UnLabel Poverty: Illumination & Installation
This three-day community event was created to elevate the work of Asheville Poverty Initiative (API) and deepen public understanding of poverty in our city. The installation served as an emotional gateway into the concept of unlabeling—inviting viewers to see those experiencing homelessness and poverty not as statistics, not as “others,” problems, or dehumanized objects—but as neighbors.
Each portrait was printed at 30"x45" and exhibited in large-scale, double-sided banners: on one side, a societal label like “Criminal,” “Addict,” or “Homeless”; the other side revealed a truth or insight the person wanted to share—their unlabeled identity and their name. Viewers were invited to walk around the image—to confront the label and then meet the person behind it.
The event featured guided poverty education walks through downtown Asheville, creative writing shared by members of the 12 Baskets community, and a series of powerful panel discussions on lived experience, poverty education, affordable housing, and public policy—featuring elected officials, including our state senator. I designed the installation experience, including all graphic elements, to create a cohesive environment where image, story, and dialogue met in service of empathy, dignity, and connection.
This is the first project of UnLabel Me, a story studio and emerging movement founded by Jonathan Pillot, where I contribute as a creative and strategic partner.
