Sundays in the D: The Heidelberg Project
Since most of you don’t live in Detroit and I’m guessing couldn’t be paid to visit, I thought I’d give you glimpse of the things that I love about the city.
Yes, I know it doesn’t look like much, but us Michiganders have an incredible amount of pride for our state no matter how terrible things get. I’d rather stay and be part of the change than run away to a city that’s got it all together. What’s the fun in that?
The Heidelberg Project, bearing the name of the street on which it exists, was started in 1986 by Tyree Guyton. Armed with a paintbrush, a broom, and neighborhood children, Guyton, along with his grandfather and former wife, began by cleaning up vacant lots. From the refuse they collected, Guyton began to transform the street into a massive art environment. Vacant lots literally became “lots of art” and abandoned houses became “gigantic art sculptures.” Today the Heidelberg Project is recognized as one of the most influential art environments in the world.
You can read about their projects at http://heidelbergproject.blogspot.com/
Comments (4)
allthewine – lovely to meet you!
oh and um, I love this feature. “Say nice things about Detroit!”
I have never seen such a thing. That’s pretty awesome.
you know i went to college and worked in the D for over 5 years and i’ve never seen the The Heidelberg Project in person…how sad is that? it’s been on my list. i agree with you i’d rather stay and be part of the change than leave. in the summer michigan is a beautiful state!