An exhibition based on Matthew Desmond’s acclaimed and eye-opening – and Pulitzer Prize-winning – "Evicted," about the struggles of low-income Milwaukeeans in the residential rental market and the way the threat and reality of eviction affects their lives, will open on Friday, June 21, at the Mobile Design Box, 753 N. 27th St.
The free exhibition, which made its national debut at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., will be on view until Sept. 30.
The show – created by three Brooklyn firms: Matter, MGMT and Unfurl Productions – has been called "immersive" and uses original photography and audio clips, as well as data from Desmond’s Eviction Lab, to explore the causes and effects of eviction.
"Evicted introduces an underreported topic by increasing awareness of tenant issues," said Sarah Leavitt, Ph.D., National Building Museum curator.
"Housing is at the center of so much; in order to focus on education, health or other issues, stable housing is necessary."
UWM’s School of Architecture & Urban Planning – which collaborates on the Mobile Design Box with Near West Side Partners – will concurrently present "Finding Home – Architectural Solutions to America’s Homeless Crisis," which explores homelessness from an architectural point of view and offers some ideas for temporary solutions.
"We are looking forward to welcoming the Evicted exhibition to the Near West Side," said Near West Side Partners Executive Director, Keith Stanley, in a statement.
"This exhibit provides an opportunity for us to bring awareness to an issue that impacts families throughout our Milwaukee community."
A grand opening event is slated for 5 p.m. on Friday, June 21.
The exhibition is supported by Near West Side Partners, the Greater Milwaukee Foundation, the Zilber Family Foundation, anonymous donors and Wiegand Enterprises, which owns the exhibit space in the former Tower Theater.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
