DENVER — PlatteForum is pleased to announce Dear Mayor Hancock, What Are You Going to Do?, a new exhibition opening Saturday, Dec. 17, 2016 with a free, public reception from 12 p.m. – 3 p.m. at PlatteForum, 2400 Curtis Street in Denver. This multimedia art exhibition is led by Resident Artist Sarah Gerard along with student participants from Mi Casa at North High School. 

Dear Mayor Hancock, What Are You Going to Do? Features interviews with individuals experiencing homelessness in Denver conducted by Gerard and her group of high school students. Aimed at catalyzing tangible policy changes to help Denver residents experiencing homelessness find the housing and support that they need to live, the exhibition features news zines for sale, audio and video portraits, and an installation filled with artifacts from the streets. 

“Homelessness in Denver is at an all-time high, with the number of homeless individuals in the Denver region increasing by 600% over the last twenty years,” says PlatteForum Resident Artist, Sarah Gerard. “Today, more than 5,500 of Denver’s residents—or 60% of Colorado’s roughly 10,000 homeless residents—do not have a place to call home, and I felt it was important to explore this within the Learning Labs I conducted with my students over the course of my six-week residency here in Denver.”  

A writer and collage artist from Brooklyn, NY, Gerard burst onto the literary scene in 2015 with her debut novel Binary Star, which was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Award for First Fiction and appeared on several national Book of the Year lists. Her ascent continues with SUNSHINE STATE: Essays (A Harper Perennial Paperback Original; on sale April 11, 2017) a stunning collection in which Gerard uses her experiences growing up along Florida’s Gulf Coast to explore intimacy, addiction, identity, religion, homelessness, incarceration and so much more.

For more information about Sarah Gerard and her work, visit http://sarah-gerard.com/. 

Dear Mayor Hancock, What Are You Going to Do? will open with a free, public reception on Saturday, Dec. 17 from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. at 2400 Curtis St. The exhibition will remain open to the public through Friday, Dec. 23. Gallery hours: Tuesday – Friday 12 – 6 p.m. or by appointment.

About PlatteForum

Founded in 2002, PlatteForum is an innovative arts education and youth development organization serving 2,500 inner-city, underserved youth, their families, and the general public. PlatteForum provides in-depth, curriculum-based arts education experiences that meet state educational standards and allow for longer-term mentoring relationships between youth and master artists who work in residency at PlatteForum. These artist residencies offer time, space, and resources for professional artists to create new work and shape an experience where young people can learn through practice, expanding their sense of what is possible. 

This award-winning nonprofit organization provides a nurturing space where creativity and artistic excellence are highly valued and where artists and youth work together to model the creative process, emphasizing the connections between their artistic passion, significant life experiences, and public issues. The overall experience transforms the lives of the youth, the artists and the community. For more information visit www.platteforum.org. 

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