Jamie cuddles her 9-month-old son, Hunter, his little head on her shoulder. He stares into the camera, his fist in his mouth. “She said that if it wasn’t for the shelter, her little boy would be in foster care,” photographer Patrisha McLean said. “Imagine if she had to give up her boy for his whole life.”
There’s Erin, in makeup and a pink prom dress at the beach. She was in her senior year of high school in Camden when she and her mom no longer had anywhere to live. Despite both of them working, they couldn’t afford rent. “They had no place to live, so that’s why they moved into the shelter,” McLean said. The staff at the shelter helped her get a dress for prom.
These are just two of the stories behind photos that give a new, raw look at homelessness in Knox County. They are part of an exhibit artist Susan Williams and McLean have teamed up for. It’s on display at Pascal Hall in Rockport. Williams’ paintings and McLean’s portraits of homeless and formerly homeless people from the area are available for sale, with a portion of the proceeds going to benefit the Knox County Homeless Coalition/Hospitality House. Signed copies of McLean’s book, “My Island,” also are available with a $75 minimum donation to KCHC.
Williams has had significant exhibitions in New York and Maine, including an acquisition of a group of paintings by McKinsey & Co. and Goldman Sachs & Co. She is represented by the Caldbeck Gallery in Rockland and the Barry Whistler Gallery in Dallas, Texas.
McLean said she got involved with the Knox County Homeless Coalition a few years back at the request of executive director Stephanie Primm. “I received a call from Stephanie Prim, who had just taken over as director of Knox County Homeless Coalition. She wanted to meet me for coffee. … When I sat with her, I was so impressed with her,” McLean said. “Her vision was very different, and I was very impressed with it.”
McLean began taking portraits of folks helped by the homeless coalition, which to date has helped 1,294 people, including 643 children. Of those, 621 have moved into independent housing — 55 percent of them were kids.
With some of McLean’s portraits available in life-size proportions for viewing, she said it’s bringing homelessness out of the darkness — something she thinks is important to changing preconceived notions.
“I feel that a lot of people when they hear about a homeless shelter they expect it to be filled with drunk old men, and what I wanted to relate to people in our community is that the people who are there are people just like us,” McLean said. “These are people in our schools, on our … teams, in our plays who just happen to be homeless.”
The folks helped by the homeless coalition are getting help with education, job training and applying for Section 8 housing. “They are just working really hard,” McLean said.
“They’re just beautiful children and beautiful people … who are just working really hard to improve their life,” McLean said.
“A lot of times, they haven’t had a break, they’ve been struggling all their life … and the hope they have,” McLean said. “They have a lot to offer. … I am so glad that we have this space in our community that is making such a difference in people’s lives.”
The exhibit will be open through Aug. 24 by chance or appointment. Call 207-230-4264 or email info@homehelphope.org to set up an appointment.