MAKE WAY FOR PROGRESS (A Story of Displacement)
November 6-28
Opening reception, Friday Nov. 6, 7-10pm
Make Way For Progress is a portrait series that focuses on individuals and families being forced from their homes, or their livelihoods, by large institutional forces. In Nicaragua, Chinese billionaire Wang Jing (with the support of the Nicaraguan President) is building a canal that bisects the country. Over 100,000 people will be forced from their homes and land to allow the world’s largest infrastructure project, one which disproportionately benefits the Chinese interests.
In Detroit, Wayne County Treasurer has foreclosed on a record 8,000 occupied properties. Foreclosed properties are sold at auction to the highest bidder, and while some of these families grasped the opportunity to become owners of the home they already lived in, many more lost out due to the increased desirability of Detroit as a commodity, with auction prices far outreaching those of previous years. These images from come from an ongoing work-in-progress.
These are the faces of people who will be displaced by the all mighty Progress.
Garrett MacLean is a photographer living and working in Detroit. Born in Massachusetts, he graduated from Middlebury College with a BA in Creative Writing. He has exhibited his photos in NYC, San Francisco, Oakland, and Detroit, with an outdoor exhibition in Guatemala this winter. He has shot for TIME, VICE UK, Under the Influence, Hyphen, and Yes Magazine, amongst others.
www.garrettmaclean.com