The experiences of sex workers in this province are now being showcased at an exhibit at the Craft Council Gallery.

“Let Us Stop Living Secret Lives” is the result of a 15-month research project led by Kathleen Sitter, an assistant professor with the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Calgary.

Sitter says there was limited understanding of the experiences of sex workers in this province so, as part of the study, they interviewed sex workers. Some of the workers then took brush in hand and became artists involved with the finished project.

The exhibit looks at five different areas of their lives: industry, law, support services, basic needs and health care. She says the workers came from different areas of the province, not just the metro region.

Sitter says we often hear of different extremes in sex work, such as somebody needing to be rescued or high end work, but most stories are in the middle.