Photographer Noah Stephens finds art in one of the Detroit's greatest assets: its people.
While the outside world might be fooled by the proliferated images of the city's abandoned buildings, Stephens's "The People of Detroit" portraiture project makes a case that Detroit is vibrant and full of amazing and beautiful people.
"I look for interesting, engaging faces. .. I try to get a sense of what it is that drives them; occupation, hobbies, what are they passionate about," Stephens told HuffPost earlier this year. "I also like to find out as much as I can about the relationship the person has with the city."
The project started as a blog, with each portrait paired with a brief essay. Now, it's taking a new form as an exhibition, thanks to a partnership with the city's Detroit Works Project. Stephens's striking portraits are on display at the Detroit Works Project Long Term Planning HomeBase in Eastern Market, a space that opened in January to make Detroit Works more accessible to the community.
"Since December we have been working hard to engage Detroiters from all walks of life in the process," Long Term Planning's Laura Howard said in a statement. "Displaying the different faces that represent our city reinforces the broad definition of community that exists in Detroit."
"My sincere hope is that the project serves to counterbalance less progressively-minded portrayals of the city," Stephens added.