Fayetteville exhibit brings attention to the 'Faces of Homelessness'
While driving throughout the city of Fayetteville, residents have most likely seen homeless people on the side of the road.
One day about two years ago, Fayetteville photographer Dona Marlowe passed a homeless person while driving along Skibo Road. When she saw him, she averted her eyes, which left her feeling guilty.
"I think we've all done that before when we don't want to make that connection with that person," she said. "But for some reason, the act of looking away from someone so obviously in need really affected me profoundly. I worried about this man. I thought about him when I was going to sleep, like does he have a place to sleep? Is he safe?"
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As this homeless man weighed heavily on Marlowe, she knew she had to do something to raise awareness about the homeless in the Fayetteville area.
This month, Marlowe launched her "I Am Somebody: Faces of Homelessness" exhibit at the Fayetteville/Cumberland County Arts Council. The exhibit was able to be put together through grant funding from the Arts Council funded through the North Carolina Arts Council, she said.
Marlowe, who currently works as a massage therapist, has been taking photos since the 1980s when she would take photos with her dad and his 35-millimeter camera, but she said she didn't get proficient until she was inspired to do this project.
"I realized that I had to become a photographer that could actually bring this project into fruition because I wasn't there yet," she said.
Marlowe prepared for this exhibit by taking photography classes at Fayetteville Technical Community College.
By working with Stacey Buckner with Off-Road Outreach, Marlowe said she was able to connect with members of the homeless community along with taking their photos.
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Marlowe said portions of the proceeds from the pieces sold through this exhibit will benefit both the Fayetteville/Cumberland County Arts Council and Off-Road Outreach.
The last day to see the exhibit at the arts council is Saturday, but Marlowe wants to expand her exhibit to other places in the future.
"I would like to see it in other arts councils, in other communities or in other galleries in other communities," she said. "This project, for me, is a local project but it's also to get this movement started and other places to get this awareness out everywhere. And I want to inspire people all over to do their own 'I Am Somebody' project and help our unhoused citizens."
From the exhibit, Marlowe wants people to see those suffering from homelessness as they are: people.
"The project is about realizing that the homeless population, our unhoused neighbors are not 'them,' it's all us," she said. "It's all us as a community, and I wanted to visually illustrate and hopefully create a connection and an awareness that we're all people just trying to make it in this world and treat each other with kindness. To do things with compassion and respect for each other is maybe part of the solution to the homeless problem."
Staff writer Akira Kyles can be reached at akyles@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Fayetteville art exhibit highlights faces of homelessness
