WE ARE DETROIT is the title of each of the paintings because of the jingle that plays over the loudspeaker at sporting events. I'd hear the jingle and ask: Who IS Detroit?
In April of 2016 I began meeting with two families once a week on Fridays. We often sat together in their living room with a handheld recorder between us--sometimes on their front porch--and we'd talk about their past, present and future histories--as well as Detroit's--and specifically about the changes within their Northwest Goldberg neighborhood.
The text and audio elements from the interviews exist, but for now, their purpose was to inspire the painting process.