Johnson R. Hunt (MFA '12)

Take A House, Take It Home, 2010 cement, fleece, polyester

“My work examines the housing crisis that has affected the United States since May 2006. The burst of the housing bubble that developed from 2002-2006 has left the financial market wrecked with the lowest housing price drop in history. This drop diminished the holding values of Wall Street, institutional investors, mortgage lenders and any institution that invested in the housing bubble
speculation. The US government bailed out these institutions when they were unable to rebound from the economic shortcomings due to this burst. Reasons for this bailout included efforts to avoid an economic depression and maintain confidence in the US market. The true victims of this crisis, the homeowners, are going in foreclosure at unheard of numbers due to sub-prime rates, speculation, hedge funds, predatory lending and other tactics used by these institutions.

My work seeks to give voice to these families. My work shows that these people, often painted in a poor light by the media, are families who were committed to the American Dream, owning a little piece of land, and the loss of this security is utter devastation. My personal experience of losing the childhood home that my father helped to build has fueled my desire to create this series of installations exposing the grieving process of becoming a victim of this crisis. My viewers are given the opportunity to experience this loss, an experience being felt by over one million Americans.”