Students in “Citizenship Acts to Challenge Poverty” are delving into the potential of visual politics to change cultural narratives, specifically while activating the work of local artists to “de-anonymize” people who are or have been unhoused, challenging negative stereotypes.

Coming for the first time to UW campus, the Portraits for Change exhibit features approximately 30 portraits of Real Change News vendors who sell the Real Change newspaper. The portraits were created by local artists and contextualized by student-curated “Then and Now” historical and current photos marking the dramatic changes of many Seattle places.

Through the viewing of portraits of vendors, many of whom are unsheltered, the exhibit sheds light on homelessness and poverty in Seattle, re-humanizing unsheltered lives and challenging the negative stereotypes that homeless people face. By focusing on vendors' stories,
'Portraits for Change' works to disrupt mainstream understandings of homelessness.

The exhibit will be up in the Allen North Library from Feb 20-Mar 12 and is co-sponsored by Real Change News, UW Honors, the Relational Poverty Network and the UW Department of Geography.

Exhibit Launch Event: Thursday, February 20th @ 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm Allen Auditorium

Tour the exhibit and/or to attend the launch event with speakers from Real Change, Sharewheel and more on and off-campus partners. No RSVP required, just mark it on your calendar!

Exhibit runs Feb 20 – March 12 • Allen Library Atrium

For more information:

Kian Flynn
Geography & Global Studies Librarian
University Libraries

flynnk7@uw.edu | 206-221-2253
(he/his/him)