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Burned Out House Mother and Child
Demolished by Neglect (1987) was a landmark Detroit photo-installation by Keith Piaseczny (later Keith De Cesare), blending art and activism to expose systemic abandonment in the city’s historic architecture.
I. Project Goals and Critique
The project, executed under the Urban Center for Photography (UCP), sought to confront institutional neglect by making Detroit’s hidden decay publicly visible.
Detroit street façade of National Theatre
- Expose contradictions: Challenged Coleman Young’s “Renaissance City” narrative.
- Spatial equity: Highlighted disparities in preservation enforcement.
- Disruptive art: Empowered communities to reimagine Detroit’s future.
II. Methodology: Guerrilla Photo-Activism
Artists used guerrilla street tactics to directly intervene in public space.
Guerrilla Art Keith Piaseczny DeCesare stenciling "Demolishedby Neglect
- Indexical documentation: Photographers entered abandoned interiors to record decay.
- Large-scale wheat-pasting: Photos were enlarged and mounted on façades.
- Stenciled messages: Mimicked official signage to amplify critique.
- National Theatre installation: A major intervention that sparked censorship debates.
III. Historic Impact and Censorship Crisis
The project became a national free-speech flashpoint after Detroit’s cultural institutions attempted to silence it.
![Newspaper clipping Personal Tribute where firefighterswere killed](Personal_Tribute_Detroit.jpg")
Media Coverage Image Slot
- Government Backlash
- DCA threatened to rescind funding, accusing the project of being “too negative.”
- Media Amplification
- Coverage exploded nationwide, including the NYT, Chicago Tribune, and NPR.
IV. Legacy and Continuity
The project shaped De Cesare’s later humanitarian art, including ArtAid and post-9/11 memorial work.