Memphis, Tennessee-based multidisciplinary artist Jeremy Matthew has spent the last several years refining his skills in portraiture, both realism and abstraction. Fascinated not only by the lives that other people live but also by the simple fact that no two people are alike, Jeremy is compelled to explore the wonder and intimacy that lives within the stories of others.
This body of work responds to only a few of the issues that are rooted in the ubiquity of racism in the community development sector: a lack of funding for schools, housing segregation, and environmental racism. The narrative of all three pieces takes place within a redlined neighborhood, in a future with anti-racist community development.
An investment in housing developments in redlined neighborhoods; an increase in property value. As funding slowly returns to the community, access to essentials such as hospitals, grocery stores with fresh produce, and eventually public transportation increase. Slowly moving away from being considered a “disadvantaged community” by reducing the number of properties that sit empty, the fight against gentrification strengthens well. Since the primary way that Americans pay for public schools is by paying property taxes, an increase in property values means more funding for schools.
A school receives an increase in funds, thus allowing its students access to facilities crucial for learning, an increase in pay for the teachers and faculty, as well as boosting the school’s graduation rate. Having the proper tools to help a child become interested and invested in their education early on ensures that a school’s students are well-equipped for their future.
A solution for the air pollution hazards in “sacrifice zones” that plague so many black communities across America. These industrial plants cause property values to drop, perpetuating a cycle of disinvestment. Because many of these areas are low-income, their residents have less access to vital resources, such as education, healthcare, and, thanks to the smokestacks and industrial plants, even clean water and air. Raising a family in proximity to these industrial zones is obviously extremely unsafe, and I chose to highlight this by depicting a child being the one to interact with these dangers. To everyone’s elation, he has effectively plugged every last smokestack pipe in the community so that nobody is affected by the polluted air anymore.