--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When State Way Gardens and The Robert…" description: "\"When State Way Gardens and The Robert Taylor Homes were being torn down, it seemed like a perfect opportunity to use that as a backdrop for the develop..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c0b/kerry-james-marshall-5157_backdrop_when-state-way-gardens-and-the-robert-ta_893471.jpg" --- # When State Way Gardens and The Robert Taylor Homes were… ![“When State Way Gardens and The Robert Taylor Homes were being torn down, it seemed like a perfect opportunity to use that as a backdrop for the development of a super hero narrative.” quote by Kerry James Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c0b/kerry-james-marshall-5157_backdrop_when-state-way-gardens-and-the-robert-ta_893471.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c0b/kerry-james-marshall-5157_backdrop_when-state-way-gardens-and-the-robert-ta_893471.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c0b/kerry-james-marshall-5157_backdrop_when-state-way-gardens-and-the-robert-ta_893471.jpg) > “When State Way Gardens and The Robert Taylor Homes were being torn down, it seemed like a perfect opportunity to use that as a backdrop for the development of a super hero narrative.” [Kerry James Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-james-marshall/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The demolition of public housing was seen as a chance to create a superhero story, reflecting cultural reinterpretation of urban change. **In simple terms:** Using urban decay as a backdrop for hero narratives. Key Takeaway Explore how stories reshape perceptions of place. Themes urban change heroic narrative cultural memory Mood reflective thoughtful Type narrative analytical When to use this quote - community activism - film - graphic novels Key Concepts mythmaking social commentary architecture Questions to Reflect On - What responsibilities do creators have? - How does mythologizing affect real residents? A Different Perspective Stories can oversimplify complex social issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Garden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/garden/) [Hero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hero/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [Narrative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/narrative/) [Opportunity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opportunity/) [Super hero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/super-hero/) ## Related quotes > [Like working families all across the state, we must find a way to make government live within its means.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/like-working-families-all-across-the-state-we-must-find-a-way-to-make/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Every masculine hero narrative I could find I wanted to steal for myself and twist to my size.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-and-the-queens/every-masculine-hero-narrative-i-could-find-i-wanted-to-steal-for/) [Christine and the Queens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-and-the-queens/) > [In other parts of India, be it Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, the villain is celebrated as much as the hero, not only in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikitin-dheer/in-other-parts-of-india-be-it-telugu-tamil-malayalam-kannada-the/) [Nikitin Dheer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikitin-dheer/) > [I think it's really easy to be the altruistic hero of your own narrative and story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/finneas/i-think-it-s-really-easy-to-be-the-altruistic-hero-of-your-own/) [Finneas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/finneas/) > [Just like in the art museum, and notions of beauty and pleasure, if the hero is always a white guy with a squared jaw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-james-marshall/just-like-in-the-art-museum-and-notions-of-beauty-and-pleasure-if-the/) [Kerry James Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-james-marshall/) > [I just thought someone has to figure out how to break through that barrier and create a narrative for a black super hero story…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-james-marshall/i-just-thought-someone-has-to-figure-out-how-to-break-through-that/) [Kerry James Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-james-marshall/) > [This rebuilding of New Orleans gives us the perfect opportunity to see if we're ready to extend the legacy of Dr. King.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wynton-marsalis/this-rebuilding-of-new-orleans-gives-us-the-perfect-opportunity-to/) [Wynton Marsalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wynton-marsalis/) > [“Then why this elaborate abduction? (Lorelei) Why not? I was there, you were there, Lord Pasty Face was there. It seemed like a perfect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kinley-macgregor/then-why-this-elaborate-abduction-lorelei-why-not-i-was-there-you/) [Kinley MacGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kinley-macgregor/) > [Don't spend so much time trying to choose the perfect opportunity, that you miss the right opportunity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dell/don-t-spend-so-much-time-trying-to-choose-the-perfect-opportunity/) [Michael Dell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dell/) > [I feel like with 'On the Town,' it was the perfect production and the perfect opportunity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misty-copeland/i-feel-like-with-on-the-town-it-was-the-perfect-production-and-the/) [Misty Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misty-copeland/) > [I realized that my circumstances, while causing me despair and heartbreak, also held great possibility, if only I could see it. I knew that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzan-lori-parks/i-realized-that-my-circumstances-while-causing-me-despair-and/) [Suzan-Lori Parks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzan-lori-parks/) > [I knew that I was learning one of the most important lessons of my life: that instead of waiting for the perfect opportunity, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzan-lori-parks/i-knew-that-i-was-learning-one-of-the-most-important-lessons-of-my/) [Suzan-Lori Parks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzan-lori-parks/) > [I'm very young. This gives me a perfect opportunity to play for a good team and be close to home, to grow as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddy-adu/i-m-very-young-this-gives-me-a-perfect-opportunity-to-play-for-a-good/) [Freddy Adu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddy-adu/) > [Tax time is the perfect opportunity to jumpstart your spring-cleaning by tackling your financial to-do list.