‘The Last Walk Out’ is one piece from a series of work that chronicles the industrial factory work places in southeastern Michigan. The images used in this piece come from an open house that took place at the General Motors Craft Centre facility in Lansing, Michigan, marking the closing of that plant. The facility was built in 1919 as a foundry and was initially designed by Albert Kahn. It had been remodeled and expanded a number of times over the years.
Prior to its closing in 2006 it had assembled high quality vehicles such as the Buick Reatta, the Cadillac Cavalier and Pontiac Sunfire as well as GM’s controversial electric car, EV-1.
John Dempsey was born in Detroit, Michigan and has maintained a studio in downtown Flint, Michigan for 20 plus years. He is a professor of art at Mott Community College, Flint.
