Posted on May 14, 2019
New Voices celebrates its 10th year of programming at SCPA with creative writing students collaborating with Tender Mercies residents to photrograph and discuss community issues.
New Voices completed its 10th straight year of programming with SCPA students with 22 creative writing students working with Tender Mercies residents on a collaborative photography project. Students walked the two blocks from their classroom to Tender Mercies once per week throughout the spring to photograph side by side with their partners at Tender Mercies in the neighborhood around Washington Park. Sites included Memorial Hall, the newly renovated First Lutheran Church and the Ensemble Theater. The combined group also discussed community issues including diversity and what it means to be successful in the world. A small group of images was culled from the more than 5,000 created throughout the program to form four unique photo collages which will be permanently installed at Tender Mercies.Patricia: Before I came to live at Tender Mercies, I was homeless for five years, living under a bridge. I kept on denying help and didn’t want anyone around me. God intervened and told me to take the step to live here. This place has helped me have faith in others and myself. It has helped me to be sober, to stop drinking and take care of myself physically and emotionally.
Photographing at First Lutheran Church
One of the four collages created by the group.
Program catalog containing a small collection of photographs and transcripts of the group’s discussions throughout the program.