THE SHARP, sour smell of the neighboring compost
facility hangs over Dignity Village, and a cat prowls the labyrinthine
series of raised community vegetable gardens. Dignity, situated west of
the airport, is the country’s first city-sanctioned homeless
encampment, home to nearly 60 people transitioning out of street life,
and right now street artist Klutch and his girlfriend Taylor Stevenson
are painting a maritime scene on Dignity Village Chairman Randy Curl’s
house. It’s an image Curl requested, and when completed it’ll serve as
a pilot for a mural project which aims to decorate the homes of those
Dignity residents who want a fresh coat of paint and something nice to
look at. The idea is that the murals will give Dignity residents points
of solidarity when transitioning from homelessness to housed
living.
Curl’s house resembles a fishing shack, and it’s where he lives with
his partner Cindy Davis. The maritime image that’s growing on the walls
of their home matches the couple’s personalities well. Davis is chatty
and optimistic. She runs the community gardens along with several
services outside Dignity, which help pay her $20/month membership fee.
Curl is stoic, and speaks in short sentences. I offer him a cigarette.
“I’ve got my own,” he says. Curl is slow and steady like the ocean;
Davis, like the fish swimming in it—and so they’ve dedicated the
image to their wall.
Dr. Kate Leonard, a specialist in art therapy and psychology, says
this maritime image is a good choice for a community building. Not only
does the imagery relate to Portland’s history, but it isn’t overly
personal. “It’s important that people are included in designing the
murals,” says Leonard, but because Dignity is designed as a
transitional point and not a place to establish permanent housing, “you
don’t want ‘Kim and Jeff’s place’ written on a home.” You want images
with some elasticity—images that will give future Dignity
residents a sense of community, but not necessarily one of
ownership.
Davis has a healthy relationship with community and the temporary
nature of her current housing. She flips through a photo album of
Dignity residents, telling dozens of stories of both success and
failure. It’s immediately clear that she has an intimate connection
with just about everyone who has passed through the encampment during
her three-year stay. But as connected as she is to the Dignity
community, she and Curl plan to move into an apartment by January of
next year. Davis and Curl’s success—and the success of the
community at large—is humbling.
This effect seems universal. Klutch says that when coming to
Dignity, he had an I’ll-paint-what-I-want attitude, which quickly
dissolved. “That’s not what this is about,” he says. “One guy came up
when we were painting and told me, ‘I love what you’re doing, but I
like mine the way it is,'” he laughs. “That was the best.” This opting
out is an important point. Some people want their homes to be more
traditional, as a way of expressing the traditional position they hope
to hold in society.
Many residents, though, opt in. “There’s a woman who wants an
Australian Shepherd on her house,” says Klutch. “There’s one guy that
wants his house to look like a hippie bus, and another that wants
camo.” But there’s more that needs to happen before these murals can be
actualized. Klutch and Stevenson are looking for paint
donations—Miller Paint provided the materials for the pilot
mural—and they’re also looking for other muralists to get in on
the project. For those interested, Klutch and Stevenson can be
contacted via redsemillaroja.org.
Must people advertise their community work? As if these artists can’t get paint & assistance w/o having an article written about what they’re doing. Reminds me of celebs who take a camera crew to Africa to show EVERYONE how much they care about poor people. It kind of sucks the purity out of it & smacks of self-promotion. I’m all for social activism, just annoyed when people use it as a means to get attention. “Hey everybody, look at me! I’m helping homeless people!”
I’m all for constructive criticism, just annoyed when people make judgments based on preconceived notions. Feel free to join us at Dignity Village some day if you’re curious whether your cynicism has any bearing. Taylor- redsemilla@riseup.net
If my observation was without merit it seems that someone besides the subject of the photo might try to set me straight.
I just suspect that Dignity residents didn’t seek to have an article written about your project. Was their privacy a consideration? If you can honestly say that there wasn’t some intent to publicly pat yourselves on the back for your good deeds as well as get a thrill out of being quoted and photographed, then my hat is off to you. I enjoy volunteering, but you won’t be reading about it in a newspaper article anytime soon. Dignity, folks.
