My city is not only losing jobs. We're losing people, and it's frightening. During my recent art curation at the City Club, I spent most of that time urging Cleveland residents and city officials to adopt a plan to merge East Cleveland with Cleveland so we can maintain our population, because doing nothing is no longer an option.

Seph Lawless

Categorized in : City Art People Time

Strangely enough, as I explored these abandoned malls, I found myself acting like a kid all over again. At times jumping up on to nearby fountain ledges trying to balance myself as I became mesmerized all over again by the futuristic skylights that dangled fearlessly over my head.

Seph Lawless

myself balance enough trying

I'm sick of watching 'Blue Lives Matter' supporters idly stand by any police officer simply because he wears blue, ignoring the facts that should make them cringe in disbelief and horror. Police brutality is systemic, not anecdotal.

Seph Lawless

police sick matter blue

Shopping malls across the county are dying fast, and my images of them are very nostalgic for most people that grew up attending these malls. These malls were communal spaces. These were gigantic chat rooms before the Internet existed. You went to the mall to meet and communicate with others, not just to shop.

Seph Lawless

you shopping internet people

There are usually three sections of people who like my work. There are those who like them aesthetically. They see beauty in the images. Second, there are those who like the horror aspect, which is by design, and I like that. Third, there are those who are moved by the historical or political nature of them. They want to talk about them.

Seph Lawless

nature work beauty people

I remember Geauga Lake. I remember Six Flags. I remember going to the mall. I hung out there. These big, grand places that served as pinnacles of the community were not only institutions or places of commerce. They were communal spaces where a lot of people went and shared good memories. These are very nostalgic places.

Seph Lawless

good community memories people

I like to try to capture places that a lot of people went to or have a deep emotional connection to. Malls, abandoned speedways, abandoned theme parks. To me, those are most interesting kinds of things to capture.

Seph Lawless

deep try me people

I grew up listening to the alternative rock music from the '90s. Some of my favorite bands included Dinosaur Jr, Guided By Voices, and Cobra Verde.

Seph Lawless

rock some music listening

My fellow liberals need to open their minds and realize that not all Trump supporters are racist, sexist, or deplorable individuals.

Seph Lawless

minds open realize need

The Democratic Party's success or failure - if they expect any opportunity to gain a political foothold in the foreseeable future - resides solely on the party's ability to reconcile with the American people, most especially with the Americans that they chose to ignore.

Seph Lawless

future failure success people

Don't be in denial. Police misconduct is nothing new, but the technology we have to capture it is. Nearly everyone is now equipped with a smartphone with a camera, so these incidents are more readily caught on film.

Seph Lawless

camera new police technology

Police are supposed to protect and serve, but sadly, they protect their self-interest first and foremost.

Seph Lawless

serve first protect police

I've always wanted Americans to see what's happening to their country from the comfort of their suburban homes and their smart phones. I want people to see the beginning of the end of the greatest economic machine that the world has ever seen: America.

Seph Lawless

beginning smart people world

There are conservatives who say, 'Why would you show the country in a weak way?' And there are liberals who say I'm exploitative.

Seph Lawless

say you country way

It's funny; people in Europe seem more interested in decay in America than Americans.

Seph Lawless

more funny america people

Art isn't complete until it's shared.

Seph Lawless

shared until complete art

I want people to see the fact that we've lost millions of manufacturing jobs to outsourcing and globalization. Sometimes images can convey that better.

Seph Lawless

better globalization sometimes people

To find beauty in the most grotesque things is a gift.

Seph Lawless

gift find things beauty

To be inside an abandoned mall is surreal. Often times I feel like I'm the last person alive on the planet.

Seph Lawless

inside person feel alive