An outdoor exhibition opens this Saturday at Gateway Park in Gary, inviting visitors to walk through a community‑driven photography and storytelling gallery titled Our Mill, Our Home. Organized by the artist collective Decay Devils together with Just Transition Northwest Indiana and Gary Advocates for Responsible Development, the show features portraits of twenty residents whose lives have been shaped by the city’s steel industry.

The portraits, captured by Decay Devils, are paired with recorded interviews that reveal personal histories of current and former steelworkers, their families, and neighbors living along the plant’s fence line. The project weaves together visual art and oral narrative to illustrate how the mill’s presence reverberates beyond the factory floor.

Beyond the images, the free event offers a live DJ, poetry readings, button‑making stations, children’s activities, and refreshments from Grindhouse Café. Local poet Beverly Lewis will share a piece she wrote for the Sustainable Steel Community Cohort, adding a lyrical dimension to the conversation about health, pollution, and identity.

Set against a backdrop of ongoing debates over cleaner steelmaking—such as direct‑reduction technology and electric‑arc furnaces—the exhibit serves as both a celebration of community resilience and a platform for discussing environmental justice. By bringing art, activism, and industry stakeholders together, the gallery demonstrates how creative storytelling can illuminate the complex legacy of steel in Northwest Indiana.

View original article