Hello, Neighbor!
If you live in Michigan or Ohio, I'd love to photograph you for "The Neighbors."
In 2018, in response to the divisions in American society that started in the early 2000s and worsened after 2016, I started a portrait series called “The Neighbors” — a project focused on discovering ways to unite the people of the United States and heal our societal divisions.
Traveling to different parts of Los Angeles (where I lived at the time), I photographed everyday people at their homes, in their backyards, and near their college campuses. Before taking each photograph, I would conduct an interview — asking the person questions about who they were, what their background was, what their hopes for America in the coming years were, and what they believed each person could do, on an individual level, to heal our society.
Their responses were unfailingly compassionate, always open and willing to reflect on what others were experiencing or struggling with in their daily lives — and how Americans could do better at showing up for each other across the aisle. The deep level of reflection each person offered during their interview was both inspiring and humbling. Still, by 2019, life had gotten busy, and my project was temporarily shelved as I confronted personal challenges of my own.
As America heads into yet another divisive year of politics in 2024, though, I’ve made the decision to restart “The Neighbors” in Michigan. As someone who has been deeply troubled by the events of the last four years, I cannot continue to stand by and watch our communities, relationships, and future fall apart over political differences — many of them more perceived than real. While I am certainly not a powerful person by any stretch of the imagination, I hope to do my (very small) part in helping the situation by warmly inviting every American to meet — and love — The Neighbors through this project.
And I hope you’ll join me.
If you live in Southeast Michigan or Ohio (or if you’ll be traveling to my area this year) and would like to be part of this project, please contact me. If you know anyone in the Midwest who might be interested in being part of the series, feel free to forward this to them, too. (There’s a possibility this project will expand to other regions as time goes on — I’ll let you know if and when that happens.)
“We become neighbors when we are willing to cross the road for one another.”
— Henri J.M. Nouwen