The project’s accordion booklets are full of drawings and musings about home, by the homeless, near-homeless, and asylum seeking artists and poets who contributed.
Leader
Judith Rubenstein
Location
all over NYC New York City, NY 10009
Inspired by Surrealist “Exquisite Corpse” artworks, I pleat long rectangles of paper, each folded section of 3” X 5”, into a myriad of continuous squares. Inspired by the contemporary issue of lack-of-housing in NYC, I asked tens of NYC unhoused persons to each draw or write something on a rectangle concerning their plight. Title, “Searching for Home.” Then, Church of the Holy Apostles--one of the large food pantries from which I solicited many of my booklets’ contributions--asked me to bring more empty accordion booklets to be filled by their new population: asylum seekers from South America. These bussed migrants, who have been disembarked at nearby Port Authority, are coming to the church for food and advice, eager to tell their stories. I also added some new contributions by people who have homes, about their fortunate situation.
I now have 10 full accordion books, each composed of 50+ drawings and poetic thoughts and stories-of-passage into the U.S., written in English and Spanish. And 20 empty accordion booklets waiting for contributions.
The goal is to exhibit these booklets, gather press, and get legislators, their constituents, and passersby to see the un-housed as thinking, artistic people affected by their tough situations. And to see the housed as in sympathy with this.
With money and time and places willing to exhibit these, this issue can have a big presence in NYC.
I will continue exactly what I've been doing, having been paying out of my own pocket for the expenses, for which I am now asking for help.
20 new accordion booklets will be filled with the art and stories of contributors.
I will add to the project - printing 1,000 copies of each book, and wheat pasting them all over the city.
The goal is to exhibit these booklets, gather press, and get legislators, their constituents, and passersby to see the un-housed as thinking, artistic people affected by their tough situations. And to see the housed as in sympathy with this.
With money and time and places willing to exhibit these, this issue can have a big presence in NYC.
