The Rebirthing of Detroit

I was at a fabulous neighborhood pizzeria, Union, when the owner, Steve, began talking about Detroit with such passion that it resulted in a weekend visit. The city is a sight to behold. You can feel the former grandeur with its 8 lane boulevards crossing much of the city which was once  the former car capital of the world. The museums, especially the Detroit Institute of Arts was worth the trip alone. The Diego Rivera mural was breathtaking, as were the other collections.

I was so impressed with the energy that is being invested in the city neighborhoods by the residents and found out via Krista Tippett's public radio show, On Being, that they have over 16000 community gardens that have sprouted up all over the city. The podcast on "Becoming Detroit" can be found HERE.

And then there was the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit which had this light show by Joshua White and Gary Panter. I couldn't resist taking this image which reminded me of a Edward Hopper painting.  

...and then found this card there that connects Detroit and New Orleans!

On what felt like a scavenger hunt to find the Detroit Center for Contemporary Photography, I landed these 2 pictures which made the search worth it. The organization must be in its infancy because it was very difficult to locate online and in real time. Once I found it, the space was locked.

And then there  is the amazing Heidelberg project, a 3 block art installation by Tyree Guyton in its 25th year. I posted on this before and you can read about it HERE.

The rest of the photographs were all taken at the Heidelberg project.

 There is so much more to discover in Detroit. It is a city that is coming out of the ashes.       There is a lot of innovation which will redefine the city. 

"Never doubt that a small group of dedicated citizens can CHANGE THE WORLD. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."
---Margaret Mead