FROM JOHN DYESS:
Thirteen students in my Illustration class at St.Louis Community College at Meramec created poster illustrations that brought awareness of the many reasons that people become homeless.
Large format prints of these posters will be on display in “The Gallery Within” Webster Groves Christian Church. Also in the gallery will be photos taken by and taken of Scott Roy, a former art student at Meramec that was homeless for a while when attending Meramec. This show will be hanging from December 19, 2017 until January 7, 2018. Gallery hours are from Tuesday through Friday from 9:00 am until 3:00 pm and Sunday 9:00 am until 12:00 pm
Below is the Homelessness assignment that I gave the students.
Webster Groves Christian Church ( Disciples of Christ) is located at 1320 W.Lockwood Avenue
St.Louis MO. 63122. The gallery entrance is on the West side of the building as you exit the parking lot.
Assignment: Homelessness
People become homeless for lots of different reasons. There are social causes of
homelessness, such as a lack of affordable housing, poverty and unemployment; and life events, which cause individuals to become homeless.
People can become homeless when they leave prison, care or the army with no home to go to. Many homeless women have escaped a violent relationship.
Many people become homeless because they can no longer afford the rent.
And for many, life events like a relationship breaking down, losing a job, mental or physical health problems, or substance misuse can be the trigger. Being homeless can in turn make many of these problems even harder to resolve. crissis.org.uk
“I think good activist art should try to engage rather than shock or alienate,” explains artist Katy Bauer. “It’s easy to shock and alienate. It’s difficult to educate and inspire.”
For this assignment you are to illustrate in a poster style “Homelessness.”
Your illustration can be rendered digitally or traditionally in a technique of your choice. Your illustration most be converted to a digital file that fits a paper size of 24” x 42” either in a landscape or portrait format. You should design your illustration to fit in the 24” x 42” format. You can add words to your illustration. I want your illustration to educate and inspire. I consider this activist art. I have attached a document of statements, that I have found online, about the purpose of activist art.
Step by Step Process
• Research the reasons for homelessness and illustrate one or more reasons for becoming a homeless
person.
• Research poster design
• Do at least 10 different thumbnail ideas.
- Create your illustration
John Dyess