Meaning & Purpose
During the COVID shutdowns, I decided to bring more meaning and purpose into my life, including to incorporate housing advocacy, having lived experiences with homelessness.
I left my job, became an Americorps worker for a local affordable housing organization, and I jumped back into art, which also gives me meaning. I am working to incorporate housing stability awareness, advocacy, and fundraising into art, and I invite you to be a part of my this project to help.
Flying a Sign
Project 1: “Flying a sign” -chances are you have encountered people standing on a street corner holding a sign. I am making 34,699 cardboard signs, representing the estimated number of new housing units needed to meet local demand by 2027.
Message Behind ‘Flying a Sign’ art project
Each sign will consist of cardboard with a house made of cloth. The simplicity of cardboard and the ask juxtaposes with the complexity of the barriers to stable housing that individuals and our community are facing. The time to make so many signs represents the challenges people facing unstable housing have with timing – the timing of a car problem, major illness or job loss, and the time it takes someone to get support services with its tangled web of barriers along the way.
My Plan for Flying a Sign art project
Here’s how I plan on utilizing the signs to raise awareness, advocacy, and funding:
ArtPrize in Grand Rapids- 3,311 signs, (the number of new affordable housing units needed in Kent Count by 2027), to be installed at an ArtPrize venue, (hopefully) in 2024. If it wins an award, I will donate 100% of the winnings to affordable housing organizations in our community.
Patreon Supporters– up to 365 signed signs will be sent to “Order of the Dragon” Patreon Supporters. Americorps does not pay well, and your support at this tier is vitally needed for my own housing stability. You’ll get perks and be able to chat with me and my other Patreon supporters, and give input on which organizations should benefit from this fundraiser.
The rest of the signs– I will feature in art fairs and sold for donation only. You may even find me standing on a street corner giving away signs in exchange for donations, The donations will be distributed to local affordable housing organizations.
Please help make this project happen, by supporting me as an artist. Thank you for your support. Learn more