Portrait exhibit challenges stigma around homelessness and raises funds for Lionhearts

By Christena Lawrie, CFRC's Broadcast Journalist and Local Journalism Initiative Reporter.

An exhibit at the Tett Centre for Creativity & Learning is sharing the stories of Kingston residents who have experienced homelessness.

A Sheltered Life: Portraits of Resilience features work by artists Kyla Todd and Shari Doseger, photographer Ben Spadzinski, and author Alain Doseger, pairing portraits with written stories of individuals whose lives have been shaped by housing insecurity. Each portrait places the subject in a setting tied to their personal story, offering viewers context about their journey.

The exhibit also serves as a fundraiser supporting Lionhearts’ housing initiatives, which have placed 34 persons into safe, affordable homes to date.

“Art connects you with people. … The idea was to hopefully make us realize that really this could happen to anyone,” Todd said in an interview with CFRC. “We’re all a tragedy or two or a few really bad months away from being in this situation ourselves. So, creating art is like a way of breaking down a barrier I felt.”

Listen to the full story here.