TIFFANY WHITE

I started this project by wanting to understand the concept of home and what it means to different people. While considering my own definition, I realized that I have been in the same house since the day I was born, that my parents have always been my cornerstone, and that I have collected far more things in that house than I can or will ever use.

Being that I now hope to put these things to better use and that I also collect quotes, I find this one quite relevant: Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much. It is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.” I have been fortunate, but not everyone is so lucky. So I decided to use my senior thesis project to help support people ostracized by our society. I have created an installation that replicates a real estate style open house within a gallery space, using mostly items that were either owned or created by me and that I will donate to the Spiritus Christi Outreach Program at the conclusion of this exhibition. Spiritus Christi is committed to offering resources to incarcerated individuals and ex-offenders as they transition back into society.  I have framed this “house” for sale because I believe we cannot put a price tag on our freedom regardless of our circumstances, nor do these circumstances change our desire for the comforts of a home.

Since 2002, the United States has had the highest incarceration rate in the world:  716 people per 100,000 of the national population. While that number is staggering, what is more astonishing is how we treat incarcerated people, both during and after their time in prison. We, as members of a society, should be invested in the successful transition period for former inmates from inside a prison to their reentry to the outside world. My project aims to shed light on some of the serious flaws in a system that is more about punishment than rehabilitation. At the same time, I want to provide some kind of immediate and direct support to former prisoners during their transition period from incarceration to their new lives and homes.

What people need most to re-acclimate to society and avoid returning to their prison cell is stability. This stability and self-sufficiency can be cultivated by many elements, including permanent – or at least consistent – housing, education, a job or even a career, a family or other support system, access to food, counselors, health insurance and more. But I think having a safe and comfortable place to live is one of the most important of these factors, and making that place a real home can make all the difference in the world to those recently released from prison. As I invite the residents of Jennifer House into “my home,” I invite you inside as well, to experience my life - or at least a part of it - and to get a glimpse of theirs in this liminal space between prison and freedom. After you visit this unique “open house,” I hope you will reconsider your role in our society - at least when it comes to your view of and interactions with those managing the consequences of our federal and state prison system.