Gone Series: Rake

The last piece I produced for this ongoing series is "Rake". As a kid raking leaves and mowing grass was a job for kids. That was how we made money. I don't know what happened but we got lazy.And now we hire immigrants to do our work for nothing and then complain about it.

The Gone Series looks back to 50 years to memories of my childhood in the racially divided mill town of Concord, North Carolina. It highlights events and circumstances that I believe reflect our social evolution and invite comparisons between the past and the present. These comparisons can be viewed literally or metaphorically.

When compiling subjects for this series I tried to think of memorable scenarios that spoke to issues of today and to my responsibilities as a parent and grandparent. Also, I wanted to evoke the perspective of a child experiencing a world created for them by adults. An adult influence, good and bad, not only creates the moment but steers generations to come.