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2022, Whose America?
Gentrification is the process whereby the character of a poor urban area is changed by wealthier people moving in, improving housing, and attracting new businesses, typically displacing lower-income inhabitants. Artist Michael Kirk returned from spending time in Europe to find that his neighborhood of “Hell’s Kitchen” had fallen victim to large-scale gentrification. Big businesses and upper-class apartment complexes replaced family-owned shops and affordable housing. Similar transformations have occurred in cities across America, affecting thousands of lower- and middle-class citizens—reinforcing the power and influence held by the upper classes in society.
Kirk’s use of black and white in depicting the scene on Ninth Avenue gives some sense of peace to what could be considered a stressful and disheartening situation.
Text by Dalton Tripe, Washburn student