MH Archive is rooted in my mobile home upbringing and interests in social mobility; stigma and shame around home; and a self-reflective curiosity about the working-class body, it’s the next step in a wider exploration of mobile home culture in the US, contextualized by our nationwide affordable housing crisis.
For the past 6 years I’ve documented mobile home parks (over 50 sites) and interviewed residents; compiled research on the mobile home industry and culture; and created and exhibited work influenced by these rudimentary archives I’ve built and my personal history growing up in a double-wide trailer in eastern Pennsylvania. In the next two months I will be traveling across the US, starting in Florida, speaking with local residents, owners, and managers about their experiences. I will continue visiting mobile home parks across the US, systematically archiving with overarching research questions around the American Dream, specifically the myth of social mobility and the stigma and shame around places we call home.
Me standing next to the MH Archive truck at the Atlantic Center for the Arts, New Smyrna Beach, FL
My first stop is in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. I will be at this location as an Associate Artist for 1 month at the Atlantic Center for the Arts with the goal of visiting as many MH parks as possible. Here I am able to refocus my attention full time on this work. As you can see in the picture above, I am wearing a button-down navy work shirt with the MH Archive logo adhered to the left pocket and the logo was also printed onto a magnet affixed to my truck
The next posts will be about my travels from State to State and who I meet along the way. The Manufactured home world is extremely diverse and multi-faceted. Our society has a specific idea of what a “trailer park” or “mobile home park” looks like and the type of residents that live there but I aim to show the full picture.
Logo designed by Tania Garbe
Huge thanks to The Atlantic Center for the Arts for this opportunity and all the Associate and mentor artist for their guidance and support