Volunteers flocked to Denver's experimental tiny home village for the homeless on Sunday to beautify its fences. While it resulted in a vibrant display fitting for its proximity to the RiNo Art District, the installation was about more than fresh looks. The colorful slats are what organizers said is a "creative solution" to a lack of privacy as passersby have been peering into the village.
RiNo Art District co-founder Tracy Weil told Denverite that he's heard the Beloved Community Village has been getting upwards of 10 people a day who bring their curiosity to the fence line.
"That's a good thing," he said, because the project is a "monumental" experiment and meant to focus attention on the affordable housing struggle facing Denver and other cities around the U.S. Even still, he said, "they were feeling a little exposed."
Not everyone enjoys cameras pointing at their homes, he said. "We need to think about what it’s like to actually live there.”
A registered neighborhood association, the RiNo Art District has worked as a liaison between the village and the existing communities.
The fence, Weil said, is also a visual symbol of inclusion. The "beautiful quilt" that his 60 volunteers and village residents threaded through the chain links is an artistic expression, too. It's the other side of those dueling impulses to protect privacy and still make a point that, he said, allows RiNo to be a place to be experimental and break rules to set new precedents
