CHAMBERSBURG, PA - HOME SWEET HOME, a mixed media installation exploring the issue of homelessness, will be on view at Chambersburg’s artist cooperative, the Foundry, 100 South Main Street, from March 19 through April 25, 2021. Sponsored by Madison Settlement Services, the exhibit was created by Carlisle artist Carrie Breschi, to address the real face of homelessness, and misconceptions about those who struggle to find shelter. The Foundry is working with South Central Community Action Program (SCCAP), which runs the Franklin County Homeless Shelter at 223 South Main Street, to increase awareness and support through the power of art, to those experiencing homelessness. For more information on how to volunteer or to contribute to ending housing insecurity, contact Cheryl A. Brown at SCCAP: cbrown@sccap.org.
The Foundry, 100 South Main Street, Chambersburg, PA 17201
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 10, 2021
Contact: Anne Finucane 717-816-7568
HOME SWEET HOME: The Real Face of Homelessness
CHAMBERSBURG, PA - HOME SWEET HOME, a mixed media installation exploring the issue of homelessness, will be on view at Chambersburg’s artist cooperative, the Foundry, 100 South Main Street, from March 19 through April 25, 2021. Sponsored by Madison Settlement Services, the exhibit was created by Carlisle artist Carrie Breschi, to address the real face of homelessness, and misconceptions about those who struggle to find shelter. The Foundry is working with South Central Community Action Program (SCCAP), which runs the Franklin County Homeless Shelter at 223 South Main Street, to increase awareness and support through the power of art, to those experiencing homelessness. For more information on how to volunteer or to contribute to ending housing insecurity, contact Cheryl A. Brown at SCCAP: cbrown@sccap.org .
Past Executive Director of the Carlisle Arts Learning Center, Carrie Breschi, a community-engaged artist, consults with nonprofit organizations to encourage collaboration and the cultivation of change through the creative process. She holds a B.A. in Studio Art/ English from Denison University and an M.A. in Social Engagement through the Arts from Moore College of Art & Design. In the installation HOME SWEET HOME, she aims to dissolve public and private perceptions of the way a gallery should act and look and to transform the space into a meaningful educational experience.
Breschii explains the genesis of her HOME SWEET HOME project this way: “When I learned that Community CARES, an emergency shelter for those experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity in Cumberland County, would be disposing of the seven-year old mats which they had been utilizing for their guests to sleep on, I envisioned an art installation that displayed stories on the mats. The stories would reveal the hardships and circumstances that had led people to seek out Community CARES.”
Misconceptions that stigmatize and stereotype those without a home are prevalent in every community, misconceptions that isolate many wonderful people from the rest of the community - many of whom are educated, well dressed, caring, kind, loving, hard-working, good parents and who have clean hygiene habits. “Many of them have been left by a spouse or a partner, let go from a job, experienced the death of a parent, experienced mental illnesses or addiction - all experiences any one of us could fall into,” she says. “As you view this installation, consider the times when you have been in need of the help of a friend or a family member. Imagine if you had no one in your life that you could turn to? What if your parents had been abusive? What if you worked every day but could not make wages sufficient enough to pay off student loans, to pay the rent or to care for a child?”
Breschi, with collaborators from the Foundry and SCCAP, hopes that community members visiting the exhibit will consider changing their misconceptions of those experiencing life without a permanent shelter - without a “home sweet home”.
HOME SWEET HOME will be on view in the Foundry March 19-April 25 during regular retail hours, Fridays through Sundays 11am-3pm. Featuring an eclectic mix of handmade works by artists from around the Cumberland Valley, the Foundry houses a retail shop where guests can purchase unique, one-of-a-kind pieces that are made locally, and view rotating exhibits featuring the work of artists both local & regional. For more information about the Foundry, call (717)261-0706, or visit foundryartmarket.com.