The Heidelberg Project

Detroit artist Tyree Guyton took a look around his neighborhood and was unhappy with what he saw. So he decided to do something about it. The Heidelberg Project, a public art display exploding across Heidelberg Street in eastern Detroit, is the result. The outdoor community art project draws from recycled material and found objects to pose questions about urban development and other social issues to viewers and visitors. The controversial installations have been razed by authorities twice; today, the Heidelberg shop tells the history of the project and its goals through guidebooks, DVDs, and other merch.

I know that most people think little of Detroit, Michigan as a getaway destination, but it was during a brief visit to the city that I learned of the Heidelberg Project, an outdoor folk art installation that brings purpose and life to a few urban blocks on the city’s Eastside. With much of the city decaying from years of neglect, the Heidelberg Project symbolizes hope and brings many to its streets from all around the world. This 25-year-old art project and the work of artist Tyree Guyton has gained global recognition and proves to be an example of how creativity and art can encourage hope in a less-than-hopeful situation.

From The Heidelberg Project brochure: In 1967, a 12-year-old Tyree Guyton watched his city burn. In the aftermatch of the Detroit riots, thriving communities rapidly became segregated urban ghettos characterized by poverty, neglect and despair. In 1986, Guyton took a stand against the decay, crime and apathy in the neighborhood where he was raised. Using discarded objects from everyday life, he created a festival of color and meaning that has been described as a “Ghetto Guggenheim”. Using vacant lots and abandoned houses as his canvas, he transformed an entire block into a world-famous outdoor art environment and a thought-provoking statement on the plights of inner city communities. Why I Love Traveling to Detroit: http://bit.ly/11SGk30