Chicago, 2019

This year, my photography of Chicago was subdued, routine, and very deliberate. No planned projects or agendas at hand, really; I’d typically go out on my bike, at the same times, on the same routes, to the same intriguing locations, one day after another, which turned into weeks, then months, which only go by faster each year. Was it the best use of my precious time? Maybe?

Two spectacular highlights of my year were working with the fantastic Belt Publishing press, contributing photography of my East Garfield Park neighborhood and noteworthy Chicago sites for their titles “The Chicago Neighborhood Guidebook” and “Midwest Architecture Journeys.” (Both are stunning and compelling books and must-reads for those interested in insightful, unconventional voices of this city’s neighborhoods, and views of this region’s architectural legacy.)

Chicago’s demolitions were again a facet of my practice (especially two post-Fire brick wholesaler buildings, [cough] “insignificant” remnants of the 19th-century South Water Street Market [cough]), but took a backseat to more historicist and obscure, yet significant subjects I uncovered and researched. I’m looking forward to continue documenting these, as well as my years-long, ongoing worker’s cottages and rear houses projects, plus finding my new routines and new curiosities in 2020 — my tenth year of photographing Chicago’s streets.

Here’s a selection of some pictures I created this year, describing how I see the beautiful respite in West Side city parks, the unnoticed yet interesting or endangered buildings (and maybe my own worker’s cottage basking in summer glory), and the man-made, mysterious scenes emerging in the dark of night — or the constant dark of the underground downtown infrastructure (a unique, difficult subject I’ve now been investigating for 3 years).

Thank you for valuing my work and helping me understand it more through your online responses and stories. Please follow this personal link if you are interested in contributing to support my work as we go into the new year, and many thanks from this independent artist!