This month, I visited Lt. Petrosino Square in downtown Manhattan, the center of a sprawling art installation by Alex Strada. I was met with a series of brightly colored signs displaying heartfelt statements and letters about shelter life. The project, “Public Address,” brings perspectives from within the New York City shelter system to the streets. The Storefront for Art and Architecture was the curator behind the project.
“I hate how quick people are to judge,” one letter says.
“As a trans guy, it’s hard to be yourself and survive being unhoused. I’m very lucky because I’m in one of the safest shelters,” reads another.
For three years, Strada held workshops at shelters across the city. During these workshops, 300 shelter residents and staff members provided testimonials: letters, drawings, and statements about homelessness and shelter life. Strada worked with the Department of Transportation to transfer these messages to street signs. She installed many of these signs at Lt. Petrosino Square and distributed 12 more across Manhattan’s community districts. A map of the exhibition is available here.
[Related Article: Photos: New York’s Rich History of Housing Activism]
While the Manhattan iteration of “Public Address” will close in late March, the exhibition will continue, moving throughout the five boroughs. The next installation is planned for Brooklyn. As the project progresses, Strada will hold more workshops at city shelters, incorporating new voices and perspectives.
The exhibition prompts reflection on the way homelessness is visible to us as a social and political issue, while the feelings and perspectives of those who are homeless often go unnoticed. It’s a particularly meaningful sentiment at a time when homeless people and homeless services are under threat.
Strada is part of the Public Artists in Residence program in New York City, through which the Department of Cultural Affairs pairs artists with various city agencies. Strada partners with the NYC Department of Homeless Services. Before “Public Address,” Strada created “Collective Mobilities,” a series of large, mobile sculptures used to provide clothes and other essentials to homeless New Yorkers.
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2 thoughts on ““I Hate How Quick People Are to Judge”: Art Spotlights Voices From Homeless Shelters”
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Thank you for sharing the work of Alex Strada and the Storefront for Art and Arcitecture. Homelessness is a social issue not an individual issue and art is a great way to bring the voices of those affected by homelessness to the forefront. Art speaks a language we can all understand. As a formerly homeless person I’m blessed to consult with an art collective in Chicago called the Red Line….https://www.redlineservice.org/. As a professor in a design and architecture program at New School in New York City, it is important that I connect students to programs such as Storefront for Art and Arcitecture and Red Line. I owe a debt of gratitude to the University of Miami Law School Human Rights Institute for the opportunity to connect with Red line Chicago.
Thank you to the Shelterforce staff for your impactful and honest reporting on a topic that is often misunderstood. An inequitable housing system leaves many without support. Homelessness is complex, and I believe art can help foster understanding of these experiences. As the head of a household that experienced homelessness from 2012 to 2017, across five shelters, three hotels, two scatter sites, and three boroughs, I have firsthand knowledge of the harm caused by misinformed narratives. In 2012, while being processed for my public assistance case, an HRA worker remarked to me, “Well, you don’t look homeless,” to which I replied, “Why is there a certain look we should have?” Homelessness is ambiguous; sometimes there are signs, most of the time there are not. The internal wreckage displays itself in other forms, however.
Because my family, like many others before us, endured the instability of homelessness, I feel a responsibility to share my story and advocate for a more compassionate and effective system. We were fortunate to secure housing through the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), which allowed us to rebuild after navigating a fragmented shelter system. Access to multiple housing options is crucial for providing stability. I am grateful for the opportunities my family received and remain committed to supporting efforts that challenge misconceptions about homelessness. As a NYCHA resident, Board member of the Public Housing Community Fund, tenant leader, and advocate, I will never stop fighting for housing equity for every household.
I believe art is a universal language that can unite communities and foster compassion and dignity for all. Thank you for highlighting the work of Alex Strada, who is amazing, and the Storefront for Art and Architecture team. I m sorry to say the exhibit is breathtaking and a strong reminder of how little progress the country has made toward housing as a human right!
Michelle F. Gomez / Advocate