The Eugene Art House hosts a free screening and discussion of A Public Space, a short documentary about what public space means in Eugene with a focus on the College Hill Reservoir, on Thursday, August 15. Public space is incredibly important to the film’s directors, Paloma and Davon Ramos, as they lived in Mexico on-and-off throughout the years. “In Mexico, plazas are vibrant with families, artists, food stalls, grandmothers exercising together and teenagers practicing dance routines,” Paloma Ramos says. “In most U.S. cities, public spaces aren’t utilized in the same way.” While living in Eugene during the pandemic, the two brought their children to the College Hill Reservoir and started conversations about what public space meant to other visitors. “We like to think of the film as a love letter to public space,” Paloma Ramos says. “These spaces offer us the rare opportunity to get outside of our bubbles and interact with people from all walks of life.” The husband and wife duo began filming the 24-minute documentary in spring 2022, and continued filming despite moving back to Mexico that September. Paloma Ramos was born and raised in Eugene, and having the film featured at Eugene Art House is “a dream come true,” she says. She invites everyone to watch A Public Space in order to “celebrate Eugene, the College Hill Reservoir and places that allow us to be creative.”
