July 2008 News

Invitation to join Chameleon Arts & Youth Development
in celebrating the strength and resilience of homeless youth attending USD 500 Schools KCKS

Faces of Homeless Youth 2008, July 11 - July 31
Traveling poster exhibition
Missouri Bank
122 Southwest Blvd KCMO 64108

Chameleon Arts and Youth Development, working in collaboration with the Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools Homeless Liaison and community artists Hugh Merrill and Matt Hilger have guided a group of homeless teenagers living and going to school in Wyandotte County in creating journals, arts and performance projects over the past 9 months.  This work has led to the production of this traveling exhibition of posters and an installation of large-scale graphic images of the youth permanently installed at the Willa Gill Resource Center, in Kansas City, Kansas.

The exhibition also highlights community artists Deanna Skedel’s Gift Project with Chameleon and the Office of Homeless Liaison. Ms. Skedel took a group of Homeless children on an imaginative artistic journey over the past 9 months helping them tell their personal stories through journaling and arts projects. The outcome of the project is the construction of felt play house created in collaboration with the children.

The Chameleon community arts projects are meant to help people connect with the reality of homelessness while providing the children with the skills to develop a coherent and insightful artistic voice, to support their academic ability, and to build self-esteem and community.  Collaborators anticipate exhibiting the project in Washington, DC in the fall of 2008, during the National Conference for the National Association of Educators for Homeless Children and Youth.

 

Faces of the Homeless: a permanent arts installation for the Willa Gill Resource Center Kansas City Kansas

When we think of the Homeless, we often envision a tattered older man holding a sign by the off ramp of a highway. The reality is far different.  The average age of a homeless person in Kansas City, Kansas is 7 years old.  In order to bring this story to a broader public audience, artist Hugh Merrill and Chameleon Arts and Youth Development have undertaken the ongoing community arts project, Faces of Homeless Youth. The goal of this project is to increase the self worth and self-image of homeless teens in Kansas City, Kansas, while enhancing public understanding of the impact of homelessness on children and youth.

Working in collaboration, the Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools Homeless Liaison  Staci Pratt and community artist and Kansas City Art Institute Professor Hugh Merrill has guided a group of homeless teenagers living and going to school in Wyandotte County in creating journals, arts and performance projects over the past 9 months.  This work has led to the production of a series of posters and large-scale graphic images of the youth installed at the Willa Gill Resource Center, in Kansas City, Kansas since June 20, 2008. The images are meant to help people connect with the reality of homelessness while providing the children with the skills to develop a coherent and insightful artistic voice, to support their academic ability, build self-esteem and community. Seldom do homeless communities have the opportunity to participate in the arts or have positive images of them selves exhibited in  soup kitchens and resource centers where they go for help and food. The homeless community using the Willa Gill resource center is excited and proud and cherishes the art work of children that come to their facility

Collaborators anticipate exhibiting the project in Washington, DC in the fall of 2008, during the National Conference for the National Association of Educators for Homeless Children and Youth.

The work was produced by Hugh Merrill concept and project director, Matt Hilger Kansas City Art Institute, graphic design and photography and Patrick Moonasar digital and artistic consultant.

 

Upcoming Chameleon Summer Camps and Programs:

Phoenix Families Housing Summer Community Center programming
(Parvin Road and the Olive street)
African Drumming, hip-hop dance, and visual arts with the Hip Hop Academy and artists Damon Patterson and Ryan McCord-Bey.

July/August 2008
Quest Plus KCMO Summer Camps (pending)
Chameleon will provide the school district 3 amazing arts camps in visual arts, dance and music. More information coming soon!

Club ES Kansas City Kansas (pending)
Chameleon will work with Club ES providing art workshops to 250 special needs children from Wyandotte County. More to come on this amazing opportunity soon.

Hot Summer Nights Rehab (pending),
Chameleon, led by artists Ryan McCord-Bey and Corey Thomas, will provide youth 12 -18 with creative programming on Friday and Saturday evenings.

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