But I am optimistic that Detroit has a positive future and the Heidelberg Project is a sign of positivity here. The organization's tagline "Changing lives through art since 1986" is visible on the roads, buildings, fences, homes, and hearts of those involved.
The best description of the Project is from the website..."The Heidelberg Project offers a forum for ideas, a seed of hope, and a bright vision for the future. It's about taking a stand to save forgotten neighborhoods. It's about helping people think outside the box and it's about offering solutions. It's about healing communities through art - and it's working!"
I first heard about this project last fall when we first moved to the Detroit area. At that time I visited the colorful street in the late evening and never got out of the car, just slowly driving with the windows rolled up and the doors securely locked. I was very new to Detroit, very much aware of the stereotypes, and informed of the activity in the news. I can't say that I wasn't afraid and my fear was a wall that prevented me from having a full understanding of the Heidelberg Project's message. I was a stereotype, a white, middle class individual from the suburbs coming to Detroit to take something, to say that I had been to the Heidelberg Project, without respecting the project for the hope that it provides for the residents of Detroit. The people that don't drive away in their nice car and leave the city to return to the comforts and luxuries of suburbia. The suburbia that wouldn't be here if it wasn't for the once grand city of Detroit. The suburbia that resulted from people abandoning the city.
This past weekend, I returned to the Heidelberg Project with a new outlook. This time, I parked on the side of Heidelberg street painted with wonderful large colorful polka dots. I got out of the car to explore this reality of Detroit. I allowed myself to absorb the artist's message and try to understand the pain, suffering, and joy in the neighborhood.
**Art is a form of communication between an artist and the viewer, but it is a one way communication. The following opinions are my interpretations of the artistic message of the Heidelberg Project, not necessarily the message that the artist intended to convey. You have the right to your own opinions of course and my statements are not intended to offend anyone.
I parked in front of the "People's House" a.k.a. "Dotty Wotty". This house makes me smile and I love the color and vibrancy it brings to the street. There was a small child sitting on the porch with grandma that smiled, waved, and repeated hello. His presence completed the image for me of youth, energy, and fun represented by the bright colors. Various different colors and sizes, but all circles nonetheless.
The house next door is also colorful but sends a different message. This house is the "Number House", a white house painted with large colorful numbers. The news is filled with numbers about Detroit...78,000 abandoned buildings, 706,585 residents, 15,263 violent crimes annually, $18 Billion in debt. But this city is more than numbers. You can't use numbers to describe hope, a helping hand, or a smile.
Numbers don't convey pain and suffering either. I walked down the street to the next house and noticed the tree on the sidewalk first. It was black, charred, and smelled burnt. I saw the house, or the foundation that was left of it next, as I turned around and could practically feel the heat. This used to be the "OJ" or "Obstruction of Justice" house. The house first burned in a suspicious fire in May and everything but the front of the house was destroyed. You can read about how people came together to clean up the damage here. The remains became an art project, that was again set ablaze by the same young man in October. The foundation is now decorated by mostly children's toys.
Numbers don't convey pain and suffering either. I walked down the street to the next house and noticed the tree on the sidewalk first. It was black, charred, and smelled burnt. I saw the house, or the foundation that was left of it next, as I turned around and could practically feel the heat. This used to be the "OJ" or "Obstruction of Justice" house. The house first burned in a suspicious fire in May and everything but the front of the house was destroyed. You can read about how people came together to clean up the damage here. The remains became an art project, that was again set ablaze by the same young man in October. The foundation is now decorated by mostly children's toys.
The toys look recently abandoned, displayed in a way that makes the viewer think they were played with just yesterday by smiling happy children. The children whose bright futures were lost in a fire. Or maybe the children who will continue to play despite the fire.
The organization released an official statement after the fire in October, in which they have a message for the young man responsible for the damage..."We want you to know that we understand your pain. We realize that all you’ve grown to know is destruction and that you see no way out. This is precisely why we are here. Our work is not about tangible “things,” it is about the Power of the Human Spirit. We recognize that there is a fire in you and we are here not to extinguish it, but to offer you a better reason to fuel it. Though you have tried, you cannot destroy the Heidelberg Project; it’s bigger than all of us now. Instead, we invite you to join our family in creating a better neighborhood, a better Detroit, if not for anyone else than for yourself. As Tyree has said, “If you believe, you can change it…” We believe."
These are just a few of the images from the city block of color and art. I would encourage everyone to visit the Heidelberg Project. I encourage you to park on the street, get out of your car, and walk around the homes and yards here. Be open to the concepts and images the artist is conveying. This is hope in a city that needs it!
