“The
mission of Artist Village and Public Art Workz (P.A.W.Z.) is to create bold,
innovative community redevelopment projects that use the arts, culture,
creativity and innovation, as a catalyst for reinventing and revitalizing the
communities of Old Redford and Northwest Detroit, Michigan, into a multi
discipline, arts, education, entertainment and cultural community.” [1]
Detroit’s
Artist Village and Public Art Workz are non-profit art organizations that
partner with other Detroit organizations, local coffee shops and the community
of Detroit. Blight Busters is the founding organization that created Artists
Village and Public Art Workz. Motor City Blight Busters was established with
the vision to help clean up Detroit and create respectable, decent
neighborhoods that have been neglected for decades. Their projects involve
tearing down old abandoned houses with the intent to rebuild a better
community. Blight Busters then believed that the city needed beautifying and
established Artists Village and Public Art Workz to bring poetry, spoken word
and singing to different coffee shops and murals to the walls and buildings of
a run down Detroit. Whether tearing down, building up or fostering creative
expression, it is all done with the same goal in mind – to stabilize and
revitalize the city of Detroit. Blight Busters was fabricated and successful
because they have found people that have to the heart, the talent, spirit and
attitude to recreate a better Detroit and Blight Busters empowers volunteers to
cultivate their own passions. Empowering volunteers and people of the community
to do what they do best, results in getting the best out of them, without
having to encourage them everyday because ultimately it is their passion.
One of the projects the
Blight Busters has acquired was taking a historic half mile long wall, built
during the 1940’s in Detroit’s west side on 8 mile -- a wall that has a racist
past but nevertheless, a wall that native’s felt is an important part of Detroit’s
history. The wall was created by a white builder to separate a white
subdivision from a black neighborhood. Instead of tearing it down locals have
advocated to beautify the wall with the hopes of bringing awareness to Detroit’s
history and culture, primarily turning something that was negative into a
positive; while, healing the community and bringing people together. What makes
the Motor City Blight Busters even more amazing is that all of their work is
done through donations, volunteers and community involvement.
Through
community involvement and the belief that it takes a village to change and
enhance a major city, noticeable transformations have occurred and I think
Detroit has the arts to thank for that. These organizations have established a
coffee shop culture, sometimes more commonly known as the café culture (a
lifestyle characterized by individuals that socialize regularly in cafes and
subsequently enjoy different artistic expressions) throughout the city of
Detroit. Along with the arts these
organizations promote chess and house chess camps in the Artists Village –
believing that chess provides strategic thought preparing its players to think
ahead. They have established a broader awareness to Detroit’s overall history
and instilled a new found sense of pride for the residences of Detroit. Cultivating,
nurturing and inspiring art, artistic expression, and art education to rebuild,
rejuvenate and restore a quintessential Detroit.
[1] Davis, Becks. "The Colorful Artist
Village in Detroit - Detroit Moxie - ." Detroit Moxie - .
Curve Detroit, 15 Aug. 2010. Web. 28 Jan. 2013. <http://www.detroitmoxie.com/home/2010/8/15/the-colorful-artist-village-in-detroit.html>.
As a citizen of Detroit, I couldn't be more elated to have stumbled upon this blog post. The writer seems to be more than in touch with the current educational/cultural climate in Detroit. Blight Busters and Public Art Workz have done and continue to do great things for our fine city! Thanks for making this known to those that aren't here to see it for themselves.
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