‘Faces’ photo exhibit on homeless returns to Santa Rosa

Some faces are hard to forget, but first you have to see them. When passing someone on the street who’s obviously carrying everything he or she owns on their back, our first impulse often is to turn away.

Is it because you don’t want to embarrass that person? Or because you feel uncomfortable? Perhaps it’s both.

That’s why Kathleen Finigan, a volunteer for the Homeless Action advocacy group in Santa Rosa, decided two years ago to enlist photographer Salvador “Pocho” Sanchez-Strawbridge to take portraits of people living on the streets.

“This is a way for people to really see homeless people, who are, in fact, our neighbors,” Finigan said. A survey showed 88% of homeless people in Sonoma County had housing in the county before they became homeless, she said.

In 2019, the photo exhibit met with a warm public reception at several showings, first at Glaser Center in Santa Rosa and later at Mario Uribe’s studio and gallery in the South of A Street (SOFA) arts district during the Winterblast festival.

Starting Friday, July 2, selected photos from that exhibit, now titled “Faces: Portraits of Dignity in the Face of Adversity,” return for a month-long run at the Santa Rosa Arts Center on A Street. This Friday also marks SOFA’s monthly First Friday open studios event.

Sanchez-Strawbridge took the photos at two different churches that served food to the homeless, who could pose for a “face shot” if they wished.

“Most homeless people are not crazy about having their pictures taken, but Pocho has the unique ability to get people to let down their guard in front of the camera,” Finigan said. “His pictures show the dignity and humanity in their faces, especially their eyes.”

In the exhibit, the portrait subjects are identified by their first names only.

The goal is to break down the barriers between people, Finigan said.

“People are afraid of things they don’t know,” she said. “The homeless generally are reviled, marginalized and dehumanized by society, and considered barely human. Yes, there are addicts, alcoholics and mentally ill on the streets, just as there are among those who live in houses in Sonoma County.”

Through the “Faces” project, Finigan hopes to promote more empathy and better understanding.

“It’s a difficult situation,” she said. “When one falls into homelessness, it’s hard to get out without some help.”

You can reach Staff Writer Dan Taylor at dan.taylor@pressdemocrat.com or 707-521-5243. On Twitter @danarts.