Public Address

<p>New York City remains the only municipality in the United States to guarantee the right to shelter, a commitment established through decades of advocacy and litigation. Public Address, conceived by artist Alex Strada, is a citywide public artwork that centers the lived experience of those most impacted by housing insecurity. The project establishes a dialogue with New York City, affirming access to temporary shelter as a basic right while also exposing the limits of such provision in addressing deeper crises of affordability, displacement, and care.</p> <p>Strada is the inaugural Public Artist in Residence with the NYC Department of Homeless Services and the Department of Cultural Affairs. Public Address builds on three years of collaborative log-writing workshops hosted by Strada in shelters across the city. In this exhibition, handwritten reflections by shelter residents and frontline staff are translated onto upcycled aluminum street signs fabricated by the Department of Transportation’s Sign Shop. Transforming the bureaucratic tool of the logbook and the language of city infrastructure into public art, these signs invite public dialogues about housing insecurity, migration, caregiving, and resistance. Over 300 participants have contributed so far, with new entries continually integrated as the project expands.</p>