These are the photos that appear in the JazzSpace Detroit exhibit, a 25 x 7 ft photographic triptych. It was originally displayed during ArtPrize at the Grand Rapids African American Museum to reflect Michigan’s rich musical heritage of jazz, blues and Motown history.
The artwork is divided into three sections: two fabric panels are covered with photos printed via the dye sublimation process. The panels are hung on either side of a 5 x 7 ft canvas printed with the photo of saxophonist Faruq Z. Bey on a Detroit rooftop. This image was created from my original 35mm black and white negative that I printed on archival, fiber-based photo paper in my darkroom, color-tinted with Marshall Oil Paints, scanned, and digitally enlarged.
Approximately 70 photos are printed on the fabric panels. The collage design is reminiscent of a quilt — a collection of patches, each one a photo of a legendary musician that symbolizes an individual story and history. Included are Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Sippie Wallace,
John Lee Hooker, Yusef Lateef, Marcus Belgrave, Roscoe Mitchell, Betty Carter, Roy Brooks, Griot Galaxy, Sun Ra, Miles Davis, A. Spencer Barefield, Regina Carter, Geri Allen, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Marion Hayden, James Carter, Robert Hurst, Ralphe Armstrong, and many others.
©Barbara Weinberg Barefield 2021
