And Now the Cupboard is Bare by Nat Soti / Digital Image / 2008

“And Now the Cupboard is Bare, part of my series, Headlines, is my response to how American industry won World War II. By outproducing its competition in guns, tanks, and bombs, American industry created an economic golden age by outproducing its competition in food, appliances, and cars. Somewhere along the way we stopped making things. We built malls instead of factories; educated shoppers instead of artisans. Somewhere along the way our national confidence became measured by ‘consumer confidence.’ We ate more. We drank more. We bought more. And when we ran out, we borrowed more. We ate. And ate. And ate. And now the cupboard is bare.” –Nat Soti [Co-Founder, Chicago Art Department]

Published: Issue 1, Summer 2009