Talking Shops:
Detroit's Soulful Signage

Photographs by David Clements

Street Photography Meets Street Art Some artists choose to portray the desolate urban landscapes that America’s cities present, filled with poverty, decay and abandonment. David Clements emphasizes the beautification efforts that residents make to transform depressing streets into colorful galleries. His street photography reveals that signs, murals or entire buildings send messages that seem to talk, if not shout, to the passerby. As he says, “Drive around and Detroit shops talk a good story.” He captures suburban as well as urban street art, and he compares and contrasts high art forms with their folk equivalents. The limestone gray, brick red and verdigris copper and bronze of Detroit’s past explode into a rainbow of brilliant turquoise, fuchsia and goldenrod on storefronts of plucky entrepreneurs who have reclaimed venerable buildings. Ancient Egyptian, religious, patriotic and other timeless motifs are employed by mural artists, who are often anonymous but sometimes recognizable by their style or signature. Often ignored and short-lived, street art is an important indicator of our way of life. Take a good look at these engaging images; take a second look when you are on the street, before such soulful signs vanish. VIEW THE EXHIBIT Other Detroit Soulful Images: The Fabulous Ruins of Detroit Motor City Lives Historic Places in Detroit