By Gia Pham
Framed portraits of adults from all walks of life in collared shirts, silk blouses and radiant smiles decorate the walls under a beaming American flag on the second floor of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library.
But a blue tarp tent in front of the exhibit makes for a sharp visual contrast.
The Blue Tarp Project, created by artist Virginia Becker, aims to debunk the public’s misconceptions of homelessness in America, specifically in San Jose.
Her portraiture installation shows the faces behind the blue tarps and her journey in understanding the truth about the homelessness epidemic.
“When you look up what a homeless person looks like on Google Images, you’re going to get the same image over and over, and I wanted to demystify that,” Becker said. “I want people to see the people I know.”
The portraits steer away from stereotypical ideas and appearances negatively associated with homelessness.
“They’re all street clothes. This is as they dressed that day, no makeup, no hair, no anything, nothing,” Becker said. “One of the things that I wanted to do was to uninstall the myth that all homeless people lived down by the creek, living in filth and this is the way they are – that’s not true.”
The lack of drama in the portraits emphasized the humanity and similarities people share.
Becker said she never asked her subjects to smile or consulted them about their situation. Instead she talked to them about how they felt that day or how their children were doing.
Alongside the portraits, posters with facts debunking common myths about homelessness are included in the exhibit.
One poster showed that homelessness is primarily caused by the loss of a job. While another stated that supporting affordable housing would be five times cheaper than mediating it through public agencies.
Becker said she hopes displaying these statistics will encourage people to approach the homeless epidemic with new methods and will show that affordable housing is the right solution.
“Stop looking at the old ways, dispel your myths. It is not everyone on drugs and alcohol. It is bigger than that,” Becker said.
The portraits and statistics incited San Jose State students to reflect on their experiences with homeless people.
Hospitality senior Hieu Nguyen remembered witnessing the clearing of homeless encampments near Senter Road and Monterey Road.
“It was really sad because, as I remembered, it was a really rainy day and really heavily and they used a machine to gouge the [tents],” Nguyen said. “It was just like you could see a group of homeless people running around in the rain and screaming ‘stop, stop.’ It’s heartbreaking.”
Nguyen, who has worked in community outreach programs which distribute food and resources to homeless people, recalled how he once held similar misconceptions about homeless people. He said shelters are not enough.
“At once I was like, ‘how come they don’t go to shelters?’ ” Nguyen said. “It is really crammed inside and the next person is staring at you and checking you out and your stuff. It’s really sad.”
The exhibit includes a section with resources for homeless people and individuals who want to make positive change within their community.
These resources, located in the back of the exhibit, encourage people to realize personal responsibilities on both sides of the homelessness epidemic.
”We can volunteer, it’s actually really powerful,” Nguyen said.
The exhibit will be open to the public until Feb. 28.
