"In the 1970s and early 1980s, New York City was completely different from the mostly clean and safe environment of today. Crime, drugs, and graffiti were prevalent. Times Square was more tawdry than tourist friendly and some areas were simply dangerous. Rents were cheap and it was a perfect time for young artists to move in.

"I moved there as a member of a new wave band named Tirez Tirez in 1980. We lived in an illegal loft on West 14th Street. When I was not working, rehearsing with the band, or playing a show, I would take out my camera and explore the city. By 1982 I realized that any semblance of success was out of reach and gladly took the opportunity to move back to the Midwest and attend graduate school. Although my camera was stolen at knife point just before leaving, those short two and a half years were the most memorable time of my life. The photographs in this exhibition are favorites selected from around 1600 negatives from those days. While many exist as small silver prints made 20 to 30 years ago, these recent digital scans and prints are the first time they have been collected for exhibition." - Jeff Burk