art

Heidelberg Street, a Diamond in the Ruff in Detroit

The Heidelberg Project is an outdoor art project in Detroit, Michigan. It was created in 1986 by artist Tyree Guyton and his grandfather Sam Mackey (“Grandpa Sam”) as an outdoor art environment in the McDougall-Hunt neighborhood on the city’s east side, just north of the city’s historically African-American Black Bottom area. The Heidelberg Project is, in part, a political protest, as Tyree Guyton’s childhood neighborhood began to deteriorate after the 1967 riots. Following his stint in the Army, Tyree Guyton described coming back to Heidelberg Street. He was astonished to see that the surrounding neighborhood looked as if “a bomb went off”. At first, the project consisted of his painting a series of houses on Detroit’s Heidelberg Street with bright dots of many colors, and attaching salvaged items to the houses. It was a constantly evolving work that transformed a hard-core inner-city neighborhood where people were afraid to walk, even in daytime, into one in which neighbors took pride and where visitors were many and welcomed. Tyree Guyton worked on The Heidelberg Project every day with the children on the block. He and director Jenenne Whitfield gave lectures and workshops on it around the country. Their main goal was to develop The Heidelberg Project into the city’s first indoor and outdoor museum, complete with an artists’ colony, creative art center, community garden, amphitheater, and more. The effect of the Heidelberg Project is displayed through the development of Heidelberg Street. At the other end of the street, there are crumbling houses with lawns covered with waist-high weeds, rubble and rubbish, with no people in sight. [Wikipedia} When I came across Heidelburg St. I knew I would have a connection. I love photographing the details of scenes like this. It’s like a treasure hunt to find imagery using color, composition and contrast. I also love this colorful few blocks in the middle of a very depressed area of Detroit.

Bound by Pride

Copyright Jeff BAll 2006

I created this image during a period of my life where I felt the gay community and the gay world was suffocating me. As much as I tried to be a part of it, the more it rejected me or held me back.

This is something I struggle with often. I’m very much a community focused guy but there is so little I have in common with much of the gay world. How is it that we ask the world to accept us as we are but continue to judge, reject and outright ridicule those who are different within our own community?

Flower Bed

Serigraph print on paper from Macho Sissy Series by Jeff Ball
Copyright Jeff Ball 2007

As I continue this year, committed to posting one new image each day for 365 days, I would like to begin introducing other aspects of my work.

I often use my photography as a starting place rather than an end. I merge the images into drawings, paintings and serigraph prints through a variety of techniques.

This serigraph print on paper measures approximately 16″x24″ and is part of my ongoing, Macho Sissy series.

The work  juxtaposes masculine and feminine imagery together representing the blurring of gender lines. The image of the muscular male form printed in deep brown is balanced by the bright blue flowers beneath him, creating a soft bed of petals.

I believe that we all have both masculine and feminine traits that should be celebrated, not suppressed by socially constructed gender roles.

Bert Hölldobler and Edward O. Wilson in the rain by Tobias Rehberger

Yesterday, we visited the “Embrace” exhibit at the Denver Art Museum. This piece by Tobias Rehberger was my favorite of the exhibit. Tobias was able to break down the normal rules of not interacting or touching the art. You make your way through this maze of bungee cords to find little pockets or rooms where you can rest and watch others work their way through. It was actually harder than I expected to navigate through the maze.

It was definitely a favorite of the young and the young at heart. There was a line all day to experience it. This photograph only begins to show the line, color and movement of this wonderful piece. To learn more about it, check out he “Embrace” website at: http://exhibits.denverartmuseum.org/embrace

Lonnie

Copyright Jeff Ball 1998

This is one of my early fashion pieces. I worked with designer, Armando Guerra on creating this haunting look of our friend and model, Lonnie. I’ve always love the severeness of this piece. The stark black and white of the garment as well as the lighting and makeup. There’s a certain level of desperation in this piece.

Equal Rights

Copyright Jeff Ball 2007

In the Summer of 2007, I was invited to show my DisClosure film and photography series at the San Francisco Sex Workers Art and Film Festival. During the week of the festival, sex workers from all over the country protested an ordinance that targeted them. They took to the streets and peacefully protested in their own way. We then went down to city hall and spoke to city officials about the ordinance. It was amazing how open they were to listening to the concerns of sex workers in their districts.

Remigio

Copyright Jeff Ball 2008

Photo of the Day: This photo was chosen, in part, by a random selection by Felix Macias with the # 175.

This photo of my partner, Remy was from our second photo shoot together. As I was editing the photo I thought about who helped to choose it. Felix is also a photographer who really likes high key fashion images. I usually try to keep my exposure levels so that no skin tones are blown out but this time I embraced it.