User:Ajmainord/sandbox/We Are All Homeless

We Are All Homeless

Description

We Are All Homeless (WAAH) is an organization involved in raising awareness on the homeless population throughout The United States. Willie Baronet, an artist and professor based in Dallas, Texas, began the movement in 1993 by purchasing signs from the homeless to portray generosity and show that the homeless are not alone. The goal from the beginning has been to connect with people who are homeless and show them the humanity that exists in all people. Today, Professor Willie Baronet has purchased more than 1,800 homeless signs and has created over 35 installations and exhibits in the US and UK to raise awareness on homelessness. The WAAH organization has also raised $460k in charity.

We Are All Homeless | Website

Signs of Humanity Documentary

“Signs of Humanity” is a documentary created in July 2014 by Professor Willie Baronet and three other filmmakers showing their journey purchasing signs from the homeless. In the documentary, Willie and the filmmakers traveled across the United States purchasing over 280 signs and interviewing more than 100 people living in homelessness. “Signs of Humanity” is now on Amazon Prime Video for free and can be purchased or rented without a Prime account. Click here to view the documentary.

Exhibits

There have been dozens of art installations of WE ARE ALL HOMELESS since 2009 in the US and UK, including exhibits at NYU, University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Cambridge. In 2016 we were honored to exhibit in Philadelphia and Cleveland during both the Democratic National Convention and the Republican National Convention. In Philly we were part of Truth to Power, a group show sponsored by Rock the Vote, which included artists Banksy, Ron English, and Shepard Fairey. The installations provide an experience for people to explore the humanity of the signs, and questions regarding the nature of home, compassion and what it means to truly see each other.

Media/PR

WE ARE ALL HOMELESS has been featured in media all over the world including NPR, HuffPost, Yahoo! News, Buzzfeed and dozens of others. In one month (during the filming of the documentary Signs of Humanity) it had over 138 million media impressions, was on the front page of Reddit, and an article picked up by the Associated Press was featured in media all across the United States. Click here to see additional media links.

External links

• Buzzfeed – 12 People Who Definitely Did The Right Thing

• Albuquerque Journal - Art project looks to challenge perceptions about the homeless

• Al Jazeera America – We are all homeless

• The Seattle Times – A sign that art is life on the street

• Cincinnati Local 12 News – Artist buys signs from homeless people for project

• Huffington Post – This Artist Has Spent $7,000 On Homeless People’s Cardboard Signs For Really Good Reason

• Yahoo! News – Artist’s massive homeless sign collection ‘makes some people uncomfortable’

• CBS Chicago – Artist Buying Signs From Homeless For Exhibit

• Upworthy - He traveled across the country buying signs from the homeless and created something that he hopes helps the world see their humanity.

• IndyStar – Artist collects homeless signs in Indy

• The Philadelphia Inquirer – Plowing the pleas of the homeless into art

• Fast Company

• Dallas Magazine – Signs of the Homeless

• NPR – Handmade Signs From Homeless People Lead To Art, Understanding

• The Dallas Morning News – SMU prof gains insight from 24-city trek to buy signs from homeless

• Twin Cities – Pioneer Press - $20 for a homeless guy’s sign in St. Paul? This artist pays it

• Texas Country Reporter – Homeless Signs

References

We Are All Homeless | Website