THE MAN PROJECT

The Man Project explores an array of relationships from the perspective of Black men. How do they feel about their loved ones?  What are their hopes, dreams and passions?  Does the media provide accurate representation or perpetuate destructive stereotypes? The Man Project – a documentary, multimedia installation, web-based exhibit, and an interactive experience – was created as a response to the negative imagery that permeates the media regarding Black men.

Interviewees represent a range of males from the African Diaspora.  From Haiti to the west side of Chicago, Ghana to Cuba, the participants embody diversity as it relates to class, occupation, sexual orientation, religion, education, and culture.  More than seventy men and boys, age 7 to 91, have given voice to their stories – their truths. 

This work is the brainchild of Claudette Roper, an award winning artist, educator and media maker.  Her work is steeped in oral tradition, combining familiar mediums with new methods of expression to focus on social justice issues and generate discourse.  The Man Project is part of a larger, thought-provoking model of how artistry, media and the desire to inform can be a creative tool for social change.