heidelberg project

via Rosh Sillas Metro Detroit Photographer

This past week I had two students from Germany staying with me, Chrissi and Nadine, who study urban planning and geography respectively. As part of a university trip they were doing, they visited cities on the "Rust Belt," which are very interesting in terms of urban planning (or lack there of). Among them - Detroit. They showed me some photos of this art project/community that they had stumbled upon in the city - Heidelberg Project - and I was immediately fascinated.

The Heidelberg Project was initiated in 1986 by artist Tyree Guyton, his grandfather Sam Mackey and former wife, Karen Guton. Inspired by the tragic effects of the Detroit riots, which have made of Detroit a highly-segretated, poor, and altogether abandoned city, Tyree thought to reinvent vacant houses and lots on his street (Heidelberg) into an outdoor community-focused "art environment." Involving local kids and families from the community in a variety of art projects, the Heidelberg Project has become a model for community revival and using art to keep kids busy, off the streets and stimulated.

Check out the Heidelberg Project site for more photos, info on their 20+ years and some of their current initiatives and accomplishments.

Bit more on Detroit:
Cover story in this week's TIME, "Detroit: The Death - and Possible Life - of a Great City"

Eminem's new video for "Beautiful" has a lot of scenes of vacant/abandoned spaces in Detroit: