HEALY GRANT



Artist Statement

It is often said that Detroit hustles harder, that it is Detroit versus everybody, that Detroit is on the up and coming list of cities which are striving for social innovation - however we seldom see the people who are to thank for these growths in local media. Those who push Detroit forward in day to day life are the public workers and minimum wage earners. People who put themselves on the front lines each day to insure homes stay stocked with food, that mail arrives on time, and that children are educated. This labor goes unseen and often without gratitude for it is expected or even looked down upon. As I reached the middle of my project, Covid 19 closed American businesses almost overnight. However, the laborers, the subject of my thesis, were still out in the open. Essential. If we are to ask people to risk their lives, and the safety of their families so that society may continue to run, these workers deserve not only hazard pay but a living salary.