Shopping Carts (part of 3 a.m. series)
Color photograph
Porta-john (part of 3 a.m. series)
Color photograph
Detroit was recently named the most miserable city in the U.S., one more list heaping dubious accolades on my city. Detroit is also at or near the top of the lists for obesity, illiteracy, unemployment, and violence. In other words, it is a great place for an artist and the perfect place to make something happen. I moved here from South Florida and there is no comparison-- Detroit is a far more interesting, culturally rich place with friendlier people full of pride. Not many cities' residents proudly wear clothing that say their cities' names like they do in Detroit. It also provides opportunity since property values are affordable. It is the quintessential underdog city and I have always been inspired by the underdog. This work here comes from the helplessness that I feel toward corporations. It is my way of fighting back with one of the few weapons that “we the people” have – humor.
I moved to Detroit to attend the Cranbrook Academy of Art. Since graduating, I created the Cranbrook Summer Art Institute, which offers art classes to teenagers at the Academy. I also organized the non-profit group Hatch, an artist collective that is about to purchase an old police station to convert it into an urban art center.
Info about Hatch here: http://hatchart.org/
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