The power of Detroit's unparalleled creativity has brought fresh life to the city this past month, with two recent mural festivals that added vibrancy and color to previously semi-bland walls.
Collectively, BLKOUT Walls and Murals in Islandview added around 50 new pieces of art to walls in the city for Detroiters to view.
BLKOUT Walls, created in 2021 by Detroit painter Sydney G. James, happened from Sept. 7-17. The event featured many artists of color from the city of Detroit, as well as an international expansion this year with Mohammed Awudu from Ghana and Jamaican artist Taj Francis. The area the festival covered also grew, with paintings stretching down Woodward Avenue from Midtown to Highland Park.
James told Metro Times that she created BLKOUT Walls after being frustrated that she was the only Black artist who was a part of Murals in the Market for its first few years.
As for Murals in the Market, that festival began in 2015 and expanded with the Small Business Mural Project in 2017 to create murals beyond the Eastern Market. This year, the festival transitioned into Murals in Islandview and now features many artists of color in its large lineup.
The week-long event, facilitated by contemporary art company 1XRUN, ran from Sept. 26-31, featuring programming such as panels and a closing block party. All of the Murals in Islandview pieces are located at the DTE Islandview Substation on Beaufait St. between Charlevoix and E. Vernor, right next to Spot Lite Detroit.
If you're looking for a fun activity before it gets too cold, you could take a drive around the city and view these new works of art up close and personal. We've included the names of each of the artists, as well as an address that will point you in the right direction to see the murals yourself.
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