This image is based on a picture of an old friend, Detroit poet and musician David Blair, known to most only as Blair, who died a couple years ago. Blair made magic out of words and notes to acknowledge the difficult, scary, and broken parts of of life. He also celebrated the resilience and the brilliance of the everyday people of Detroit. In his poetry, he shared his world. He wrote about fierce love, but also traumatic experiences of racism and homophobia and ignorance.
When I think of Love with a capital L, I think of not just a handshake but a hug, an embrace that not only accepts the here and now but allows growth. Justice is not a superhero, but a community of people that recognize and value their accountability to each other. Sometimes these things feel so lacking in the broader world, but we can find and nurture small pieces of them in our lives.
I know that Blair would have written about this topic more beautifully, but I've created this piece to honor him visually. I hope that it inspires and motivates you to seek out those little pieces of Love and Justice in your own life.
These prints are the remaining edition from our Community Supported Art program in 2016.
