This Saturday Washington Theatre in Quincy will be the setting for a unique photojournalism exhibition featuring the homeless or those living in poverty in Quincy. The Quincy Illinois Poverty Project and Quanada are partnering to present the exhibition at the theatre at 427 Hampshire Street this Saturday from 7 to 9 p.m.

The event will be a documentary-style exhibit featuring the stories of 25 individuals and families who are homeless or living in poverty in Quincy. The exhibit consists of approximately 100 black & white photographs with captions, stories, and audio stories available through the use of personal communication devices such as mobile phones and tablets.

Steve Bohnstedt was the photographer and is the artistic director of this exhibit. Bohnstedt, who left his position as the Director of Photography at the Herald Whig to devote himself full-time to this endeavor, spent approximately two years researching, interviewing, and documenting the lives of the people in the exhibit.

According to Bohnstedt, “Most Quincy residents don’t even know this is happening. It’s heartbreaking to see how this population is suffering.”

The direction and focus of the project is to enact an awareness campaign about homelessness and poverty in Quincy, especially the lack of affordable, safe housing.

A website of the project will launch in conjunction with the exhibit. It will be available for viewing at quincyilpovertyproject.org on August 18th. You can also follow the group on Facebook at facebook.com/QuincyPovertyProject.

The exhibit will be on display through August 25th. There is no admission fee, but donations to support the exhibit would be welcomed.

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