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The More Than Homeless Public Art Project

Stirring compassion for the homeless through public art...

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The More Than Homeless Public Art Project

The More Than Homeless Public Art Project

The More Than Homeless Public Art Project

The More Than Homeless Public Art Project

The More Than Homeless Public Art Project

Stirring compassion for the homeless through public art...

Stirring compassion for the homeless through public art...

Stirring compassion for the homeless through public art...

Stirring compassion for the homeless through public art...

Rev. Forrest Gilmore
Rev. Forrest Gilmore
Rev. Forrest Gilmore
Rev. Forrest Gilmore
1 Campaign |
Bloomington, United States
$3,316 USD 22 backers
33% of $10,000 Flexible Goal Flexible Goal

Short Summary

The Shalom Community Center (Bloomington's only daytime resource center for people experiencing extreme poverty), working with community artist Joe LaMantia, hopes to bring both beauty and compassion to Bloomington through a unique public art project to be installed in front of our Center's downtown location on South Walnut Street.

The public art project is driven by the theme of “More than Homeless” and inspired by the countless women, men, and children without homes who experience horrible prejudice and even hatred because of their situation.

Crystal Banks, a formerly homeless mother, described her experience of homelessness when she said, "One of the hardest things about being homeless was that I was so afraid to tell anybody that I was homeless. You get looked down upon, because people don’t even stop to try and hear your story and understand why you’re homeless. You’re just automatically put in that box of, ‘You’re homeless. You’re a bad person. You obviously did something wrong.’ And that’s not the case... This has been one of the most humbling experiences that I’ve ever had.” 

Motivated by the experiences of the homeless and countless examples of public art, which help people see homelessness differently, we, at Shalom, felt Bloomington needed its own public message of compassion, inscribed in community art.

That inspiration led us to the perfect person to move this idea forward, community artist, Joe LaMantia. With 20 years of experience as a collaborative community artist, Joe has completed over 40 similar projects all over Indiana and the Midwest (www.lamantiastudio.com).

Through Joe's unique team-building process, guests of Shalom, students and staff from local schools, and members of the general public will all be involved in the design, creation, and construction of this unique art spectacle, which, when completed, will be available for all to learn from and enjoy.

What We Need & What You Get

The overall cost of this public art project is about $14,000. Through the generous funding of the Bloomington Arts Commission, the Bloomington Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission, and the Bloomington Urban Enterprise Association, we have already raised over $4,000 to get us started.

Our crowd-funding goal is $10,000, which will cover the remaining costs associated with the creation, installation, and fundraising of the project, including the costs for the artist and the materials needed to complete the project.

When the project is complete, Bloomington will have a public art piece of both beauty and compassion. It will serve as a symbol and a reminder to our community to live with open hearts to the marginalized and downtrodden in our community.

We know that many of you prefer to give simply from the kindness of your own hearts, but we also have some gifts for you to say THANK YOU for your support. Our favorite is having your name permanently inscribed on the sculpture to acknowledge your generosity to making this work of beauty real. Check out all the other THANK YOUs to see what best fits you and your desire and ability to help.

100% of the funding we raise over the final costs of the art piece will be dedicated to the work of Shalom Community Center to help aid and empower people experiencing hunger, homelessness, and poverty.

The Impact - Details on the Art Piece

Until you've witnessed it, it's hard to explain the level of prejudice and even hatred directed at people experiencing homelessness. We believe this community art piece will play a significant role in helping our community open up in understanding and compassion.

We have already conducted Brainstorming sessions where ideas, thoughts and drawings, related to the project, were collected from the community. The Design Phase incorporated ideas generated by these sessions into the project design with a strong focus on recyclable, reused materials which are the media of choice of Project Artist Joe LaMantia. A Review Committee was formed to oversee and provide feedback on the project at all stages as it moves towards completion.

The Heart Shelter is the main element of the project. It will be placed in front of the Shalom Community Center at 620 S. Walnut Street. It will be constructed almost completely of donated recycled materials (galvanized street posts and signs, car license plates, tiles and mirrors).

Mural will be displayed on the windows that stretch across the entire front of the Shalom Center, just behind the Heart Shelter. This mural will be a black silhouette of people who are guests of Shalom. A statement “Like you, I have a story worth sharing”, will appear above the silhouette.

A Wild Life Sanctuary, composed of native plants found in Indiana, will be planted around the Heart Shelter. Also included will be painted birdhouses, a mason bee house, a butterfly house, and a birdbath.

The project is now in the Fabrication phase. The primary structure and the heart are being constructed. Mirror pieces are being attached to the heart by students at Stone Belt. Students at Hoosier Hills Career Center are creating other parts of the framework, including the weather vane that will sit atop the sculpture.

In the summer, Shalom guests, students, and the general public will be invited to get involved in building and assembling the rest of the sculpture.

The installation phase will begin with the pouring of footers in the space in front of the Shalom Center. The sculpture will then be moved over to the site by truck and installed by the use of a crane, in the fall of 2015.

Risks & Challenges

In moving this project forward, we've overcome many challenges already, including finding the right artist, getting the appropriate permissions from the City, designing the art project, and obtaining some initial funding for the work.

Our next biggest challenge is raising the additional funding to make this work. That's where YOU come in. With YOUR support, we will take this beautiful dream and make it into a real work of art!!

Other Ways You Can Help

We know that not all of you can help out financially as much as you'd like, but you can still help!!

Please get the word out. Share this with your friends. Get excited!! Make some noise!!

Also, check the updates section for opportunities to volunteer.

    Looking for more information? Check the project FAQ
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    Choose your Perk

    Donor

    $10 USD
    A "Love Thy Homeless Neighbor" bumper sticker
    Estimated Shipping
    October 2015
    0 claimed

    Builder

    $25 USD
    A "Love Thy Homeless Neighbor" Shalom T-shirt
    Estimated Shipping
    October 2015
    5 claimed

    Friend

    $50 USD
    Playing for Change - A CD by former homeless artist, Kent Johnston
    Estimated Shipping
    October 2015
    0 claimed

    Supporter

    $100 USD
    Love's Pure Light - a CD by Sylvia McNair and the Wheaton College Concert Choir
    Estimated Shipping
    October 2015
    1 claimed

    Partner

    $250 USD
    A frame-able photo of the completed artwork
    Estimated Shipping
    October 2015
    0 claimed

    Benefactor

    $500 USD
    Your name inscribed on the supporter plaque
    Estimated Shipping
    October 2015
    2 claimed

    Patron

    $1,000 USD
    A frame-able picture of you and the artist with the final artwork and your name inscribed on the supporter plaque
    Estimated Shipping
    October 2015
    1 claimed
    Tags for this project

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