THE BOOM AND THE BUST
Grand Rapids, MI [ArtPrize: Project 1] [2019]
Aluminum, Steel, Wood [Budget 190k]
“The Boom and The Bust” is a monumental sculpture that acknowledges the historic and contemporary challenges of housing discrimination and the inequities of urban life. This abstracted multi-story building form rises 25-feet from the ground at the corner of Louis St and Monroe Ave in downtown Grand Rapids. The sculpture derives from my research into the recent history of housing in Grand Rapids. By combining references to the raw construction vernacular of large scale building projects, single-family homes and red-lined neighborhoods, it reflects the juxtaposition between rapid downtown development occurring alongside foreclosure and displacement.
