An award-winning documentary photographer will be in Jamestown early next week as part of an in-depth, nine-month project on housing insecurity. Michigan-based Karen Lippowiths will travel more than 7,000 road miles through 13 states and 30 cities across Appalachia -- from New York to Mississippi -- for her project called "Extended Stay." As part of her work. Lippowiths will live and work in low-budget motels and hotels, documenting America's shadow housing system and the people relying on temporary rooms, long-term stays, shelters, and other unstable arrangements as permanent housing becomes increasingly out of reach.
Lippowiths selected Jamestown and Chautauqua County because it is among the Appalachian Regional Commission's (ARC) group of communities defined as "at risk" and facing economic distress. She will be in Jamestown on Monday, July 13th and Tuesday, July 14th. Her project will culminate in a large-scale immersive exhibition in West Virginia, planned for October 2027.
Lippowiths began "Extended Stay" in 2025 while documenting housing insecurity in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and later in greater depth in her home region of Detroit.
