Ann marie Curley

Artist Statement

I am a native Detroiter, as was my father. His work involved inspecting industrial facilities
for safety and environmental hazards. He loved the plants and what they meant--the lifeblood
of the city. He also loved boats and his kids grew up on the Detroit riverfront, dirt and all.

He passed that love to me.

Delray was the recipient of all the pollution from the plants, and as such it was a strange combination
of polluted air and water, and patches of open land. Residents took a strange pride in Delray being so
lost that the police could not find addresses for police runs. With the isolation and the extra space, they
evolved a special kind of farm life.

Sometimes it seems you make an image for a reason. Since I worked on my small series,
the old downriver industrial worlds are gone. Zug Island's steel mill is shut down, and the
neighborhood has mostly been emptied by buyouts to make room for the new international bridge.