Signs of the Times

Billboard Exhibition Curation, 2019

From 2013-2015 I worked at a big ad agency designing all sorts of truly horrible flyers, mailers (literal trash), and graphics for a few "OOH (out of home) campaigns" which is industry slang for billboards.

I left this job as soon as I could afford to, and in 2019 when I was invited to curate my first billboard exhibition, Signs of the Time, for Detroit Art Week it felt like a full-circle moment.

From the pool of over 700 amazing submissions, I chose work that vehemently subverted the ad space, that challenged existing harmful beliefs and criticized the culture of consumption that capitalism demands. It was an honor to be able to amplify each artist's work in a public space, and I am so excited to get to do it again this Spring for At Whose Expense?

Thank you to SaveArtSpace and Playground Detroit for helping bring Signs of the Times into existence.

Dessislava Terzieva, Crash and Burn — Dessislava Terzieva, *Crash and Burn*

Adeshola Makinde, RELEVANT - WE DEMAND AN END TO POLICE BRUTALITY NOW! — Adeshola Makinde, *RELEVANT - WE DEMAND AN END TO POLICE BRUTALITY NOW!*

Jonah Welch, Trans People Are Sacred — Jonah Welch, *Trans People Are Sacred*

Elysia Vandenbussche, I AM NOT A BILLBOARD — Elysia Vandenbussche, *I AM NOT A BILLBOARD*

Thomas “Detour” Evans, When We Get There — Thomas “Detour” Evans, *When We Get There*

Viscaya Wagner, Some Sunny Day — Viscaya Wagner, *Some Sunny Day*

Erik Henderson, Maybe a Trash Can #19 — Erik Henderson, *Maybe a Trash Can #19*

Project Art Students at the Detroit Main Branch Library, Moody Sky — Project Art Students at the Detroit Main Branch Library, *Moody Sky*