Who knows a neighborhood best? The people who actually live and work there. That’s why our public art projects involve so many local conversations, dialogue, and research. Civic art resonates most deeply when it “fits” – by reflecting people’s history, character, ethnicities, challenges, dreams, and sense of place.
A great case in point is the dynamic “Growing A Brighter Tomorrow” mural that our team completed this month in Southwest Detroit. The images within it are all touchstones for the people of historic “Mexicantown” (the Hubbard Richard neighborhood). Local artist Vito Valdez assisted with the community engagement to gather ideas, which then were interpreted by our lead artist Rahmaan Statik in a mural at Matrix Theater Company. The project includes an adjacent painted playscape, at the Ford Resource and Engagement Center, which we designed as sensory path. It forms the shape of a colorful snake that encourages children to get healthy exercise as they “stomp” the letters of the alphabet. Together they uplift the neighborhood and fulfill the mission of the KaBOOM! Play Everywhere Challenge Grant that we obtained to fund the project.
Watch a two-minute video of this project (which we managed virtually from Houston) here.
