Lisa Guerriero and her family emigrated from Canada to the suburbs of Los Angeles in the early 70s. Immediately after high school, she began working in the movie and television industry as a Camera Assistant. In 2014, she decided to shift gears, leaving the industry and concentrating solely on her photography. While traveling across the country by train, in 2013, photographing old diners, motels, barber shops and fading remnants of Americana, she began meeting the people who lived and worked in those neighborhoods. Many were low-income communities undergoing gentrification. She felt it was important to document and share these people’s stories and began a social documentary project. She now spends every summer taking road trips across the United States to photograph people in these small towns and the American landscape.
Behind the Rust Belt
The deindustrialization of the heartland of America, over three decades ago, has led to a dramatic economic decline. A few towns and cities have managed to adapt but, the majority of the rust belt region have not fared well, witnessing a rise in poverty, declining populations and urban decay.
Due to a lack of resources, many families have stayed in the towns which they were born and raised in. They struggle to survive, but they have accepted that this is just part of their day-to-day life and despite it all, they remain quite patriotic.
This project takes an honest look at the people in the rust belt region and the urban landscape that surrounds them.
To view more of Lisa’s work please visit her website.