The Transforming Hate Project has evolved from my previous work transforming white supremacist books into a metaphor for non-violence and tolerance done at the invitation of the Montana Human Rights Network and the Holter Museum of Art in Helena. It is also inspired by my installation 100 Americans: A Presence of the Past in Philadelphia, done at the invitation of the Rosenbach Museum and Library, in Philadelphia, as a response to their exhibition of original documents about slavery. I walked the streets of Philadelphia to talk with and photograph 100 strangers of African descent and mounted their portraits in the space as a testimony of their presence despite the documented horrors of slavery.
Making these two projects was a big shift for me. I had to learn new ways of working, which included quickly becoming more connected with the source materials and documents, creating participatory opportunities with my subjects and learning new mediums and processes as the work progressed. I had included some aspects of these things in my work previously but not with that speed and numbers of people. I am introverted and my work tends to evolve very slowly.
To make a tax-deductible donation to the Transforming Hate project visit the link: Artspire Fundraising Page