COMMUNITY PROFILE pictures that kind of highlighted some of the problems and the pains of what unhoused people go through.” Public said. One of Public’s images, titled “Locked Out,” shows a sign on a bathroom door that says, “Restrooms are for paying customers only.” Restroom access is a recurring theme throughout the exhibit. “Originally, I was trying to show just all of the hang-ups that come with having to go to public restrooms or trying to make money, and have people steal your things. Trying to show how life is for the unhoused people. Just things on average that the average homeless person or unhoused person has to deal with that others may take for granted,” he said. Public said signs that prevent the unhoused community from accessing a restroom or other facilities demonstrate how little value and respect are given to them. Flood said she was struck by the resilience and beauty revealed in the images. “What hit me was honestly the beauty that people are still able to see in the world,” she said. “They are pushed down, marginalized, stomped on by the systems. And yet, so many of these pictures people took were of really beautiful things that make them feel safe, happy, and hopeful.” THE IMPORTANCE OF ANONYMITY According to Flood, participants were given the option to use pseudonyms, and everyone chose to remain anonymous. Anonymity was important for many of the artists because they didn’t want to be defined by their experiences living on the street. “When we’re housed, we get to tell our stories about parts of our life and our experience in the way that we want. We really wanted the artists to be able to express however they were feeling, whatever they were thinking in the way that they wanted without having to think about how their participation may follow or define them down the road,” Flood said. Flood said she felt that anonymity allowed individuals to share their stories without having labels and narratives unfairly forced upon them. “We wanted them to be free to share however they were feeling and for that to be it, for it not to be associated with how anyone else knew them or had an experience with them. We wanted it to just truly be the perspective and story they wanted to share,” she said. BUILDING EMPATHY Mirrors placed throughout the gallery invite visitors to consider prompts such as What resonates with you? and What did you learn here? “The hope, my hope, is for people who attend the exhibit to really take in the visual story and the written story that accompanies it in the narrative and to be able to step into a moment where they truly see through the eyes or lens of the artist,” Flood said. For Public, the exhibit was about reaching people who may not understand the challenges of being unhoused. “My hope was to just draw them in, even if a little bit closer, to something that may not be their reality. And that’s the gist of basically what I was trying to do with my photography and all of my art,” he said. Flood said the project underscores the need for more spaces where people can share their own stories. “The only hope we have of solving our most pressing challenges is to really heal the separateness that is pervasive in society right now. And my belief is the pathway to that is through stories,” she said. PUBLIC SAID SIGNS THAT PREVENT THE UNHOUSED COMMUNITY FROM ACCESSING A RESTROOM OR OTHER FACILITIES DEMONSTRATE HOW LITTLE VALUE AND RESPECT ARE GIVEN TO THEM. October 2025 DENVER VOICE 7
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