For centuries, art has been used as a means to create and communicate social and political messages. From documentary photography to political cartoons to mural−sized paintings like Picasso's famous "Guernica" (1937), images have often been used to spread powerful messages.
It comes as little surprise, therefore, that City Life/Vida Urbana and the Bank Tenant Association — two groups working to fight eviction and foreclosure in Boston — would partner with photographer Kelly Creedon to help convey their message and bring attention to their goals. Currently on exhibit in Somerville's own Washington Street Art Center, "We Shall Not Be Moved" is a collection of photographs depicting individuals and families experiencing the process of foreclosure.
Sensitive and heartfelt, Creedon's documentary photography captures the dignity and strength of 10 families standing in the face of financial adversity. Rather than highlight the tragedy of their situation, Creedon depicts the relentless hope and won't−give−up attitude that is reflected in project's title.
Creedon's photographs usually depict her subjects in one of two situations: either in front of or inside their homes undergoing foreclosure or in the process of participating in the larger movement orchestrated by the Bank Tenant Association. Beneath each segment of photographs, the subjects' stories are posted alongside quotes from the many interviews Creedon conducted. Reactions to their foreclosures range from pain to shame, but eventually move toward hope and optimism; the shift may be credited to the work of City Life/Vida Urbana.
City Life/Vida Urbana convincingly argues that, with over 12,000 foreclosures in Massachusetts in 2010 alone, and few buyers purchasing the foreclosed properties from the bank, home−owners should be allowed to continue to pay rent in order to stay in their homes. City Life/Vida Urbana specifically looks at the potential of a nonprofit bank, Boston Community Capital, to purchase the houses in risk of foreclosure at realistic prices, offer the tenants rent and eventually look to sell it back to the tenants in the future. Many families have been thrown off by adjustable mortgage rates and predatory loans and could afford to pay rent, but not mortgage payments, on their homes.
Creedon brings strength to this argument in her photographs of abandoned rooms, drawing attention to the sparse piles of "junk" that used to be part of a home, such s a single Christmas stocking hanging from the doorway in an otherwise desolate building. The message seems to highlight the uselessness of an empty and foreclosed property that has the potential to give shelter to a whole family.
In addition to photographs, the exhibit includes a slideshow of four families experiencing foreclosure and a voiceover of them describing their stories.
One individual, Ken Tilton, describes the success he and his partner had experienced earlier in life when they were the owners of two boutiques and a restaurant in Massachusetts. Their success ended when Tilton's partner was diagnosed with stage−four colon cancer and their attention and finances quickly shifted from their businesses to fighting the disease.
In the multimedia presentation, Tilton explains the way the movement helped him hold onto his home and the community and support he found with the Bank Tenant Association. His story is enhanced by vivid color photos of Tilton in his home, close−ups of the small details that personalize the rooms, like family photographs, refrigerator magnets and images of Tilton attending City Life meetings and participating in canvassing and protests.
Each of the visual and audio installments focuses on the power of acting collectively and how it has changed the way individuals see themselves in the world. Although "We Shall Not Be Moved" focuses on eviction and foreclosure, Creedon seems mostly interested in her subjects' personal journeys through a difficult time, as well as documenting how people come together and fight for something bigger than themselves. By choosing a topic as relevant as eviction and foreclosure, Creedon draws attention to the power of collective action and community discourse.
"We Shall Not Be Moved" is on exhibit at the Washington Street Art Center in Somerville until March 30.