Beautiful art! I appreciate the good intentions. I do worry that painting the houses with various “themes” may contradict the idea of having a dignified point of transition for people. Too many murals could create an amusement park feel. The art is beautiful but I think simple, basic coats of paint would more effectively project dignity.
THIS IS A RELEVANT REPORT BY MATT STANGEL-A FABULOUS WRITER CONCERNING ART IN PORTLAND. THE HOUSING REMINDS ME OF “ARTIST’S VILLAGE” IN NEW ORLEANS-THE HOUSING
PROJECT DEVELOPED BY HARRY CONICK JR AND OTHER MUSICIANS IN NEW ORLEANS AFTER THE
HURRICANE KATRINA. MAINTAINING THE RESIDENTS DIGNITY IS A KEY FACTOR. MORE POWER TO THEM IF BEAUTIFUL ART WORK CAN BE CREATED AND DISPLAYED AMIDST SOCIAL
DISASTER. KEEP WRITING AND REPORTING MATT. WE LOVE YOU!
SHARONEHOOD@GMAIL.COM
These are people’s homes!!!not canvases for privileged hippie’s art projects!! just because they’re homeless people in transition doesn’t mean their community should look like a rainbow gathering.In what gorgeous portland neighborhoods do you see mural covered houses? put a mural on a community wall.it‘s gracious of the residents to indulge nutso artists. -erin o’dell erinodell@gmail.com
Criticism is healthy and welcomed but not very useful when it is without any base in reality. We would love for all of you to take a trip out to Dignity Village, meet the residents, and if you see some way that you would like to help then get involved. If anyone has ideas or input on how to improve the mural project or just want to join in then please contact us.
Just to set the record straight:
Taylor didnt even know about the photo until after it was published. I sent it in because Matt asked for a pic for the article.
The Dignity Village residents were consulted and if you reread the article you will notice that they are the focus of this piece, not the art.
Yes, they do welcome the attention and appreciate Matt helping them to increase awareness of what they are doing. There was just a great interview with some of them on OPB radio this morning.
Privileged or hippie are two words that couldn’t be more inaccurate when describing us.
It is so easy to be an internet expert and voice your opinion to the world without having any investment in your words. Researching the facts and getting to know the issues and people involved takes much more work but required if you want your opinion to have any credibility or effectiveness. The upside of all of this is that it is great to see people discussing DV since this and a permit article are the only mentions of DV on this site.
Klutch
So the art+article was your idea. ok, but i wonder: is the outside of YOUR home covered in murals?! or your close friends?! it’s sort of condescending to think it’s neat to make homeless people’s places look cartoonish. And how is a “camo” theme or a “hippie bus” theme etc. either elastic, or related to portland history (as Dr Leonard advises)?
As far as your being privileged hippies-I may be wrong-but how often do underprivileged people name a kid Taylor?!! And who but hippies say stuff like “points of solidarity”? Barf! but it’s sweet how you defended that lady’s foto-op. you seem alright klutch. i’m skeptical but i will visit DV if you’re there 🙂 erin o’dell -main email:erinodell11@yahoo.com
Looking good! It’s nice to see people do something positive with their time, rather than insult people’s names and question their motivations.
I say way to actually do something, rather then just sit in font of laptops drinking Stumptown and judging. I don’t think Dignity Village getting any sort of press/funding could ever be a bad thing. If I read right, they have a choice to not have their home painted.
PS: “How often do underprivileged people name a kid Taylor?” -erino
Really? Get a life and quit being a hater.
Oh,ha! as if you haven’t ever engaged in some stumptown slurping and judging. but, ya, i was hater-ish, sorry. still don’t think a “camo” theme & others are elastic, etc. Good thing is, after all this discussion, i am dying to see this project in person and maybe help. for one thing, klutch’s art is rad (did some research) and he seems rad and sincere (gotta meet this punk!), so if he’s into it i’m open. erin o’dell -erinodell11@yahoo.com