Detroit’s artistic side
Bright lights, big city: An evening view of downtown Detroit from Woodward Avenue. Think you know the city? Think again. Slip under the radar, and you might be surprised by the secrets you uncover, including a city experiencing a rebirth at the hands of its artists. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
An artist works on a piece inside a studio at the Russell Industrial Center in Detroit. At its height in the 1940s, the huge plant produced auto bodies and airplane parts. Now, it’s home to painters, sculptors, photographers, glass blowers, print makers, furniture builders and more. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
A pianist tickles the ivories at Café DMongo’s, a speak-easy that has reopened thanks to downtown Detroit’s growing revitalization. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
Musical memorabilia decorates a wall at Café DMongo’s in downtown Detroit. Amid the vintage ‘80s décor, hipsters sip Detroit Browns and other cocktails as they dig into their barbecue dinners. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
A sculptural piece decorates the grounds of Detroit’s College for Creative Studies. The campus sculpture park boasts pieces by Richard Serra, Alexander Calder and other 20th century luminaries. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
Art student Kate Daugtherill slides down a fountain outside the Detroit Institute of Arts. Among the treasures in the 658,000-square-foot museum are
Shadows add interesting texture to the courtyard of the Detroit Institute of Arts, which was founded in 1885 and reopened in 2010 after a five-year renovation. The place is huge and includes collections of contemporary and African American art. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
A couple enjoys the view at the Detroit Institute of Arts, which is part of the Michigan city’s rebirth as a hub for artists. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
A mural decorates the side of a building in Detroit. Cheap rents and an urban pioneering spirit are attracting young artists, along with new restaurants, nightspots and even urban farms. It’s still the early days, but change is palpable. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
Detroit’s Heidelberg Street is dotted with, well, dots. It’s the work of Tyree Guyton, who has turned his childhood neighborhood into a blocklong art installation that attracts more than 300,000 visitors annually. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
Stuffed animals seem to have taken over a house on Detroit’s Heidelberg Street, part of artist Tyree Guyton’s Heidelberg Project to revitalize his childhood street. “A lot of people think you have to go to New York to make it,” he said. “I’m saying I can make it right here, and I will. Watch me. I’m just getting started.” (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
Teresa Rogers captures Tyree Guyton’s Heidelberg Project for posterity. In addition to the multicolored giant dots festooning a house and cars and the stuffed animal house, clocks hang on trees and repainted advertising posters line old fencing in the Detroit neighborhood. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
