Ritter Center's Art Houses Head to Auction June 18

From the ubiquitous chalk doodling and the impromptu performances to the , art has long been a central component to life at .

In late April, Mill Valley artist Eric Zener added his own contribution to the scene, using the elements of fire and water to symbolize the concept of renewal via a 7-by-4-foot aluminum model of a miniature house. It is one of five art houses on display throughout the county as part of the Ritter Center's Art Houses of Marin project, which is designed to help the center raise funds to eradicate homelessness in Marin.

The models were designed by San Francisco artists Michael Osborne, who also for the . They can also be found in San Rafael, San Anselmo, Larkspur, Ross and Novato. The project culminates with a June 18 gala and auction.

The campaign netted more than $100,000 to support Ritter Center’s programs to assist the most vulnerable residents of the county. For the center, the good news is that there are now 500 fewer homeless in Marin County than two years ago. The bad news is that there are about 1,000 people on the precipice of becoming homeless statistics.

The ongoing battle against homelessness is raged by a number of agencies, and the Ritter Center is at the forefront of the war. The agency’s Art Houses project kicked off in April and culminates in a gala event on June 18.

“It’s a tough issue to face but it’s important,” said Diane Linn, Ritter Center executive director. “We’re on a mission to help people learn more about homelessness.”

Ritter Center was founded in 1980 to help Marin County’s low-income and homeless residents. The agency aims to offer support and training, providing the tools to turn the homeless into productive members of society.

After years of traditional fundraising efforts, the agency looked to Marin’s strong artistic community in order to generate awareness — and funds.

“We wanted to break out from the standard annual event and try something new,” Linn said.

The end result was Art Houses, a project that asked local artists to contribute models that would be displayed and eventually auctioned off to raise funds. This year's art houses will be on display until mid-June.

In 2010, there were 25 artists involved in the project, but the agency narrowed down its the number of participants this year. Ritter House also changed the basic material from wood to steel for this year’s artist participants, hoping for quality over quantity.

Osborne designed the seven-foot-long by four-foot-tall aluminum “housescape” models and they were decorated by prominent local artists in an effort to inspire creative solutions to homelessness. With the Marin Community Foundation as the lead event sponsor, the six Art Houses will be auctioned off on June 18 at a gala event in the Mill Valley Community Center.

The 2011 Art Houses of Marin can be currently viewed in these locations:

•   San Rafael: the Enrique Goldenberg & Ventana Amico piece inspired by Falkirk Mansion and titled Mi Casa, Su Casa is located in the town center plaza.

•   San Anselmo: the Timothy Horn Art House is in front of Town Hall.

•   Mill Valley: local resident Eric Zener's “Rebirth and Renewal” Art House representing the restorative nature of life is in the downtown plaza by the Depot Bookstore.

•   Larkspur: the Art House created by Joe Brubaker and the Exquisite Gardeners can be viewed in the field across from the Lark Theatre.

•   Ross: the Dorallyn Davis Art House titled “It Takes a Village” is located in the Post Office park.

•   Novato: the Michael Osborne Art House is on the City Hall grounds.

While homeless statistics in Marin County look favorable, it’s a bit misleading when one considers the folks on the brink of losing their homes. The number of people in Marin who are precariously housed — those facing eviction, living in severely overcrowded housing, or experiencing housing instability as evidenced by frequent moves, couch surfing or living in doubled up situations due to economic hardships — have increased 35 percent (up to 4,103 from 3,028 in 2009).

The encouraging news is that federal funds authorized to prevent homelessness and to rapidly re-house the recently homeless through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act appears to have had the intended impact in Marin. The number of homeless living on the streets, in parks, temporary shelter or in vehicles is 1,220 down from more than 1,700 in 2009.

“The Art Houses of Marin project allows us to continue our conversation with the people of Marin County about the tough issues of poverty and homelessness in a place as affluent as Marin. Even given the progress made, we have a long way to go to apply the generosity and compassion of the people of Marin to strategically invest in long-term solutions that will benefit everyone and strengthen the entire community,” said Linn.

More information on the project, artists and gala tickets can be found at arthousesofmarin.org. Tickets for the June 18 gala event are available for purchase.