Event + photo tour: Detroit’s Heidelberg Project — Friday April 12 7PM @ U of T free

WHAT: A talk by Jennene Whitfield, Executive Director of the Heidelberg Project

WHERE: U of T Arts Centre (In University College, next door to Hart House)

WHEN: Friday, April 12, 7PM – 9:30PM (Facebook event here)

HOW MUCH: Free

On Friday Jennene Whitfield, the ED of the fantastic Heidelberg Project, will be speaking at UTAC at University College, and we at Spacing are pleased to help spread the word. I’ll be leading a Q & A afterwards. Growing up in Windsor we would often head over to Detroit to explore the city, visit friends, and see shows. Heidelberg was and is a frequent stop. For 27 years now artist Tyree Guyton has been working on Detroit’s Heidelberg Street, transforming abandoned houses into works of art using found objects and bold colours. I took these pictures last May when there on a visit. As you can see, not just the homes, but the entire neighbourhood is transformed, and it changes with each visit as new things appear.

For years people have been coming to Detroit from around the world to see Guyton’s work, though only recently has the City of Detroit stopped trying to end the project. In the past, bulldozers have destroyed some of the art-houses. Now Heidelberg is seen as a way to grapple with what has happened in Detroit, and how to think and talk about shrinking cities and the the cultural and political forces that created Detroit today. The US State Department is even sponsoring Whitfield’s trip. Come out an hear her talk, then go visit for yourself.