Gentrification Sun Catcher Project Artist Statement:

As one of the last native citizens of Del Ray of my generation, I grieve every knocked down house, every monstrous addition, and every displaced family that the direction of my hometown has taken has caused. I also distinctly remember the dangers of growing up in northern Del Ray at the border of Lynhaven, and how one of the reasons my mom gave me as to why I could not play in Auburn Village was because there was 'broken glass'. Its been many years since then, and while this area has become 'safer' after the murder of Julian Dawkins, I find that the broken glass remains. Glass and ceramics don't break down, you can crush them beneath cars, put down mulch, pave over them, but they will still be there. When I started picking up glass in the parks of my childhood and the construction sites of my hometown's gentrification I was allowed to not only grieve the loss of the people who left it there but also come to a realization: if I cant get people to care about the people who lived in their house before them, how can I get them to care about the people whose land this truly is. This project has become two things, the last hurrah of the contrast of what I picture my hometown to be and what it has become, and a chance to make good to the bones we are walking on. That is why 50% of the profits of each suncatcher is going to Stop Line 3, the latest and most environmentally detrimental oil pipeline to date. I hope that as these suncatchers are enjoyed that not only do they shine a light on what has happened in my hometown, but also on what is happening to all of Turtle Island.

KY