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexa-von-tobel/tax-time-is-the-perfect-opportunity-to-jumpstart-your-spring-cleaning/) [Alexa Von Tobel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexa-von-tobel/) > [This duo inside of me causes the perfect opportunity to live and learn twice as fast as those who choose to accept simplicity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tupac-shakur/this-duo-inside-of-me-causes-the-perfect-opportunity-to-live-and/) [Tupac Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tupac-shakur/) ## More by Kerry James Marshall > [There's nothing more special than intellect and labour that makes painting work. There's no magic there; it's information, and it's work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-james-marshall/there-s-nothing-more-special-than-intellect-and-labour-that-makes/) [Kerry James Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-james-marshall/) > [When art works travel from place to place, what you have is the opportunity to engage with the intellect of another person who has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-james-marshall/when-art-works-travel-from-place-to-place-what-you-have-is-the/) [Kerry James Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-james-marshall/) > [I try to make work about things that matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-james-marshall/i-try-to-make-work-about-things-that-matter/) [Kerry James Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-james-marshall/) > [I stumbled upon Charles White purely by chance while looking through a book 'Great Negroes, Past and Present' in the library at Forty-Ninth Street…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-james-marshall/i-stumbled-upon-charles-white-purely-by-chance-while-looking-through/) [Kerry James Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-james-marshall/) > [The lighter the skin, the more acceptable you are. The darker the skin, the more marginalised you become. I want to demonstrate that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-james-marshall/the-lighter-the-skin-the-more-acceptable-you-are-the-darker-the-skin/) [Kerry James Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-james-marshall/) > [Artwork operates on two different levels: On one level there's artwork as a mode of expressivity, and then there's the other side, where the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-james-marshall/artwork-operates-on-two-different-levels-on-one-level-there-s-artwork/) [Kerry James Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-james-marshall/) > [One of the things I recognized early on, doing whatever studies of black history I have, is that even though black folks were transported…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-james-marshall/one-of-the-things-i-recognized-early-on-doing-whatever-studies-of/) [Kerry James Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-james-marshall/) > [If you walk into any magazine store, I guarantee that nine out of 10 covers will feature white, blonde, blue-eyed, slim women because that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-james-marshall/if-you-walk-into-any-magazine-store-i-guarantee-that-nine-out-of-10/) [Kerry James Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-james-marshall/) > [For black people who are really dark - and a lot of black people were averse to be dark skinned - it was believed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-james-marshall/for-black-people-who-are-really-dark-and-a-lot-of-black-people-were/) [Kerry James Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-james-marshall/) > [Before people outside of the Western European tradition started asking to be in there, the people who were accumulating objects for the museum were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-james-marshall/before-people-outside-of-the-western-european-tradition-started/) [Kerry James Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-james-marshall/) > [What I hope 'Mastry' ends up doing is completely undermining or doing away with the notion that artists are a savant: that they do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-james-marshall/what-i-hope-mastry-ends-up-doing-is-completely-undermining-or-doing/) [Kerry James Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-james-marshall/) > [My dream was always to be in museums. It's a big and important milestone and a fulfillment of one of my primary ambitions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-james-marshall/my-dream-was-always-to-be-in-museums-it-s-a-big-and-important/) [Kerry James Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-james-marshall/) > [ In \[Ralph\] Ellison's case, it's more psychological than it is phenomenal, and it's conditioned by anger, animosity, and lack of desire to engage with… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-james-marshall/in-ralph-ellison-s-case-it-s-more-psychological-than-it-is-phenomenal/) [Kerry James Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-james-marshall/) > [When I started, I was aware of using the black as a rhetorical device. It's understanding that black people come in a wide range…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-james-marshall/when-i-started-i-was-aware-of-using-the-black-as-a-rhetorical-device/) [Kerry James Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-james-marshall/) > [No one has a right to occupy the privileged position all the time, so it should be contested. It should always be messy in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-james-marshall/no-one-has-a-right-to-occupy-the-privileged-position-all-the-time-so/) [Kerry James Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-james-marshall/) [Explore all 103 Kerry James Marshall quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-james-marshall/) ## More Backdrop quotes > [I have the appetite to do different roles that have different backdrops. I'd like to show that there's more to people sitting in cars…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/romany-malco/i-have-the-appetite-to-do-different-roles-that-have-different/) [Romany