Executive Committee Meeting 10-15-24

President's Report

Page 89 of 95

ART IN THE STREETS

Art in the Streets Museums, galleries, installations, walls, building facades: in Detroit,

cities have chosen to incorporate the practice in their urban development, turning it into a tool for reconciliation and gentrification; street art is spreading in large cities, for better or for worse. From Graffiti to Street Art In Detroit, the movement found fertile soil. The low cost of living and the slump in real estate attracted artists seeking space to express themselves. From the 1970s, economic decline had emptied the city of its inhabitants, leaving thousands of buildings abandoned. Initially uncontrolled, the walls were transformed into places of visual experimentation, before being adopted by the city, which initiated official commissioning programs and turned the wastelands into now legendary sanctuaries.

art is everywhere, especially in places where you'd least expect it! Endowed with the Detroit Institute of Arts, the country’s sixth-largest art gallery, the city is also one of the US’s major creative hubs for street artists. Dawn of a New Movement Graffiti emerged in New York and Philadelphia in the late 1960s. Anti-establishment and illegal, it developed in neglected urban areas connected by public transport, including subway lines, covered in colorful and explosive tags from one end of the city to the other. In the 1980s, the phenomenon became more widespread, incorporating other forms of expression such as stencils or larger-format, more spectacular wall paintings. Instead of punishing graffiti artists and erasing their works, some

148

149

T-I/Shutterstock

On the Dequindre Cut Art Walk, a fresco depicting a cyclist, by artist Alex Senna.

A Big Open-Air Museum Diego Rivera, Detroit’s leading muralist and creator of the famous murals at the Detroit Institute of Arts, would no doubt be delighted to see the art bursting out of the museums and taking hold in Motor City. Projects such as The Z car park and The Belt alley, the art walks created by Street Art for Mankind , and the Eastern Market district are all dedicated to street art. Along the city's main thoroughfares, various initiatives are blooming, such as the BLKOUT Walls Festival on Woodward Ave (Midtown), the Yard Graffiti Museum , an open-air gallery on Southwest Greenway that leads from Riverfront to Corktown,

the works along the Dequindre Cut Art Walk , and the Lincoln Street Art Park , just north of Midtown, a vast sculpture garden and alfresco gallery. Not to mention the countless art galleries around the city. From yesterday’s decay and abandonment has today emerged a revitalized city that is literally teeming with urban art. Visiting Detroit is thus a truly special experience, full of surprises, because it’s a form of artistic expression that is, by its very nature, often ephemeral...

The Religion of Art New to the vibrant artistic landscape of Detroit, The Shepherd opened in May 2024. Located in the East Village district, this center is ensconced inside a Romanesque Revival church built in the 1910s and has been transformed into an exhibition venue and library. There is also a sculpture garden dedicated to artist Charles McGee (1924–2021), a major figure on the local art scene, with several murals and installations throughout the city, including around the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History. The Shepherd Garden offers a bed & breakfast set up in the presbytery, while in the vicinity there are a cafe, retail sites, and a skateboarding park to attract the public. This initiative was the brainchild of JJ and Anthony Curis, the entrepreneurs behind Library Street Collective and The Belt ( T p. 26) as well. The Shepherd - 1265 Parkview St - lscgallery.com/the-shepherd