I'm Roofless, Not Homeless

Location:
The George S. & Dolores Dore Eccles Gallery
Center for Arts & Media, SLCC South City Campus
1575 S. State St., Salt Lake City, UT 84115
Opening Reception:
Thursday, April 3, 2025, 5-7 PM
On View:
April 3 - May 23, 2025
“I’m Roofless, NOT Homeless” comprises 22 narrative relief sculptures, eight busts, and thirteen charcoal drawings of unhoused individuals created by Suzanne Storer and Louise Solecki Weir to humanize the plight of the unhoused and help viewers understand the diverse paths leading to homelessness.
The sculptures tell the stories of lives struck by illness or disaster, individuals abandoned to the streets at a tender age, and the consequences of poor choices or untreated mental illness – each narrative unfolds in its own way, as unique as the individuals experiencing those circumstances. Presented as art, the subjects become objects for study and reflection, providing a unique opportunity for viewers to explore the diverse paths leading to homelessness.
Storer’s contributions were inspired by her experiences working with residents at her local resource center, where she learned that many of the residents were little different than herself, yet their circumstances were worlds apart. Her 22 tableaus share insights into their subjects’ worlds, connecting the viewers to those worlds with the hope of changing the way we collectively treat the unhoused.
Weir’s eight busts are portraits of individuals suffering from mental illness or brain damage. She uses classical portrait busts to illuminate our contemporary struggle with marginalization, juxtaposing her subjects’ abjectness with the traditional use of portrait sculpture: depicting historically celebrated or heroic figures. Unlike traditional heroic figures, these sculptures represent ordinary people, prompting viewers to contemplate the heroism within the struggles of the often overlooked.