Camille Gustus 

 ARTIST STATEMENT

As a young child growing up in an Orthodox Jewish neighborhood I did not have the experience of having a neighborhood corner store. Though on weekends, when visiting my grandmother, I had the magical experience of excursions to the “Corner Store” every Saturday where a child’s candy fantasy came true. Penny candies, Super Bubble bubblegum, Mary Jane’s and so much more, all in a little brown paper bag never costing more than a buck otherwise known as a greenback.

These neighborhood monuments at the time seemed unassuming like the local drugstore, but there was something different. Only recently in the last few years has my nostalgia, excavated by this series; helped me to understand the impact of how these cornerstones of the community functioned. Family owned, family run, in many cases part of the family dwelling they were - and remain - permanent fixtures that had invested in the needs of the surrounding community. Be it the acceptance of food stamps, accessibility for those bound by public transportation, or the needs of the neighborhood hair stylist. The “Corner Store” depended on supplying their customer with their needs and even in the cases of less desirable products such as alcohol and tobacco.

This Corner Store Series depicts a multifaceted look at the monument itself. The nostalgia of my childhood, and the reality of the community; in which it resides.