The Heidelberg Project

The Heidelberg Project is monumentally important to Detroit art, and arguably one of the most unique outdoor art exhibits in the world.  According to The Heidelberg Project website, it began in 1986 when artist Tyree Guyton returned to the street of his childhood, Heidelberg, and found it in ruins.  Houses were falling apart, residents were on drugs, and it looked as though a bomb had been dropped.  Since the riots of the 1960s, the East Side of Detroit had become a realm of impoverishment, addiction, violence and death.  Guyton, his grandfather and neighborhood children decided to make art a solution to the neighborhood's problems.  According to the website, they "began by cleaning up vacant lots on Heidelberg Street. From the refuse they collected, Guyton transformed the street into a massive art environment. Vacant lots literally became 'lots of art' and abandoned houses became 'gigantic art sculptures.' Guyton not only transformed vacant houses and lots, he integrated the street, sidewalks and trees into his mammoth installation and called the work, the Heidelberg Project" (The Heidelberg Project).  He continues to build onto this massive exhibit, insisting that art is medicine and that three decades plus of "renewing the human spirit can now successfully translate into rebuilding the community" (The Heidelberg Project).

One issue that The Heidelberg Project website does not address is that much of the project has been destroyed over the years, by the city of Detroit, vandals and arsonists.  The city has gone in without warning to bulldoze many of Guyton's sculptures, including "The Baby Dollhouse,"  "Your World," "Happy Feet," and "The Canfield House."  Arson claimed "Obstruction of Justice" and several other works in 2013.  The arsonist has still not been brought to justice.  In 2014, The Heidelberg Project faced further vandalism.

While The Heidelberg Project may not stand in its total splendor, it continues to be a monument in Detroit, drawing in countless tourists, artists and art patrons through the years.  It brightens and heals a community once shrouded in dank poverty and pain. 

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Works Cited

“Heidelberg Project.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 17 Feb. 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki

     /Heidelberg_Project.  

“History.” The Heidelberg Project, www.heidelberg.org/history/.