At the Edge of Shelter

At the Edge of Shelter was an exhibition commissioned by the Jack Jaffe Trust and organised by curator, David Travis at the Art Institute of Chicago. The focus of my contribution was Chicago families headed by teen mothers who fled abusive relationships. The work addresses the complexity of putting a picture on both the phenomena of domestic violence combined with homelessness. Conventionally, documentary photography tends toward the singluar representation of these social issues, rather than providing a more complex look at the connections between them. My intent was to provide a contemporary image of the issues using color photography to distance the viewer from the conventional trope of bxw humanisticphotography, associated with the 'find a bum' school of photography.'  Subsequently, the work was used to raise funds to support homeless communities and is housed in the permanent photography collection at the Art Institute of Chicago. 

1994-