Press Contact: Michael Hoyt - 612.252.1248 or info@kultureclub.org
Minneapolis: HOME IS WHERE YOU MAKE IT, a Walker Arts Center residency project by artists Lauri Lyons and Tish Jones is raising public awareness about the homeless youth population in the Twin Cities. The interactive installations provide an opportunity for homeless youth to develop and display their artwork to a broad audience, and are paired with a three-week long series of artist led workshops where homeless youth will write personal narratives and shoot black and white portraits. The portraits will then be digitally enlarged and mounted onto cardboard and assembled by the teens into 5’ x 7’ ‘houses’ on the street. The resulting structures will challenge common perceptions of the homeless population and literally bring a face to the issues they encounter daily.
Six ‘houses’ will be installed at various locations across the Twin Cities, including a temporary installation at the Walker Art Center in partnership with the Walker Art Center Teen Arts Council (WACTAC). In addition, a companion book will accompany the project, featuring the portraits and handwritten texts of each teen discussing their interpretation of the term ‘home’ as well as their experiences being homeless. Fifty books will be printed, distributed to participants, and available for purchase online.
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EVENTS AND DATES
Aug 3 - 21: Workshops and housing installations in various locations with KKC youth. Visit http://www.kultureklub.org/home%20is%20where.html for an installation schedule.
Aug 19: Lauri Lyons will be a guest on Minnesota Public Radio ''Midmorning Show'' with host Kerri Miller at 10-11am CST.
Aug. 20: Lauri Lyons will give a free public lecture at the Walker Art Center at 6:30 pm.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Lauri Lyons: Currently based out of New York, Lyons has produced and photographed essays in Brazil, Europe, Mexico, West Africa, and the United States. Lauri Lyons is the author of ''Flag: An American Story'' and ''Flag International''. In 2003 she became the first Black woman to shoot the cover of Fortune magazine. Additionally, her photographs and essays have appeared in such publications as The London Observer, Trace, and The Fader. Her exhibition resume includes The International Center of Photography, Brooklyn Museum of Art, and the Civil Rights Museum. In 2006 Lyons became the first Black female photographer to be signed to Getty Images.
Latisha “Tish” Jones: Tish is a Spokenword Artist, Activist, Educator, and Organizer based out of St. Paul, MN. In 2009, Jones received both, a MN Verve Grant for Spokenword Artists and a MN Urban Griot Award for Female Spokenword Artist of the year. Recognized for her work by local publications, Jones was named one of the City Pages “Artists of The Year” along with mention in the Star Tribune as an “Artist on the Verge” in 2007. Co-producer and host of “Tha Remix” open mic series in north Minneapolis, Jones has performed locally and nationally. Also, the founder, executive, and artistic director of a developing non-profit arts organization, TruArtSpeaks, Jones teaches performance art and creative writing in schools throughout the Twin Cities area as well as in prisons and other facilities with youth programming.
Home Is Where You Make It is made possible by generous support from the Nimoy Foundation, the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council through an appropriation from the MN State Legislature, and the Compas United Arts Fund. The artist''s hotel accommodations are generously provided by Millennium Hotel Minneapolis.
Minneapolis: HOME IS WHERE YOU MAKE IT, a Walker Arts Center residency project by artists Lauri Lyons and Tish Jones is raising public awareness about the homeless youth population in the Twin Cities. The interactive installations provide an opportunity for homeless youth to develop and display their artwork to a broad audience, and are paired with a three-week long series of artist led workshops where homeless youth will write personal narratives and shoot black and white portraits. The portraits will then be digitally enlarged and mounted onto cardboard and assembled by the teens into 5’ x 7’ ‘houses’ on the street. The resulting structures will challenge common perceptions of the homeless population and literally bring a face to the issues they encounter daily.
Six ‘houses’ will be installed at various locations across the Twin Cities, including a temporary installation at the Walker Art Center in partnership with the Walker Art Center Teen Arts Council (WACTAC). In addition, a companion book will accompany the project, featuring the portraits and handwritten texts of each teen discussing their interpretation of the term ‘home’ as well as their experiences being homeless. Fifty books will be printed, distributed to participants, and available for purchase online.
###
EVENTS AND DATES
Aug 3 - 21: Workshops and housing installations in various locations with KKC youth. Visit http://www.kultureklub.org/home%20is%20where.html for an installation schedule.
Aug 19: Lauri Lyons will be a guest on Minnesota Public Radio ''Midmorning Show'' with host Kerri Miller at 10-11am CST.
Aug. 20: Lauri Lyons will give a free public lecture at the Walker Art Center at 6:30 pm.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Lauri Lyons: Currently based out of New York, Lyons has produced and photographed essays in Brazil, Europe, Mexico, West Africa, and the United States. Lauri Lyons is the author of ''Flag: An American Story'' and ''Flag International''. In 2003 she became the first Black woman to shoot the cover of Fortune magazine. Additionally, her photographs and essays have appeared in such publications as The London Observer, Trace, and The Fader. Her exhibition resume includes The International Center of Photography, Brooklyn Museum of Art, and the Civil Rights Museum. In 2006 Lyons became the first Black female photographer to be signed to Getty Images.
Latisha “Tish” Jones: Tish is a Spokenword Artist, Activist, Educator, and Organizer based out of St. Paul, MN. In 2009, Jones received both, a MN Verve Grant for Spokenword Artists and a MN Urban Griot Award for Female Spokenword Artist of the year. Recognized for her work by local publications, Jones was named one of the City Pages “Artists of The Year” along with mention in the Star Tribune as an “Artist on the Verge” in 2007. Co-producer and host of “Tha Remix” open mic series in north Minneapolis, Jones has performed locally and nationally. Also, the founder, executive, and artistic director of a developing non-profit arts organization, TruArtSpeaks, Jones teaches performance art and creative writing in schools throughout the Twin Cities area as well as in prisons and other facilities with youth programming.
Home Is Where You Make It is made possible by generous support from the Nimoy Foundation, the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council through an appropriation from the MN State Legislature, and the Compas United Arts Fund. The artist''s hotel accommodations are generously provided by Millennium Hotel Minneapolis.