Talking Shops: Detroit Commercial Folk ArtPaperback, 15 December 2004

Cruise down the inner-city streets of Detroit and your eyes take in an array of familiar images of poverty and decay. What renowned photographer David Clements sees on these gritty Detroit streets are the ad displays on so many local businesses, including salons, churches, and car washes. In Talking Shops, Clements captures mural facades that transform what might have been a typical urban landscape into a canvas for some of the city's most vibrant folk art. With more than 130 full-color photographs, this delightful book uncovers such treasures as the "Mr. Foote Hand Car Wash," and the "Kill Them Dead" roach exterminator. Yet for all their whimsy, these subjects were created by artists who have used brilliant colors, meticulous words, and aggressive messages that seem to talk, if not shout, to passersby.