed at NYU, The University of Pennsylvania, Cambridge University,[1] the Anchorage Museum,[3] the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art,[4] and other universities, museums, and galleries. The exhibits, which display a number of the signs that Baronet has collected, are meant to challenge viewers and make them confront issues that they often ignore and raise awareness about homelessness.
History[edit]
Baronet began to buy signs in 1993, when he was working in the advertising sector, and originally offered people between $4 and $40 for their signs.[5] and as of May, 2014 estimated that he had spent over $7,000 on signs.[6] He quickly amassed a collection of signs through this but didn't begin to display them until 2009.[6]
In 2012 Baronet delivered a Tedx talk at SMU about We Are All Homeless.[7]
In 2016 We Are All Homeless was exhibited in Philadelphia and Cleveland for the Democratic National Convention and the Republican National Convention respectively.[1]
Baronet houses his collection in a number of places including his office at SMU and his studio in Oak Cliff.[8]
Signs of Humanity[edit]
Signs of Humanity is a documentary film produced and co-directed by Baronet and Tim Chumley which "explores the inter-related themes of home, homelessness, compassion and humanity".[9] The film depicts the filmmakers' month-long voyage across America, travelling to 24 cities, purchasing signs.[5] The documentary is rated 7.8/10 on IMDb.[10] For Signs of Humanity, Baronet partnered with the Housing Crisis Center in Dallas.[11]
Home is a Journey[edit]
Every year, Baronet organizes an event called Home is a Journey in which students at SMU make care packages for the homeless called "blessing bags" and march across campus carrying signs. In 2023, this event was coupled with a symposium which focused on the intersection of social justice and the homelessness, the role of higher education in fostering equity, and the role of non-profits in combatting homelessness.[12]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c http://www.weareallhomeless.org/, Willie Baronet, We Are All Homeless, retrieved 11/04/2023
- ^ Carla, Coe-Specker (2023-04-04). ""We Are All Homeless" Brings Awareness Through Art To Those Experiencing Homelessness". wfaa.com. Retrieved 2024-06-07.
- ^ "Anchorage Museum Opens Exhibit About Houselessness". www.anchorage.net. 2020-02-10. Retrieved 2024-06-07.
- ^ Wichert, Geoff (2023-03-30). "Many Souls Gather in UMOCA Exhibition on the Home". Artists of Utah's 15 Bytes. Retrieved 2024-06-07.
- ^ a b Jerry, Large (2014-07-02). "A sign that art is life on the street". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2024-06-07.
- ^ a b Sickles, Jerry (2014-05-14). "Artist's massive homeless sign collection 'makes some people uncomfortable'". Yahoo News. Retrieved 2024-06-07.
- ^ "SMU prof gains insight from 24-city trek to buy signs from homeless". Dallas News. 2014-10-08. Retrieved 2024-06-07.
- ^ Mooney, Michael J. (2013-08-23). "Signs of the Homeless". D Magazine. Retrieved 2024-06-07.
- ^ http://signsofhumanity.org/, Willie Baronet, Signs of Humanity, retrieved 11/04/2023
- ^ Baronet, Willie; Chumley, Tim (2016-04-15), Signs of Humanity (Documentary), OtherSide Pictures, Veronica and Richard Sayles, We Are All Homeless Productions, retrieved 2024-06-07
- ^ Goldberg, Eleanor (2014-05-15). "This Artist Has Spent $7,000 On Homeless People's Cardboard Signs For Really Good Reason". HuffPost. Retrieved 2024-06-07.
- ^ "Home is a Journey March and Symposium – Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education & Human Development". blog.smu.edu. 2023-10-31. Retrieved 2024-06-07.