February 24, 2021

“Speramus meliora; resurget cineribus.”

Detroit’s motto, which translates from Latin to “We hope for better things; we rise from the ashes”. The motto was inspired by the resilience the city showed after it burned completely to the ground in 1805. Now, over two centuries later, Detroit is commonly mentioned in the same breath as “hope”, “resilience”, and “on the rise”. The city has gone through an abundance of hardships and still has a long way to go in order to recover. But there is a heart in this city and in its people that have kept it beating, so in order to properly honor Detroit's resilience we have to acknowledge the strength inside Detroiters.

In the 1950’s-60’s Detroit was going through some extreme hardships as jobs moved into the suburbs and the city’s citizens experienced blatant racism from the laws and local authorities. The mid 20th century was Detroit’s downward turning point, and what once was the “Paris of the West'' evolved into an industrial wasteland. Despite these deep misfortunes, the soul of the city’s people lived on.

“My art is the medicine for the community, you can’t heal the land until you heal the minds of the people.” -Tyree Guyton

When the city began its economic decline, Tyree Guyton left the city and he joined the armed forces. Upon returning home, Guyton discovered there was a drastic change in his community. The street he lived on had now been littered with garbage and homes that had been abandoned were then vacated by drug dealers. To combat the now seemingly declining area,

Guyton and his grandfather, Sam Mackey, began developing the Heidelberg Project in their east side Detroit neighborhood. Mackey was one of Guyton’s biggest influences for his artistic path, as his grandfather was the one that first handed him a paintbrush as a child. His grandfather’s support led Guyton to study painting and sculpture at Marygrove College and College for Creative Studies. Their goal with creating this community art program was to improve the neighborhood from the inside, out. By repurposing the materials left for waste around the area and painting the buildings bright and inviting colors, the grandfather and grandson duo began to witness the positive influence. Homes that were once used for drug sales now demanded too much attention from passersby than dealers would be comfortable with. Guyton also recognized the importance of community involvement for the project, so he recruited the kids in the neighborhood to help out. By giving students something to be involved in and passionate about, Guyton felt it would keep them busy and out of trouble.

Often when Guyton speaks of his artistic process and goals, there is a deep emphasis on themes on how creativity could invoke feelings of hope in people. The use of items that were once considered trash was not popularized in the mainstream art world, and this approach was heavily influenced by Guyton’s upbringing and his environment. His mother was the sole caretaker of him and his nine siblings. They often bought things from second hand stores since money was tight. The result was a mismatched home, and later, Guyton's draw to repurposing materials into his art and the variety of designs and colors painted upon the houses on Heidelberg. By building on this untraditional aesthetic, Guyton and his community helped put Detroit on the art world’s radar and draw tourists to the city.

Tyree Guyton and the Heidelberg Project nonprofit organization have achieved tremendous success. The homes and sculptures have gained worldwide attention. They have received numerous awards and have had a positive influence on the community. Despite the achievements, the Project has had numerous battles with the city and arsonists which resulted in a few homes being destroyed throughout the process. The hardships it has faced greatly mirrors its own message of resilience, as well as Detroit’s.

As the Heidelberg project will be celebrating its 35th anniversary this year, the focus of Guyton’s art process has evolved throughout the years. The mission of community improvement through art has stayed consistent, but the approach has changed. This phase of the project is determined to spread the story of Heidelberg and Detroit in all their glory and hardships. To do this, the sculptures constructed in the neighborhood have slowly become disassembled and shown in galleries worldwide. By being able to bring the Detroit based project to those that aren’t able to physically visit, the project’s expansion can share how they were able to improve their community from the power of the community itself and tapping into its artistic potential.

“Bicycle Wheels” (Tyree Guyton) was gifted to the university in 2009 by David Zucca. David Zucca is an art collector from Detroit. He was impressed by Detroit’s art scene throughout the Cass Corridor and beyond, so he purchased art from a variety of artists. He wanted to preserve that moment in Detroit's art history. This sculpture, likely made from found wheels by Guyton, was given alongside many other pieces in Zucca’s collection to the University. His reasoning for this was that he believed the art needed to survive and local collections such as ours, the Detroit Institute of art, and University of Michigan’s Art Museum are capable of telling their story.

Written by Shannon Pincheck

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