Artist's Statement

Located near the center of Tucson, the University of Arizona is a gorgeous campus that plays a large role in the characterization of Tucson and its people. Its multitude of vibrant students and the energetic hustle and bustle of classrooms, restaurants, shops, and streets create an aura of excitement and promise. Sometimes we, as students, have become too accustomed to the “good life” of the college campus. We grow and fortify these blinders that keep us focused on our daily routines; we are very good at following our habitual paths week after week. The proverbial bubble-of-a-school in which our lives burgeon neglects the hindrances of outlying events that exist in “the real world.” Beyond the boundaries of the University of Arizona lies an environment of Tucson that is not so “lovely” as our “collegiate world”--a world where not everyone gets to attend to expensive courses and earn degrees to acquire successful jobs. Amidst the city of Tucson lives the homeless community…yes, 'just another' community of the homeless. We say ‘just another’ because that is how we students see it, right? We live life untainted by the throes of those without homes or food or jobs, right? We see a homeless person and think "what a shame", or "I hope they don’t approach me," right? We see them as another statistical failure lost in the life of an American city. But, by the word 'them’ we really mean our fellow members of the Tucson community—the vast community that you are considered a part of. Through this photography project in which we investigate a particular community in Tucson, we want to raise awareness of the homeless community’s overlooked presence. We feel that it is important for students to examine a community in Tucson that represents the kind of reality that many of us so effectively disregard each day. We want our images to encompass an abbreviated summary—or at least a brief snippet—of the life of the homeless. Being aware of a community like the homeless that exists outside of our own is a meaningful realization. We believe that it teaches us not only that there are multiple demographic groups that make up the vibrant spirit of Tucson, but also teaches us a human lesson—that this project enhances our notion of the word community and eradicates this ignorance that we carry toward those overlooked.