Professor’s photos show the treasures of Waco’s homeless

Many people avert their eyes when they pass a homeless person, but Baylor professor Susan Mullally instead gazed back — and user her talents to bring dignity to some of those who lack it in the eyes of many. Through the lens of her camera, the art professor captured something deeply moving in a series of photographs compiled into a book titled “What I Keep: Photographs of the New Face of Homelessness and Poverty.”

Mullally’s photos showcase individuals holding their few, but cherished, keepsakes (see the video below). Each photo is accompanied with short descriptions of the person and their prized possession — a retired cosmetologist with an “antique” 7-Up bottle passed down through her family, a Vietnam veteran with a weathered leather cap recognizing his service, and so on.

The project sprang from Mullally’s interactions with fellow members of Waco’s Church Under the Bridge, a congregation that mixes the homeless, Waco residents and Baylor students and meets each Sunday under the I-35 overpass near the BU campus. Proceeds from sales of the book (available through Amazon and BaylorPress.com) go to benefit Church Under the Bridge.

Many of those who worship there have led “disruptive lives — incarcerations, homelessness, addictions to drugs, bad choices,” says Mullally. “I’m interested in people who have had interesting lives and struggles but who have been overlooked. Their accomplishments may not be as obvious.” (For more on the project, go here or here.)

Sic ’em, Prof. Mullally!