Russell Bazaar

Detroit is full of empty factories.  The exodus of manufacturing from Detroit that began in the 1950's was in part due to the lack of space for new factories.  Suburbs and other states offered free land to companies that would build new factories outside the city rather than rehabing old ones.

The Russell Industrial Center, finished in 1925 made auto bodies, then later became a hub for printers then abandoned.  History

In 2003 It was purchased.  Now it is the Russell Arts Bazaar.  For around thirty dollars a week you can rent a stall to sell whatever you want.  And people sell all sorts of things.  Clothing-used, new, designed by the seller, computers for 200$, furniture, music, food.  There's a dollar cafe where everything is a dollar.  The sandwiches aren't half bad.  There's a guy who sells fruit, and someone who sells water bottles, and several jewelry stores.  There's also a shop devoted to selling conspiracy theory DVD's including all 5 episodes of "A Damn Shame".  On the weekends the place is hopping.  They have an art gallery with regular shows.  The next one is by a well known graffiti artist in the area.  Every first weekend of the month there is an art fair (apparently some months are better than others).  They have open mic night a couple times a week, and then there's the exhibition hall--on Saturday when we went down there they were setting up for a "professional wrestling match"  I couldn't convince Age and MJ to stay for the fun.  It was only 5$ a ticket for front row seats.  

Then aside from the bazaar there are great arts events.  Like the Michigan Hot Glass Workshop.  We haven't been yet, but it's in the plan.  The great thing about an old, big, factory is that there is so much space, you can fit all sorts of small businesses into it. Like The Highway Press.

The Heidelberg Project (#14)

The Heidelberg Project is one of the most visited sites in Detroit.  Tour buses roll by on a regular basis.  In 1986 this guy named Tyree Guyton got fed up with his neighborhood and sick of waiting for the government to clean it up.  In 1986 the neighborhood was just another example of Detroit's broken social structure dominated by crack houses and prostitution.  So Guyton got neighborhood kids and his family together and started cleaning uop the neighborhood.  They made big piles of trash...then he turned it into a giant piece of instalation art.  He started with polkadots...and painted an entire block of trash heaps wih bright colors...then he moved on to other works.  In 1991 and again in 1999 the city of Detroit demolished part of the project...it seems that certain mayors are more sensitive to criticism than others. 

Guyton's work has been featured in museums around the world over the last 10-15 years, and his movement is increasingly recognized as one of the landmarks of Detroit...something like 300,000 people visit it a year.

                               Weapons of Mass Destruction

The stuffed animal house

The Doors

I thought the mission statement and vision statement were worth reading...ambitious.

The Heidelberg Project is a Detroit-based community organization designed to improve lives and neighborhoods through art.

The Heidelberg Project envisions neighborhood residents using art to come together to rebuild the structure and fabric of under-resourced communities and to create a way of living that is economically viable, enriches lives, and welcomes all people.

Death Camels