The Heidelberg Project

I am sure if you are interested in the arts and are reading this blog, then you are well aware of the Heidelberg Project in Detroit.  If any of you read that sentence and now your head is cocked to one side and your brows are furrowed, I am pleased today is the day you stumbled upon the Heidelberg Project.

Now, I was discussing last week the importance of art within the landscape and I left by saying I would bring you examples of landscape art in my future blogs.  Well, I am a woman of my word, and I am happy to introduce landscape art through the Heidelberg Project.

To give you some background, a man named Tyree Guyton and his Grandfather in 1986 started the Heidelberg Project.  Guyton grew up on Heidelberg Street as a child, experiencing the race riots that devastated the city and left many homes abandoned.  In attempts to turn the neighborhood into something the people in the community could benefit from, Guyton worked with his Grandfather turning the empty homes into his canvas.  Using found materials and paint from the area; he began decorating the urban landscape.  His artwork transformed a deserted area into an arena for art and thought.

By using recycled goods and artistic freedom, Guyton set out what he attempted to do even after his work was bulldozed by the city in 1991 and 1999.  After both of these events, he continued to create artwork on Heidelberg Street.  He brought life back into an area where the light was removed and provided people with hope by using the landscape in a friendly way.

His artwork is a masterpiece in my opinion and marries the idea of art and land quite perfectly.  You can actually find a piece of his artwork in the University of Michigan Museum of Art, but experiencing the project on Heidelberg Street is the best experience of all.