Some new photos from Fort Wayne

perfect-world-2.jpg


This abandoned storefront is on College Avenue, just south of 38th Street on the east side of Indianapolis. An envelope of chalk hangs on the boarded-up window, so that passers-by can complete the sentence, "In a PERFECT world..."​

The day I made this photograph, it said: "In a PERFECT world...You and I would be together!"​

I photographed this place two years earlier in black and white. The messages written on the boarded-up windows were different then.​
 
It has taken me a few weeks to get through this excellent thread. The little short story with each image adds to the pleasure of viewing them.
A book with these images would be special...a la Stephen Shore.
Again, excellent. Cheers.
 
fireblade said:
It has taken me a few weeks to get through this excellent thread. The little short story with each image adds to the pleasure of viewing them.
A book with these images would be special...a la Stephen Shore.
Again, excellent. Cheers.
Click to expand...


Thanks, I'm interested in history and telling a story with both words and pictures. When I look at photographs, I often want more. The picture makes me want to know more about what I am seeing. I use the written stories to give more depth to the story told by the photo.
 
love-supermarket-2.jpg


Here is another photograph of Love Supermarket in Mishawaka, Indiana. The front of the store is covered in tobacco and ice cream ads, and a gigantic American flag mural.
 
fulton-apartments-2.jpg


Last month, I photographed the front of Fulton Apartments, a small apartment building in downtown Fort Wayne, Indiana. One of the residents has a large American flag covering his front window.
 
Chriscrawfordphoto said:
love-supermarket-1.jpg


Love Supermarket is a small, locally-owned grocery store at the corner of Union Street and 10th Street in Mishawaka, Indiana.​

The front of the store is dominated by a huge American flag painted on the brick building. The windows are covered in signs advertising cigarettes and junk food!​

I photographed it yesterday morning.
Click to expand...

Chriscrawfordphoto said:
love-supermarket-2.jpg


Here is another photograph of Love Supermarket in Mishawaka, Indiana. The front of the store is covered in tobacco and ice cream ads, and a gigantic American flag mural.
Click to expand...


I like the first one much more, it has your signature straight on look that works so well in this thread and as part of your storytelling.

The bank vault door shot is great. Love the richness in that shot.
 
path-of-life-church-1.jpg


Rural Indiana is dotted with small, old churches. Many of them are still in operation. This is Path of Life Community Church on State Road 327, between Garrett and Corunna, in rural Dekalb County, Indiana.​

The red doors are unusual. Most of these old churches have doors that are either white, or natural wood that has a brown stain finish.

I photographed it yesterday afternoon.
​
 
silver-screen-1.jpg


The Silver Screen Theater is on Randolph Street (State Road 327) in the small town of Garrett, Indiana. It was built in 1939 as the Gala, and was later renamed the Silver Screen. It closed in 2014 because the owners couldn't afford to convert it to digital projection.​

Small, locally-owned theaters like the Silver Screen held on longer in small towns than they did in the larger cities, where giant multiplex theaters drove the little ones out of business years ago.​

The company that owns the Silver Screen also owns the Strand Theater in Kendallville and the Auburn-Garrett Drive-In, both of which were still open when I made this photograph in March, 2016.​
 
Canyongazer said:
Chris, have you made long term plans for this body of work?
Are the City Fathers interested?
Local museum? State museum?

Undoubtedly this will be of historical interest in FW, in Indiana and, as the decades pass, even further afield.
Click to expand...

I have no idea what will happen to my work. Given the state of my health (I had a stroke in 2013, and have had serious health problems all of my life) its a concern. The problem is, no one here cares about the work I am doing. No one. I am steadfastly opposed to donating this work to any organization in Indiana given the steadfast refusal of the people or the cultural institutions here to support my work.
 
I must admit I am stunned no local individuals or entities have any interest. I guess the local economy is in bad shape?

Have you considered Kickstarter as a way to get multiple edited copies published, defray curating/archiving expenses or to accomplish some other venture?

It wouldn't hurt, either, to start a thread here on RFF asking for ideas. There's plenty of brain power and diverse professional experience here.

It must be vexing to not have some sort of destination for your efforts.
 
dekalb-cr70-1.jpg


This morning, in the rain, I took a drive through rural Dekalb County, Indiana. This gravel road winding through hilly farmland is County Road 70, just east of State Road 3.
 
Chris, you just don't have enough basketball references in your photos to get most Hoosiers excited. BTW, I don't care for basketball. Your photos are better than that.

PF
 
farlymac said:
Chris, you just don't have enough basketball references in your photos to get most Hoosiers excited. BTW, I don't care for basketball. Your photos are better than that.

PF
Click to expand...

I actually do have several photos of basketball hoops on the sides of barns, and they sell well. Not usually to people in Indiana, however. I did sell one to someone in Warsaw, Indiana last year. He wanted to give it as a Christmas gift. This is the one:

sr1-basketball-barn.jpg
 
jesus-never-fails2.jpg


Sparta United Church of Christ is an old brick church surrounded by a cemetery in the small town of Kimmell, Indiana. The original name of Kimmell was Sparta, which is why this church bears the name.​

The neon sign over the door says: "Jesus Never Fails."
​
I photographed it in the very early morning, at the first light of the day, before the sun rose.​
 
perfect-10-salon.jpg


Perfect 10 Hairstyling Salon is located in a house on the south side of Albion Street, next to a shopping center in the small town of Avilla, Indiana.​

The sign in the front yard says: "Perfect 10 Salon Boutique. Jesus Saves."

I photographed it last Friday morning.
​
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom