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
- ^ Coe-Specker, Carla, ""We Are All Homeless" Brings Awareness Through Art To Those Experiencing Homelessness", Good Morning Texas, WFAA, 04/04/2023 https://www.wfaa.com/article/entertainment/television/programs/good-morning-texas/we-are-all-homeless-brings-awareness-through-art-to-those-experiencing-homelessness/287-73290e5b-f698-4ec0-82ac-1966dae57288
- ^ https://www.anchorage.net/articles/post/anchorage-museum-opens-exhibit-about-houselessness/, Anchorage Museum Opens Exhibit About Houselessness, published 02/10/2020
- ^ Wichert, Geoff, "Many Souls Gather in UMOCA Exhibition on the Home", 15 bytes, 03/30/2023, https://artistsofutah.org/15Bytes/index.php/many-souls-gather-in-umoca-exhibition-on-the-home/
- ^ a b Large, Jerry, "A sign that art is life on the street", The Seattle Times, 07/03/2014, https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/a-sign-that-art-is-life-on-the-street/
- ^ a b Sickles, Jerry, "Artist's massive homeless sign collection 'makes some people uncomfortable'", yahoo!news, 05/14/2014, https://www.yahoo.com/news/artists-unusual-homeless-sign-collection-makes-some-people-uncomfortable-144416870.html?
- ^ dallasnews Administrator, "SMU prof gains insight from 24-city trek to buy signs from homeless", The Dallas Morning News, 10/07/2014, https://www.dallasnews.com/news/2014/10/08/smu-prof-gains-insight-from-24-city-trek-to-buy-signs-from-homeless/
- ^ Mooney, Michael J., "Signs of the Homeless", D Magazine, 08/23/2013, https://dmagazine.com/publications/d-magazine/2013/september/signs-of-the-homeless/
- ^ http://signsofhumanity.org/, Willie Baronet, Signs of Humanity, retrieved 11/04/2023
- ^ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5609524/, "Signs of Humanity", retrieved 11/04/2023
- ^ Goldberg, Eleanor, "This Artist Has Spent $7,000 On Homeless People's Cardboard Signs For Really Good Reason", The Huffington Post, 05/15/2014, https://www.huffpost.com/entry/willie-baronet-homeless-signs_n_5332592
- ^ https://blog.smu.edu/simmons/featured-news/home-is-a-journey-march-and-symposium/, Home is a Journey March and Symposium, SMU Simmons School of Education and Human Development Blog, 10/31/2023