ART IN DETROIT

“The Bitters, Fuck It” opens Friday, August 2^nd at the Whitdel Gallery in Detroit.

In the words of the curator, S. William Schudlich, “in all areas of life, occasions of expectation, trust or belief are often rewarded with letdown, lies and betrayal. Over time, this repetitive cycle can result in the development of mechanisms which aid in coping with ongoing disappointment. This exhibition looks to share examples of visual response generated by feelings of sarcasm, cynicism, and an overall disenchantment with things.” Detroit is such a hard, post-apocalyptic place, Schudlich words make perfect sense. It’s a city so bankrupt that the treasures of the Detroit Institute of Arts Museum may be sold off to pay creditors.

 

Two of my “Rust-Belt portraits are included in this exhibit: ‘Who Will Build the City Up Each Time?’ and ‘Here Comes the Shutdown Blues’. Schudlich decided these faces fit right in.

A NEIGHBORHOOD IN A BOX

I found a strange little figure on Northampton Street in Buffalo. On the web I discovered it was a movie tie-in named “Pleakey” from the Disney Lilo & Stitch animated films. It probably was a Happy Meal toy from the McDonald’s up on Main Street. Along with Pleakey on Northampton was an abandoned house marked with red codes.

Around the corner on Jefferson Avenue was a mural, a long piece of folk art that has now been demolished. I painted it in miniature on the side of a tossed out desk drawer. The toy, the house, the mural and the McDonald’s all come together to form a neighborhood in a box.

This piece is part of my “Toyology” series and will be on view at the Hallwalls Members Exhibition. The opening reception will be Friday, July 19th from 7 – 10 pm. The show continues through August 30^th. 

WHAT IS LOST? WHAT IS GAINED?

In 2010, I photographed a trashed 18-wheeler on Ohio Street. In the background were the grain elevators of the Cooperative Grange League Federation. The shot became part of a collage combining a vintage photograph of a theatrical group. I had found it in an album thrown out on the street that year.

Yesterday, as I walked on Ohio Street so much has changed. The trashed truck is gone and in its place are construction materials signaling that a big project is planned. The new Riverfest Park has turned the water’s edge into a tourist destination. And in the background are the elevators, minus one. The 1909 Wheeler Elevator with its monitor roof has been demolished. It was taken down at “the 11^th hour” with preservationists fighting the City Commissioner. During the demolition, part of the tower fell dramatically into the river.

The clusters of grain elevators along the Buffalo River are so central to Buffalo’s identity. Can the city, the preservationists and businesses come together to decide which teeth in the landscape should be saved and what can be pulled out? Can painful dramas end with a master plan in place? Buffalo is filled with amazing pieces of history of all sizes. Can we slow down before tossing them away? 

FINDING TREASURE AT BUFFALO REUSE

Looking for inspiration? Try rummaging around in Buffalo ReUse – located in the huge old Kaufman’s Bakery Building at 296 East Ferry. It’s filled with wooden doors, window frames, porcelain sinks and all the other details that were once found in Buffalo homes. ReUse has saved them from the landfill and will sell them back to you for pennies.

I thought strips of flooring could be the perfect material for framing a series of collages. Sanded, tinted and coated, the flooring fit the time period better than any molding I had seen in a frame shop.

Here’s one of my “Discarded Ancestors” collages finished off with a strip of flooring. For more stories of art out of the rustbelt, please join my blog. If you are using recycled materials too, I’d love to share ideas.

THE CITY OF GOOD NEIGHBORS

Buffalo has been nicknamed the “City of Good Neighbors.” While exploring the city’s lost neighborhoods and photographing abandoned homes, I noticed a common architectural element. Most houses have front porches. It’s easy to imagine a time, when the area’s population was at its height, that people came out of their front door and waved to a neighbor several houses down the street. Children played their games up and down the stairs from one porch to another while mothers looked over and shared some news with a neighbor. The architecture itself, sets up a light and steady neighborhood communication that, though broken in some places, is still alive and active in other parts of Buffalo.

Here are 3 photos of abandoned houses plus one of my “discarded ancestor” collages. The mother/child photo was in an album thrown out on the street. The house marked 202 Rodney Street was demolished this year.

For more stories of art out of the rustbelt, please join my blog! 

DISCARDED ANCESTORS

Amazing treasure can be found in Buffalo’s lost neighborhoods. Old photos, old wood, reusable glass, a riot of intense textures that can be repurposed. This small house at 29 Sanford Street must have been charming in its heyday. I can imagine these girls playing on the back step in that gentler time. But now, birds fly in and out of broken windows. Huge holes in the roof allow in the rain and snow, letting the house rot in plain sight. Far too decayed to be restored, it sits waiting for a match or a bulldozer. 

The frame for this collage came from Buffalo ReUse. I sand the wood to reveal all the layers of paint and time.  To see more of the ‘Discarded Ancestors’ series, and other work, come visit my studio at the TriMain Center. (My contact info is on my website, elizabethleader.com). I am either in the studio or out exploring the rustbelt.

24 HOURS OF BLACK SMOKE & FIRE

Early on the morning of July 13, 2011, a four-alarm fire broke out at Niagara Lubricants in Buffalo's Black Rock neighborhood. Propane tanks exploded in huge fireballs and the skies filled with thick black smoke. As over 100 firefighters fought the blaze, the fire chief said, “water doesn’t put it out, it just spreads it around.” The U.S. Air Force brought in foam from Niagara Falls and other trucks brought foam from the airport. One-by-one, the roofs and floors caved in. Smoke could be seen from over 50 miles away while black oil began running down the storm drains. When it was finally over, Niagara Lubricants vowed to rebuild. The company has been in business for 88 years and employs 35 people.

This is the photograph I shot of the factory the year before it burnt down. I had cut it up into a collage with a discarded ancestor photograph. To me, the four men looked like they might have worked at Niagara Lubricants years ago. They were dressed up and enjoying “Their Day Off”.