Humanizing the unhoused, through art

Plus a St. Patrick's month playlist #34

This week I wrote about artist Judith Rubenstein, who spent decades working in social services before focusing on art full time. She’s spent the last year working on a project asking some of the city’s most vulnerable people about their thoughts of home.

I first met Judith last year in a figure drawing class at The Art Students League. I signed up for the class to do something different, thinking sitting around an art studio Sunday mornings would be fun and work a different part of my brain. I was by far the worst student in the class; as the models shifted to their different poses I struggled to capture their shape, the shadows, the movement. And although I took the class as a break from my day job, I am a gabber. So I got to talk with the artists around me and heard Judith’s story, which is when she first told me about her project.

She got back in touch last month after reading my story about youth drop-in centers, and we met back at the art school, where she still takes classes, to photograph them and talk more. 

Judith has no false idea that her project will solve the immense homelessness and affordable housing crisis in New York City, but she thought it could make people view our neighbors with a more compassionate eye. The submissions are honest and heartbreaking. One person just said he didn’t want to die on the streets. 

You can read the story here, and you can see more of Judith’s political art work at her website. 

Other interesting stories I read this week:

The racial gap in city jails has only gotten worse [THE CITY]
A deep dive into the Murdaugh trial [WSJ]
Save the slice joints!!! [GRUB STREET]
The new LIRR schedule stinks, reportedly [NY1]

LISTEN

It’s March, which means it’s St. Patrick’s Day parade season. No, it’s not too early – the parade in Rockaway is tomorrow, and Woodside is Sunday. 

In honor of that I’m sharing my St. Paddy’s Day mix. I will admit that listening to The Wolf Tones just reminds me that I foolishly went with my sister and brother-in-law and our senior citizen dad to see them in concert on Friday, March 13, 2020, inside a packed Connolly’s Pub. It wasn’t wise, but we were all a little foolish at that moment (remember, we could still go and visit our favorite bar until the following Monday.) 

Here are two more photos from Judith’s books. Thanks for reading!