Art Direction and Photography for Kresge Arts in Detroit

I was commissioned by Kresge Arts in Detroit to create poster art for the 10-year anniversary of the $25,000 Kresge Fellowship. The posters would feature previous awardees and be included in a campaign to encourage metro Detroiters to apply for the coveted, strings-free grant.

I worked with KAID Director Christina deRoos, Interim Operations Manager Nicole Peterson, and Program Assistant Reshounn Foster on how to best fulfill their goals for this campaign. They were fantastic collaborators and we arrived at what I believe are a compelling set of images.

For the celebrated writer Dunya Mikhail, I wanted to create a poetic, surreal image. Hence Dunya at a writer’s desk as her force of will causes her published books to emerge from the ether.

Sydney G. James’ work is strongly political. Provocative. To pay homage to that, we decided to photograph her in front of a politically-charged mural she did with fellow artist Askew One. Police crime scene tape is pulled taut and bisected by shears, suggesting an imminent righteous transgression.

To view the work photographs in use, visit: http://www.kresgeartsindetroit.org/apply