This bag is a symbol of wealth for me. I have lots of bags, all them used to carry groceries, needlework, books, a few clothes, garden supplies and so many things of excess. This bag is a symbol of survival for homeless people. A symbol of wealth of a different kind: everything a homeless person owns might fit in one or two of these bags. As of yesterday, this bag is The Most Important Bag in my collection. Stuart and I went downtown to the Pensacola Art Museum, to see two exhibits: a sparse, beautifully displayed kimono exhibit, and a black/white photo exhibit. Some of the kimonos are old, some new, with good signs. Upstairs, the black-and-white photos of homeless men, women and children. Photos were taken by ej cummings, a local psychiatrist working with homeless people. In a huge gallery adjasent to the moving and emotional photo exhibit, huge pieces of 'cloth' were spread out, covering the floor. Pieces of cloth the size of a circus tent. On the walls, large brightly colored, pieces of the same kind of cloth was hanging, waiting to be cut and stitched. The cloth? Fiber artists everywhere pay attention: the cloth was newly uninstalled billboards. Those billboards are made from a housewrap-like material. Think Tyvek (brand). I can barely keep my fingers on the keys as I type this, I'm so excited about this project! Lamar, the Big-Ass Billboard Company (Babc just doesn't work, does it?) donates the finished billboards to a local non-profit organization whose goal is to help resolve the homeless problem in Pensacola. Sewing machines are donated, and the organization oversees the cutting, stitching and selling of the bags. $8. I can hear you asking. Will it help the woman with mental issues who has been living in the woods for years? Will it help the 4 year old who doesn't speak since his mother abandoned him soon after birth, the little boy and his grand mother live at the shelter. Will it help the man who traveled to Pensacola from eastern FL, leaving his wife and 2 children behind, because of a job that didn't materialize, and now has no money to return home? I don't think it will resolve any big problems, but if the sale of those bags will help pay for a doctor's visit for someone, help buy books for some children, maybe help with some groceries, then it has done a good job.
I live in a heated and cooled house, with running water, and I like to think those who are homeless can "just get a job". There is so much I don't understand. This exhibit went a long way to educating me.
The houses in the next pictures are a neighborhood Habitat4Humanity project in northern Pensacola. I walked through the houses yesterday afternoon, admiring the closets and open floor plans. Soon, people who have worked hard but can't quite make the Big Step will own their own house, thanks for the H4H organization and its volunteers and donars.
The pelican was home. He/She was sitting on the handrail at the downtown pier, waiting for a hand-out, I think. He/She never uttered a sound. She didn't have any bags, either.
4 comments:
Actually deeply moved by this post. Every time I turn on my tap to run a mug of water to brush my teeth I can't help but think that somewhere in the world brushing teeth with clean water 'on tap' is a luxury. Here, I give all my unwanted things to the Salvation Army because they can recycle on three levels (selling to raise funds to help the homeless; giving clothing to the homeless; selling unusable things on for recycling to raise funds to help the homeless) This bag is, indeed, the Most Important Bag you own.
What a great exhibit - I find it always puts my mindset in perspective when I learn about things greater than myself, and when i get involved in things that have a bigger purpose. Hope you enjoy the rest of your time in Fl!
Hi Celtic Heart and Rebecca,
I am sometimes embarrassed by my own excesses! My friend Betsy tells me that having too much doesn't mean that someone else goes without, but I believe I could share a little more. At home, my donation group is the domestic violence shelter. They have the same three level plan as your SA. We laugh about making a trip to DV...I drop off stuff at the back door, and go around to the front to see if there are any treasures to buy!
I'm equally delighted to hear that all that plastic is getting repurposed, not being tossed in a landfill. You know I'll be contacting the billboard folks when I get home! I can 'see' the tent, between the trees in my back yard now: bright colors and words, pieced together from used billboards. hehehehe!
THis is an AWESOME project! We can all share a little more, do a little more. And we should all, as you three have mentioned, remember to be grateful a little more. Even when we find ourselves in the hardest of situations with what seems like no resources, we all have more than we think. Thanks for sharing, Karen!
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