In 2018 and 2019, Focus Hope brought to Detroit - Focus On Detroit, an outdoor photography festival. This festival was created to showcase the creative and highly talented photographers of Metro-Detroit with a special focus on the stories and people of Detroit.

Below are the images from the 2018 festival. We would like to thank Focus Hope for making this possible and Detroit Public Library for providing access to this collection via their website.

Detroit Fashion

What we wear on the streets, to work, to places of worship or a night on the town. We are what we wear, and Detroit’s style and fashion speaks volume.

Curated by Asia Hamilton

Asia Hamilton | Detroit Fashion in Retrospect

Beyond Mainstream

Who defines what is mainstream? The artists whose photographs are exhibited in this tent give us an understanding of sights unseen - that is, unseen as predominant representations of contemporary Detroit. Some of the artists focus on portraiture, while others present landscape both real and surreal. As you experience these photographs please take time to consider “mainstream”- is it more fluid than one might think? Who dictates what is mainstream and why do certain dictates become the norm? Is one group’s mainstream another’s “beyond”?

Curated by Melanie Manos

Jeff Cancelosi | Richard Phillips-Uncaged

Teresa Peterson
Sleepy — Teresa Peterson Sleepy

Detroit Neighborhoods

These photographs depict what we believe to be the heart of Detroit’s neighborhoods: the people who live there. Each image was selected for its sense of belonging, its reflection of the moods and stories of life here now. They capture expressions of love, joy, familial bonds, childhood exuberance, quintessential quirkiness and more. These photos are enduring evidence of our existence, windows to our moment frozen in time. Neighborhoods are the core of what Detroit really means, and we hope you are moved in some way through the eyes of your fellow Detroit photographers.

Curated by Mandisa Smith and Laura Earle

Donald Jones | Working Man on Michigan Ave.

Giorgio Orlandi I | Reflected Light on the

Giorgio Orlandi I | Reflected Light on the
Renaissance — Giorgio Orlandi I | Reflected Light on the Renaissance

Sarah Nesbitt | Children of the Fitzgerald
Community 4 — Sarah Nesbitt | Children of the Fitzgerald Community 4

Sarah Nesbitt | Lollo Park, Northwest
Detroit 5 — Sarah Nesbitt | Lollo Park, Northwest Detroit 5

Detroit Evolution

Detroit is evolving. How has this city changed over time? Some iconic places have become non-existent and new ones are emerging. The collection of photos in this exhibition explores and contrasts the city’s industrial age, ruins and recovery. How do these changes reflect the Detroit we aspire to be, or represent reproductions of the past iterations of Detroit.

Curated by Andria Watha

Jamie Feldman | Hope for the Hudson Site

Monica Manning | Set Claire: The calm after
the char — Monica Manning | Set Claire: The calm after the char

Detroit Second Look

Sometimes to really get to know Detroit and take in its sounds, colors, smells; to take in its soul, you need to look at in more than once, with eyes and soul wide open. This collection of images are the second look of Detroit and the beauty we see if we just look again.

Curated by Myett Risker

Cheri Winegarden | Dancing in the Market

Anthony Lanzilote | The River: Raymond Jr. shows off a shing lure in Mariner Park

Adam Neff | Grand Blvd Sits Below Fisher

Detroit Music Scene

The people of Detroit are fans of many things, among them is music; a prominent part of everyday life here. Yes, the city has a deep rooted history in Motown, but there is more to us than just that. Music can be heard nearly everywhere in the D, walking through the now crowded streets of downtown, leaving Comerica Park after a late game, even cars blaring music as they rush past you. These are just a few examples. This exhibit aims to showcase the diversity of music genres that this great city has to offer and the emotions they inspire in listeners and performers alike.

Curated by Oluwatoyin Akintoroye

Darkroom Detroit

Darkroom Detroit participated in this exhibition creating banners from its Darkroom Detroit’s Applebaum Fellows. Applebaum fellows participate in a nine-month mentorship and development program for emerging and established photographers in the Detroit. The program offers critical feedback and support in developing new work or completing an existing body of work.

Darkroom Detroit is a 501c3 non-profit dedicated to increasing photography access, education, and visual literacy in Detroit. It offers gallery space, photography classes for all ages and levels, darkroom and digital facilities, print sales, studio space, and more.

www.darkroomdetroit.org

Capturing Belief

Capturing Belief uses photography as a strong educational element in nurturing youth. During the 2019 exhibition, Capturing Belief student work was displayed on banners across the neighborhood. Below are a few of the images from that exhibition photographed by Capturing Belief students.

Curated by Romain Blanquart and Khary Mason.

www.capturingbelief.com

Focus on Detroit Projection Exhibition

Part of this exhibition in 2018 and 2019 was a projection of the exhibition photos on the historic Bell Building, currently the NSO (Neighborhood Service Organization) Bell Building. Hundreds of people from the neighborhood and around Metro-Detroit came to see these photos big and brightly lighting up the sky of Detroit. Thanks to New D Media for their work on this display.