Malco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/romany-malco/) > [What is Southern California but an ever-changing dreamscape backdrop for the postmodern ideal? The psychology of the postmodern world is the continual state of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-van-hamersveld/what-is-southern-california-but-an-ever-changing-dreamscape-backdrop/) [John Van Hamersveld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-van-hamersveld/) > [There are people who have no engaged conversation with the land whatsoever, no sense of its beauty or extremes or limits and therefore no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-meloy/there-are-people-who-have-no-engaged-conversation-with-the-land/) [Ellen Meloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-meloy/) > [... in the eyes of its visitors, Venice has no reality of its own. Anyone visiting the place has already seen so many pictures…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-boltanski/in-the-eyes-of-its-visitors-venice-has-no-reality-of-its-own-anyone/) [Christian Boltanski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-boltanski/) > [“\*brush, Pattern \*backdrop)     {      ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-feathers/brush-pattern-backdrop/) [Michael C. Feathers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-feathers/) > ['All In' is like the Giants motto, so I kind of took that, and I kind of used New York as the backdrop -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travie-mccoy/all-in-is-like-the-giants-motto-so-i-kind-of-took-that-and-i-kind-of/) [Travie McCoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travie-mccoy/) > [When I was about five my dad built a stage for me in our basement. A full stage, with a curtain, a backdrop and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-reubens/when-i-was-about-five-my-dad-built-a-stage-for-me-in-our-basement-a/) [Paul Reubens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-reubens/) > [We try to place the human body in relation to the image all the time, so it's never a kind of a backdrop, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/we-try-to-place-the-human-body-in-relation-to-the-image-all-the-time/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) > ['Rocky' is a movie that just happens to be about boxing. It's really about characters and story lines and relationships and all those things,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/triple-h/rocky-is-a-movie-that-just-happens-to-be-about-boxing-it-s-really/) [Triple H](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/triple-h/) > [It's always more interesting to make a movie about what is relevant in your society. What's the political global backdrop? What are our threats?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-butler/it-s-always-more-interesting-to-make-a-movie-about-what-is-relevant/) [Gerard Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-butler/) > [Beautifully written, intensely passionate and gripping, FALLEN grabbed me from the first sentence and didn’t let go. Its eerie future world and frightening mores…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linnea-sinclair/beautifully-written-intensely-passionate-and-gripping-fallen-grabbed/) [Linnea Sinclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linnea-sinclair/) > [I've read pretty broadly on the Holocaust - both fiction and non-fiction - and to me, 'The Lost Wife' is one of the best.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-weisberger/i-ve-read-pretty-broadly-on-the-holocaust-both-fiction-and-non/) [Lauren Weisberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-weisberger/) > [Ultimately, users visit your website for its content. Everything else is just the backdrop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jakob-nielsen/ultimately-users-visit-your-website-for-its-content-everything-else/) [Jakob Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jakob-nielsen/) > [The worst violence we can do to each other often is psychological, especially in families. I dwell a lot on domestic danger. Thats the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-unger/the-worst-violence-we-can-do-to-each-other-often-is-psychological/) [Lisa Unger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-unger/) > [... in the movies Paris is designed as a backdrop for only three things--love, fashion shows, and revolution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanine-basinger/in-the-movies-paris-is-designed-as-a-backdrop-for-only-three-things/) [Jeanine Basinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanine-basinger/) Browse all 106 Backdrop quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When State Way Gardens and The Robert Taylor Homes were being torn down, it seemed like a perfect opportunity to use that as a backdrop for the development of a super hero narrative.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kerry James Marshall" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-james-marshall/when-state-way-gardens-and-the-robert-taylor-homes-were-being-torn/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Backdrop" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-james-marshall/when-state-way-gardens-and-the-robert-taylor-homes-were-being-torn/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c0b/kerry-james-marshall-5157_backdrop_when-state-way-gardens-and-the-robert-ta_893471.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c0b/kerry-james-marshall-5157_backdrop_when-state-way-gardens-and-the-robert-ta_893471.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c0b/kerry-james-marshall-5157_backdrop_when-state-way-gardens-and-the-robert-ta_893471.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When State Way Gardens and The Robert Taylor Homes were being torn down, it seemed like a perfect…” — Kerry James Marshall", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Kerry James Marshall", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-james-marshall/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When State Way Gardens and The...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-james-marshall/when-state-way-gardens-and-the-robert-taylor-homes-were-being-torn/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-james-marshall/when-state-way-gardens-and-the-robert-taylor-homes-were-being-torn/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```