FINDING HOME: STORIES OF DISPLACEMENT

Exhibition from April 22, 2022 - May 21, 2022 at Detroit Artist Market

Synopsis:

We equate the idea of home to being safe and in community, wrapped in familiarity and memory. Currently, however, the meaning of home has shifted--for the immigrant or the refugee, it's a place they have left, and been told, by those who encourage hate, that they should return to. For others who have lost their homes because of a crisis, due to so-called urban renewal or through gentrification, the meaning of home is complicated as well. The definition of “home” for communities of color has often had this shifting meaning. Due to external systems put in place by those in power, people of color must frequently question whether they belong in a certain place or neighborhood. Unlike in white communities, people of color worry about issues like gerrymandering, redlining, and racist lending institutions which create a sense of insecurity about “home”. This insecurity can impact their sense of belonging--their ability to feel safe or connected to their wider community. This story rings true for other marginalized groups as well, such as immigrants and refugees. These groups are also in search of “home” and their struggles to find it are often criminalized--their struggles are misunderstood or neglected, resulting in the separation of families and other horrific circumstances. How is home defined in this current age of crisis? And how has society, historically and presently, shifted the meaning and the positive benefits of home to favor the privileged and disenfranchise the many? 

FINDING HOME: Stories of Displacement invites artists to reflect on stories of home, displacement, and memory while exploring narratives of specific marginalized communities in America. This exhibition will examine urban centers, like the city of Detroit, and its history of displacement, and artists will showcase work that advocates against that displacement, while shedding light on its historical and present consequences. This reflection is especially necessary during the current COVID-19 crisis and artists who focus on this particular intersection of home, displacement, and crisis are sought as well.

Participating Artists: Black Bottom Archives, Bryce Detroit, Paris Ghaderi, Oren Goldenberg of Cass Corridor Films, Rebeca Maxon, Wayne Ramocan Jr. (Junni), Darryl Terrell, Anna van Schaap.