“A Place to Call Home,” an exhibition of 40 photos at the ArtRage Gallery, features an intensive examination of housing in Syracuse by photographers Michelle Gabel and Michael Greenlar. Their images focus on people directly impacted by housing insecurity and sub-standard housing. And the show tells multiple stories: of personal turmoil, of struggles to find shelter, of positive transformation facilitated by stable housing.
In working on the exhibit, Greenlar and Gabel didn’t operate side by side. They functioned independently, making contacts with subjects and shooting dozens of photos. In the end, their images complement each other and build a memorable exhibition.
Viewers will encounter Greenlar’s photographs of Steve, a man living under a bridge near Armory Square, and of Denise Masterpole who resides in an apartment on Shonnard Street.
In addition, the exhibit displays Gabel’s striking portraits of Dolphus Johnson and Reggie Manning, both of whom live in small houses built and coordinated by A Tiny Home for Good, a local nonprofit organization. In 2016, Johnson was the first person to move into one of the group’s houses; Manning and his son, Reggie Jr., live in a Tiny Home for Good structure on Rich Street.
Most of Gabel’s images depict people living in such houses. In some instances, she concentrates on everyday scenes: the Mannings sitting on the front steps of the house they rent from a Tiny Home for Good; Eddie Plazza, another resident, relaxing, with his feet up on a chair. These are commonplace events, and that’s precisely the point; stable housing for vulnerable people shouldn’t be viewed as something extraordinary.
Reggie Manning and his son, Reggie Jr., 12, are shown on the front steps of their Rich Street home, designed by University of Buffalo senior architecture students for A Tiny Home for Good, a nonprofit organization seeking to fight homelessness in Syracuse one small home at a time. At left in the window is the family cat, Peanut.
Reggie’s main priority is providing a stable environment for his 12-year-old son, something he never had as a child growing up. “My father wasn’t around,” he said. Michelle Gabel
Elsewhere, Gabel’s lens captures Jeanette Kilmartin smelling flowers in the front yard of a house on West Matson Avenue. She’s planted flowers in much of the yard, and the image documents a moment of joy.
Yet, a text accompanying the photo discusses years of struggle for Kilmartin. After a series of accidents, she became addicted to opioids and lost her job and home. She later completed a treatment program, needed housing and connected with A Tiny Home for Good. She’s sober and employed as a security guard.
Similarly, the photo of Plazza is paired with his comments about initially meeting with Andrew Lunetta, executive director for A Tiny Home for Good. Plazza lacked stable housing and stayed in a shelter for a while. He was overjoyed to be offered permanent housing at a reasonable price– $300.00 per month.
In telling these stories, Gabel is engaged in long-form photojournalism. It’s based on extended contact with subjects and on constructing a narrative encompassing both individual circumstances and larger policy implications.
Greenlar took several photos on the street, like the image of the man staying under a bridge. He also developed ties with people he met at the food pantry run by St. Lucy’s Church. Ultimately, he spent time with Masterpole, documenting her life and the run-down status of her apartment. One caption discusses her cleaning off a dresser after a piece of ceiling plaster fell on it.
An incisive image depicts items she’s put together to remember her boyfriend, Robert Lee Pickett. In 2009, he was killed by a man who had a dispute with Masterpole; she owed him $10.
This is one of several poignant images created by Greenlar. At a Bread of Life luncheon at St. Lucy’s, he photographed Amy Witt holding her grandchild Roberta and talking to the child’s mother, Nancy. Sadly, Witt’s other daughter, Roberta, wasn’t present. She was killed in the May 14, 2022 massacre at a Tops market in Buffalo. A man came to the store and opened fire on shoppers.
And there’s a good deal of emotion in Greenlar’s shot of a young woman sitting on steps leading up to St. Lucy’s Auditorium. Her possessions are nearby, and she looks for housing after being evicted by her partner.
In addition to the images already mentioned, “A Place to Call Home” explores other elements of the housing crisis in Syracuse. Greenlar photographed Darlene Medley, a woman living with her children on Pond Street, highlighting the issue of exposure to lead poisoning in far too many Syracuse houses.
Gabel not only documented people living in houses run by A Tiny Home for Good; she also took photos of the 560 Art Collective, a group of seven people living at 560 Allen St. The household focuses on art, creativity and maintaining stable housing for LGBTQ+ people.
The overall exhibition benefits from a portfolio examining Syracuse housing in depth and created by two veteran photographers who both worked in daily journalism.
Greenlar was a staff photographer for the Syracuse Post-Standard (Advance Media New York) for 20 years, and Gabel worked for several dailies, including the Post-Standard. Both have done freelance work and received recognition for long-term documentary projects.
Beyond that, both have completed freelance assignments for Central Current, a nonprofit newsroom covering Syracuse and Central New York. The ArtRage show is a collaboration between Central Current and the photographers.
“A Place to Call Home” is on display through March 22, 2025 at ArtRage, 505 Hawley Ave. The gallery is open from 2-6 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturdays. Admission is free.
Finally, ArtRage has scheduled several programs in conjunction with the exhibit. They include a March 5 artists talk running from 7-9 p.m. as well as Todd Goehle’s February 26 talk titled “Histories of Urban Planning, Redlining and Community Need in Syracuse.” His presentation is scheduled for 7-8:30 p.m. And on March 19, from 7-8:30 p.m., volunteers and staff from Interfaith Works will discuss “Refugee Resettlement Amid A National Housing Crisis.” For more information, call 315-218-5711.
Carl Mellor covered visual arts for the Syracuse New Times from 1994 through 2019. He continues to write about exhibitions and artists in the Syracuse area.