By Holly Drankhan
What do a painter, steelworker, surfer and colonial reenactor have in common?
They are all among the 277 subjects photographed by Kevin Miyazaki on his two-week, 1,800- mile trip along Lake Michigan’s shoreline.
Miyazaki is a professional photographer from Milwaukee. His project, titled “Perimeter,” was commissioned by the Haggerty Museum of Art at Marquette University in his home city. It captures the faces of those whose livelihoods and pastimes are tied to Lake Michigan.
Some portraits can be viewed on the online galley Water in Art, which accompanies the summit Water After Borders: Global Stakes, Local Politics Thursday and Friday in Chicago. They will also be on display from May 31 to mid-September at the Dennos Museum Center in Traverse City, Michigan.
Viewers will hopefully relate to the people they see in the photographs, even if they don’t have a direct connection with the lake, said Miyazaki.
“They are intentionally simple,” he said. “Super neutral background, people are just standing very square to me and looking at me — that is part of the whole idea, that it is incredibly simply represented people.”
Milwaukee surfer Andrew Wallus is photographed in Kevin Miyazaki’s mobile studio. Image: Kevin Miyazaki
Miyazaki drove along the lake’s edge in June 2012 in search of subjects, a mobile studio strapped to the top of his Honda Fit. The contraption resembled a telephone booth made of PVC pipes — flexible enough to withstand wind but sturdy enough to support lighting equipment and a black backdrop. The artist could assemble it in just 10 minutes.
Miyazaki tried to stay in sight of the water, finding lake access most limited in areas of great wealth or industry. The only time he drove on an interstate was when he crossed the Mackinac Bridge.
The trip confirmed Midwestern kindness, said Miyazaki. Of the many people he asked to photograph, only a handful said no.
Echo assembled select portraits into the interactive map above. Check it out to learn more about the individuals Miyazaki encountered on his journey and their connection with the world’s fifth largest lake.
Click on each picture for a larger image, and follow the links to read more Echo coverage about some of the individuals pictured.