Biography
Ryan LeCluyse is a graphic designer, photographer, and activist living and working in Brooklyn, New York. He studied fine art at The University of North Carolina School of the Arts and graphic design at The Maryland Institute College of Art. Inspired by an expanding notion of "social design," he applies a multidisciplinary approach to his work, that often addresses social and environmental injustice.

Description
The REBU!LD photographs were included in Ryan's thesis installation, which took place in East Baltimore. The location of the photographs were taken at one of the United States largest redevelopment projects, affecting 88-acres of the city. Ryan invested four months of meeting individuals and community members, learning about local neighborhoods, and documenting the redevelopment. For the installation, he wheat-pasted large prints of the photographs onto the façades of a completely vacant block of homes within the redevelopment footprint.

Communication objective
The purpose of REBU!LD was to document and celebrate the existing Baltimore City community and challenge stereotypes, perpetuated by news media and television shows like The Wire. It is estimated that there are more than 40,000 vacant properties in Baltimore City and the statistic is increasing. East Baltimore Development Inc. intends to "transform the disinvested neighborhood into a thriving mixed-income community." Not entirely encompassing East Baltimore, it has no physical boundaries but has become a neighborhood within a neighborhood. From the Northeast to its Southwest corner, the architectural landscape is a sharp gradient from condemned row-homes, in contrast with the tall glass buildings of the world renowned Johns Hopkins’ campus. REBU!LD appears within the redevelopment area, and invites people to see the neighborhood for themselves. The photographs of both community members and the neighborhood, provide a poignant contrast to the rows of abandoned buildings they appear on.

Tools used
Adobe Lightroom allowed for quick and easy editing, it was scanned. Adobe Photoshop was used when editing the massive images required to create large-format prints. Adobe Acrobat communicated the files accurately to the printers, who generously supported the project.

Adobe Tools
Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Lightroom

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