Show Me Shelter Installation

For this final project, students built and printed simple pup tents from Tyvek, PVC, paracord, and stakes. The tents were installed outside on campus, on the plaza between the Kemper Art Museum and Steinberg Hall, as part of a final group exhibition. These tents, measuring only about 5 feet long, each took on a different topic or theme, selected by the student.

“We are on the tail end of a very strange time on our planet. Many folks have suffered the loss of jobs, their homes, and a lot of security. As we sit on the edge of a massive eviction crisis, uncertainty still looms,” said Reed. “I don’t want to take away from the beginnings of a new hopefulness and optimism, but I don’t want us to ignore the hard issues that are staring us in the face.”

Some examples of student tents included:

Banned by Kay Ingulli
Working in collaboration with the local organization Tent Mission STL, Ingulli responded to the crisis facing unhoused individuals who are banned from St. Louis shelters. Whether due to incidents of drug use, untreated mental health conditions, or inability to follow shelter rules such as curfews, these individuals are denied future access to shelter or aid. Rather than receive specialized care, they are condemned to life on the streets. During the pandemic, there have been multiple evictions of street encampments, making it increasingly difficult for these individuals to survive. Tent Mission STL is working toward providing this emergency care to those who are unhoused and denied access to shelters during the pandemic.

Stretch Mark by Janessa Johnson
Johnson began this project while a student at St. Louis Community College - Florissant Valley. Initially, she explored the dualities of motherhood and desirability, and how insecurities about her own body began to develop because of irreversible changes it had undergone during and after pregnancy. Johnson said, “The series presented a silent critique of my own body where I began to ask myself: Why? Why were my new stretch marks causing me to question my own ideals of feminine beauty? How does my desirability play a part in my sensuality?” Johnson’s goal was to promote body positivity among black women and to let the world know that black women are gorgeous.

White Picket Fence Dreaming by Logan Krohn
Krohn covered the surface of the tent with images of different forms of housing. The map-like images created a conversation about how our culture segregates the homeless.

השכינה (The Divine Feminine) by Gavi Weitzman
Weitzman’s piece features English and Hebrew text printed on the tent, which represents the voice of the shechina (God’s feminine presence) that dwelled in the Mishkan (Tabernacle) when the Israelites were in the desert. The Mishkan is often referred to as אהל מועד, which translates to “tent of meeting.” While this cannot be captured in English, the Hebrew shows a feminine “I” speaking to a masculine “you.” Her voice invites the viewer to come inside to find solace. On top of the text is a wig monoprint. The lines of the hair become a metaphorical extension of the feminine body and beg the viewer to think more about the gendering of space.

Dress Code by Shaelee Comettant
Comettant’s piece explored clothing and fashion as expressions of identity. “Outfits are carefully curated by examining articles of clothing that represent the way that one views themself,” said Comettant. “But within different environments that we enter, this expression of identity is expected to be altered to fit the socially accepted look appropriate for that environment. Dress Code explores my identity as expressed through the restriction of dress codes, both written and socially implied, within different environments. It is intended to highlight the differences imposed by each environment, but also bring attention to the consistencies within my own self-expression.”