Detriot artist Rashaun Rucker has spent the past few years thinking about birds—more specifically pigeons. He’s considered their gift of flight, their lower status with respect to human city dweller, and the odd kinship he feels with them as a Black man. On this episode, we talk to Rucker about his new exhibit exploring those connections, which draws its title—Never Free to Rest—from a James Baldwin quote. GUEST: Rashaun Rucker, award-winning photographer and interdisciplinary artist from Detroit Never Free to Rest is on view to the public at the U of M Insti­tute for the Humanities in Ann Arbor. The show runs through October 15, 2021. If you can’t make it in person, you can see photos from the exhibit here. Rucker will be giving a virtual talk about his work this Thursday, September 30th as part of the Penny Stamps Speaker Series. Find more info about that here. Looking for more conversations from Stateside? Right this way. If you like what you hear on the pod, consider supporting our work. Stateside’s theme music is by 14KT. Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.