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The Calumet Series:
The Calumet Series is an ongoing body of work, which I initially
began in the late 1980's and early 1990's, and began working again
in earnest in 1997. The series is made up of sets of images that
look at the totality of this region. It is one of the oldest industrial
areas in the country, bordering Lake Michigan and occupying part
of Indiana, Illinois including the city of Chicago. Calumet is
an example of an American place most people choose not to notice.
Steel mills, oil refineries and numerous other industries form
the foundation in a labyrinth of older communities commonly referred
to as "rust belt". Regardless of this nomenclature the
region has not gone the way of the horse and carriage. In spite
of the industries that have left, environmental problems and an
aging infrastructure this is a place that is proud of its past
and looks to the future. Calumet is also a place that residents
take pride in and where new immigrants have brought their energy
and hope. The Calumet Series is a two sided coin, one side showing
us desolation and blight, the other showing the small triumphs
and celebrations of lives of the people who live there. |
