Maxine Fairley cultivates art in the Oak Street Senior Apartments Community Room
FLINT, MI – In honor of Black History Month, Maxine Fairley has put her art and vintage collections on display at the community room in Oak Street Senior Apartments, a development of Communities First, Inc. The idea of a Black History display came to Fairley during her time as a teacher, where she decided to use art to inspire and teach her students about Black history.
The art that Fairley has created for the museum consists of what she calls “silhouettes” – abstract, black shadows made out of felt and dressed with real fabric and jewelry. “These silhouettes give me the opportunity to imagine people however I want. I started making these using just construction paper, but it’s really grown into whatever I can imagine a person to look like.”
Fairley is fueled by her love of people. Her goal in her art is to inspire and bring joy to whoever looks at it.
“There’s so much sadness in the world,” says Fairley. “I just want to bring joy, peace and happiness to everybody.”
The other artifacts in the museum include items of a time past – magazines, vinyl, CDs – all of and about Black artists and people.
Fairley says, “Everybody has a gift. Mine is that I can create something out of nothing. If I have an idea, a lightbulb goes off and I have to execute it immediately.”
“This community room has transformed since Maxine came to Oak Street,” says Cherise Pagels, the supportive services coordinator at Communities First, Inc.
Pagels added: “It started with puzzles, and she decorates for every single holiday – Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving. She has all these ideas. Residents feel welcome when they come here. It feels like home to them. Her creativity blows my mind, every time I come in here there’s something different.”
About Communities First, Inc. (CFI)
Communities First, Inc. is a nonprofit Community Development Corporation. Headquartered in Flint, CFI serves over 35,000 community members across Michigan and Indiana. CFI’s mission is to build healthy, vibrant communities through economic development, affordable housing, and innovative programming. More information about Communities First, Inc. can be found at www.communitiesfirstinc.org.
