As the holidays are quickly approaching, we begin our annual process of looking back to what we have accomplished and projects with which we were involved. Many of the projects that I work on have important messages. From reducing single-use plastics, to protecting diminishing habitats, to spotlighting the important work done by scientists, researchers, and scholars, every project has a good message at its heart. This year, one project from 2024 sticks out as particularly special and meaningful with very powerful messages.
Unhoused: Personal Stories & Public Health opened at the Mütter Museum in Philadelphia at the beginning of the year. The exhibit combines powerful art pieces with research and data on the public health implications of being unhoused. I worked on the project as the interpretive developer and writer. Ellie and I were lucky to be able to revisit some of the challenges and successes of this project, along with project colleagues Rosie Frasso and Michael Keys, as we presented it to some of our peers at the annual Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums (MAAM) conference.
One of the key messages presented in Unhoused came from people with lived experience. Rosie and her students interviewed many people who were experiencing homelessness. We used quotes from their work throughout the exhibit.
When going through the massive spreadsheet of quotes, I was struck by a theme that showed up again and again. So many of the people interviewed made a simple request. That when you pass them on the street, you don’t avert your eyes, you don’t pretend you cannot see them, instead you say Hi, you greet them just as you would any neighbor or friend. Such a simple act. One we all are capable of doing. Although it won’t change their circumstances or fix systemic problems that contribute to housing insecurity, it will make a difference.
I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to work on this exhibit, and to be able to share these messages with the visitors to the Mütter Museum. I am more grateful that I can continue to carry those messages in my heart and in my actions as we move into the holidays and beyond.
In honor of this powerful experience and to commemorate this season of gratitude, Gecko Group will be donating this year to Project HOME, a remarkable institution based in Philadelphia that offers a range of resources for people facing housing insecurity.
If you would like to join us in donating, you can find more info about donating to Project HOME here: www.give.projecthome.org/campaign/crowdfunding-landing-page/c490427
If you would like to learn more about the exhibit or the artists whose work is featured in Unhoused, see the links below.
Leah den Bok’s project “Humanizing the Homeless”: www.humanizingthehomeless.org/
Willie Baronet’s project “We are all Homeless”: www.weareallhomeless.org/
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