RQ Vol. 5 // Issue 2 // RUST

Is the Rustbelt being reborn or does it continue to decline? What is rust as a color, a metaphor, or as a chemical reaction and process? Why is entropy so inviolable a force in the universe? Is rust necessary to grind the gears of our increasingly mechanistic society to a halt, so that we can create a more humane future? INSIDE: Editor-in-Chief Heather Shayne Blakeslee on the existential dimensions of what we owe each other // Old factories get new life in a report by Contributing Editor Diana Lu featuring MIO designs // We explore the Amtrak Capitol Limited line for a tour of the Rust Belt, and Adam Crawford’s art installation ‘Euphonic & Chromatic Drift’ at 30th Street Station // Writer and photographer Ildi Tillmann explores the Sikh community via one woman’s journey from Afghanistan to Pennsylvania and beyond // Documentary photographer Anthony Karen shares his thoughts on his work with white supremacists // Daryll Davis on why we need Raceaholics Anonymous // Editor Matthew Burdette goes in-depth on religion in America in ‘The Integrity of Structures and of Men’ // Filmmaker, photographer, and cover artist Roberto Quezada-Dardon finds unexpected beauty on the banks of Lake Erie // A look at Seth D. Kaplan’s book Fragile Neighborhoods via a trip to Amish Country // The apropos poem ‘The Smokestack’ from Poetry Editor Joshua Mehigan // Artist Janos Korodi reimagines Philadelphia’s rusty tanks as vessels of beauty and community // Managing Editor Lauren Leonard reports on why we need more people in the trades // Mover and mechanic Miles Coulahan reflects on people and place and the move from Rockford, IL, to Philadelphia, PA // A spotlight on featured Rust artist Jeremy Blakeslee’s work documenting America’s industrial past