Faces of Renting is a four-painting series, featuring cost-burdened renters from South Minneapolis.
Faces of Renting is a personal response to a public problem. When discussing housing issues, residents are often reduced to statistics that share the story of the neighborhood, but not their own. We know that 60% of Greater Powderhorn* are renters, and half of those renters are paying more than 30% of their income on housing. We know that being a cost-burdened renter leaves little to pay for other necessities like food, clothing, transportation and medical care. Faces of Renting is an exercise in feeling: to sense the experience of living somewhere you don’t own, to struggle with forces beyond your control, and to make a home for yourself regardless.
This watercolor portrait series is a peek into four of the renter households in the Greater Powderhorn Area. These renters welcome us into their homes, share their joys, discuss their struggles, and call us to rally behind them in South Minneapolis.
This work is made in partnership with Inquilinxs Unidxs por Justicia (http://www.inquilinxsunidxs.org), Heidi Romanish, Nancy Musinguzi (@afrikansniper), and CURA’s Artist Neighborhood Partnership Initiative Grant.
