HOME Setup
DUO collaborated in the beginning of November to begin mapping out the plans for HOME. After lots of consideration, we decided to use the canvases we painted with our friends of the homeless shelter to be the center pieces of our art gallery. Every canvas was a painting of a meaningful picture that correlated to each of the men's stories and journeys of their lives. We partnered with the Glen Cove Public Library, who offered us space in their new showroom to set up our gallery. Our first and main showing took place on January 9th, 2024, from 5-7pm, followed by open-style showings through January 23rd.
HOME -"The Big Show"
HOME was a beautiful event that bridged the gap between members of our local community and our homeless friends. Our goal was to layout images and flyers on our front wall, displaying the history of homelessness in Glen Cove and Locust Valley and the progression of the shelter over the last 40 years. As you continued throughout the gallery, you could view the detailed canvases next to bios and photos of each artist. All of the men from the shelter described their background and inspiration for each canvas to all who came. Even though it happened to be extremely windy, rainy and stormy on the day of HOME, over 100 members of our community showed up to support our gallery. Many men from the shelter were amazed to see just how many showed up for them and they felt seen and heard from our positive turnout. DUOs success relied mainly on breaking the stigma around homelessness in our community and it is safe to say, we achieved an uplifting environment filled with validation and friendship.
Meet Kyle
One of our favorite stories from the evening, regards our dear friend from the shelter, Kyle. Kyle began painting a tiger on his canvas in 2023 but has left his art unfinished on purpose. He worked long and hard on his art skills and wanted his finished product to be something he had to work towards. He likes to say that his tiger always reminded him to stay fierce and become a better human. While Kyle battled some obstacles along his journey, he showed up for himself and for the community to present his canvas at HOME. Kyle has expressed his art will be done when his journey is done but he is motivated to keep working and DUO is so proud!
Special shoutouts
DUO is constantly working to make the world a better place and we could not have accomplished nearly as much without the help of Coalition for the Homeless, Deputy Director, Franics and Head Organizer and Advocate of the First Presbyterian Chruch of Glen Cove shelter, Ron. Both of these men have worked closely with DUO to remind us that kids are the epicenter of change and have the power to make a difference locally, globally and nationally. Franics has hosted zoom conferences with us to build our action plan for meeting with the Glen Cove mayor to build more public housing. Ron works with the men one on one and has built connections with them to help us better support and care for their needs. Franics and Ron attended our gallery show and we would like to give a big thank you to them! DUO would also like to thank Courtney, Julie, Melissa, Father Mark and everyone who came and supported our event!
Contact
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