I have been documenting the urban landscape in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn and its changing form in the face of decay and development. I am interested in how ongoing demolition and re-building effect our perception of space and time. Through texture and color, I convey the emotions that the subject matter evokes in me.

At this moment I feel there is tremendous potential around Brooklyn communities, even though a lot of the buildings that my work is based on are old and decrepit.

While I was working on the project, passersby would come up to me and ask what I was doing. Most of these people had never set their foot in a gallery and were not interested in contemporary art. But when they heard about my project, they became very engaged and offered a lot of input. This positive response reinforced my motivation. It helped me to realize the importance of making art about my surroundings and how it can help us regain a sense of place in a place that is ever changing.

- Miranda Hellman