Through an Open Lens: Reframing Homelessness and Hunger

Through an Open Lens: Reframing Homelessness and Hunger
Photography by Amy Martin and Michael Collier
ONLINE: SEPT 16 – DEC, 2020

www.opendoorsartinaction.org

Introduction by Cathy Small, PhD; author, Man in the Dog Park: Coming up Close to Homelessness

“This exhibition takes a very personal look at individuals Through affected by homelessness and hunger in Flagstaff, AZ.
Michael Collier applied a lens of kindness to his photographic encounters at the Flagstaff Family Food Center, which can be sensed in the way his subjects look back at him. The color in his photographs brings out the individual nuance of personality and energy that is often lost in the label of homelessness. 

Amy Martin’s black and white photos of residents at Flagstaff Shelter Services reflect the starkness of the conditions under which some people live, but capture the humanity that shines through nonetheless. Her work connects us to those who have been marginalized by stigma, stereotype and judgment.
As you view the images in this exhibit, realize that you and your reactions are tied to the story of homelessness, part of the way that people without homes or enough to eat experience themselves through you. So consider both the images, and your own inner response to the images. What can I see in the photo beyond what I am usually primed to see about people “homeless” or “hungry?”