Late last year, contemporary art mag Juxtapoz celebrated its 15th Anniversary with a benefit show and auction to raise money for Detroit's Power House Productions, in an effort to buy homes and create an artists' community in Hamtramck. Two houses have already been bought, and word from Juxtapoz is that, in time, two more homes in the area will be purchased and and renovated to "livable standards."
In addition, the magazine is bringing in a gang of six notable artists — Swoon, Ben Wolf, Monica Canilao, RETNA, Saelee Oh and Richard Colman — to the neighborhood to create art installations in the homes and neighborhood, today's press release says, to also "create a reoccurring cycle of artists coming to this Detroit neighborhood to work with PHP. The initiative is to build and develop an artistic community and residency program to promote creativity and participation in the re-imagining of America’s urban neighborhoods."
The art installations started today.
“We are very proud that after our 15th Anniversary Benefit, we are able to see the direct impact the auction made,” says Matt Revelli, editor-in-chief of Juxtapoz. “With the six artists that will be working with Power House for over two weeks, we look forward to starting a legacy of participation and community-building, headed by creative people and artists, that will hopefully start a trend in cities across the country.”
Established and run by Mitch Cope and Gina Reichert, Power House Productions is an incorporated 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to develop and implement neighborhood stabilization strategies in a Detroit neighborhood near Hamtramck. The program focuses on integrating artists’ live-and-work spaces and using art and cultural resources to revitalize the neighborhood.
