BETTER HOMES & GARDENS TODAY

Installation and Public Project by Christopher Statton and Megan Wilson Fall/Winter 2014/15

Megan Wilson, Better Homes and Gardens, Public Project, San Francisco, CA, 2000

ATA (Artists’ Television Access) 992 Valencia Street San Francisco, CA 94110

October 1 – 31, 2014

The Roxie Theater 3117 16th Street San Francisco CA, 94110

December 7, 2014 - January 7, 2015

In Fall/Winter 2014/15 artists Christopher Statton and Megan Wilson will present the public project Better Homes & Gardens Today. Statton and Wilson will present the project in the storefront window at ATA (Artists’ Television Access) in October and in the storefront window of the Roxie Theater in December/January. For Better Homes & Gardens Today Statton and Wilson will be partnering with the Gubbio Project, the Coalition On Homelessness, and At The Crossroads to: 1) Heighten awareness around “home” and the realities of homelessness; 2) Cultivate a dialog within communities and amongst disparate groups; and 3) Raise money to benefit each of these critical organizations that work to address homelessness in San Francisco.

Statton and Wilson, will spend several months hand-painting “Home” signs in different languages in the window spaces of ATA and the Roxie. The single word for “Home” will be painted in black against a color background. Within each sign a flower will be painted. The signs will be painted on 1⁄4" plywood and range in size from 12"x18" to 16"x30".

The signs will be available for purchase for $100/pair. The purchasers will get one sign for his/herself and the other sign will be donated to one of the three partner organizations to use as they see best fit). Purchasers will also be provided with more information on each of the organizations and how they can further help. All of the proceeds and the signs purchased for the organizations will be divided evenly and go to the three partners (Gubbio Project, Coalition On Homelessness, and At The Crossroads).

On October 30th Statton and Wilson will host a free evening event at ATA. The evening will include presentations by the participating organizations and a facilitated discussion to learn about: 1. The realities of being homeless; 2. What the culture and climate of homelessness is like in San Francisco; and 3. What is truly needed to address this crisis - funding and policy change.

Additional events TBA.

As part of the project Statton and Wilson have been introduced to and reached out to some of the Bay Area's tech corporations and their employees, including Twitter, Facebook, Zendesk, Yammer, Google, Dropbox, and Salesforce to invite them to attend the project's events. The invitation was extended to these corporations, who are relatively new to the area, to provide them with the opportunity to learn about, contribute to, and support a community that is in great need and that they are now working/ living among and having a significant impact on.

Attendees will also be asked to make a donation and to participate in the project by purchasing a set of "Home" signs for $100.

The goal of the Better Homes & Gardens Today is to introduce people to these critical organizations that are working to address the needs of those who are struggling to survive and need support, as well as help to provide insight to the causes, which are systemic and far more complex than most people are aware.