Spaces & Vandals is a visual archive that documents a vulnerable time in American history. Through the powerful lens of pre-bankruptcy Detroit, Photographer Vanessa Miller weaves a deeply personal, yet universally relatable story of polarizing loneliness and community surrounding the 2008 economic crisis. Her collection of images (2005 – 2009) powerfully contrasts the crushing desolation and unbridled energy of America’s recessionary ground zero. They simultaneously suggest how Detroit’s – and America’s – uninhibited youthfulness and wild spaces would sew the seeds for a steady recovery in Motown and the nation. With photographs captured by an embedded Miller - then a young urban explorer looking for more than empty spaces - Spaces & Vandals conveys a timeless message about human connection and resilience during the darkest nights. Poignant and hopeful, this vignette of Americana captures the zeitgeist of a city struggling to survive, while building a future from love, beauty, and the same can-do spirit that put Detroit and the nation on the mouths of many the world over a century ago.