Project for BWB to help the homeless have a voice..a photo voice

Hello everyone..

I am so excited to share this.. today i had 20 disposable cameras
given to me with 20 museum passes.

WHY?

well we have an exhibition at the DIA right now entitled Detroit
Revealed where artists shed light on how they see the city.

http://www.dia.org/calendar/exhibition.aspx?id=2701&iid=

well as a component to this ..they have asked for community
organizations to get involved ;
"Reveal Your Detroit" -'In conjunction with Detroit Revealed:
Photographs, 2000-2010, the DIA is hosting Reveal Your Detroit, a
community-based project designed to solicit the public's creative
response to the exhibition. The project is funded by the John S. and
James L. Knight Foundation'

I submitted and was called and explained to them how my idea was a bit
out of the norm.. as they wanted each org to bring people to see the
show (they supply the tickets) and then get the kit and go out and
shoot the city from the orgs p.o.v.... so i explained to them that i
wanted to give the cameras to the homeless and that i may not be able
to get people to the museum for many reasons.

But that i wish to give Detroit Homeless the chance to express to
people who may never encounter them and vice versa the ability to
speak loudly with images...to bring more attention to the issue in our
community.

so i plan to buy envelopes and address them to myself and pay for
postage..then ask homeless to either meet with me in a day or two in
the same place or to mail me the cameras. I will give them the museums
passes as well as a bus pass to use as they please.

I am really excited about this opportunity to hear from a community
that most often times has no voice, so they can share first hand what
ever they wish too. I know this may not be the most excited of images
but it will be a form of documentation that a journalist may not ever
be able to be achieve unless they were able to be embedded and build
trust. I truly hope this will be something the people i have
relationships with on the streets are willing to collaborate in.

I know i may only get a few cameras back..and that is totally ok. i
understand that...if i get one back i will be excited and pleased.

I plan to take a picture of each person i give a camera to with the
camera i hand to them as well as with another of the cameras so i know
who has each camera and get a small bio on them to accompany the
project.

I am full of hope that this projects works out as it has wonderful
potential to make an impact!

thanks for reading
~doxie ...from D-troit