Ben Tecumseh DeSoto: "Understanding Poverty"

This photographer shows us images of need and desolation

Comments (0) By Lee Williams Thursday, Nov 5 2009

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Ben Tecumseh DeSoto won two Houston Press Best of Houston¨ awards earlier this year; he snagged Best Photographer, and his "Understanding Poverty"show at DiverseWorks was named Best Art Show (an honor he shared with collaborator Ann Walton Sieber). The exhibit has been retooled slightly for its current run at City Hall. Included in the show are his photos of Judy Pruitt, whom DeSoto started shooting in 1988. According to DeSoto, "Judy was a street kid when I first met her. She was literally living under the Pierce Elevated." From that sorry beginning he has photographed her "as a Covenant House dropout, through a series of street hustles, having children." After a conversion experience, Pruitt's now "trying to find a church and trying to find stable work." 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. Through November 30. 901 Bagby. For information, call 832-393-1097 or visit www.houstontx.gov/culturalaffairs. Free.
Mondays-Fridays. Starts: Nov. 5. Continues through Nov. 30, 2009