THE HEIDELBERG PROJECT 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

THE HEIDELBERG PROJECT
2011 ANNUAL REPORT
Celebrating 25 Years of Art & Community!
DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE
Dear Friends,
I write to you during my visit with Tyree in the beautiful city of Basel, Switzerland. However, I find
that my heart is in Detroit as I listen to people all over Europe express concern and interest about
our city. Some excited by our burgeoning art scene, others concerned about our economy. But one
thing is clear from all our conversations:
Historically our city is known worldwide for originality and the power of the human spirit.
Through the toughest of times, Detroiters continue to look for ways to rebuild, from our river front
to a number of community arts organizations, founded right here in the D, that are taking their
place in the national and international spotlight.
The Heidelberg Project (HP) is no exception! While 2011 was a difficult year for our community, we came together
with volunteers, supporters, and guests, to celebrate our 25th anniversary. Please take a moment to read about our
programs in this report, like the Art, Community & Environmental Education (ACE2) Program we bring to Detroit-area
schools that doubled its number of students participating this year, or the exciting evolution of our community art
center, the House That Makes Sense Center, with its unique design inspired by the HP concepts of reuse and
creativity.
But we are also excited by the unique, one-of-a-kind events inspired by our 25th anniversary year. They
demonstrated the Detroit spunk not only to survive in these times, but to thrive! Here’s a quick snapshot:
A year-long retrospective exhibition at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History—held over by
popular demand
Legendary jazz trumpeter Marcus Belgrave and Grammy award-winning guitarist Anthony Wilson compose The
Heidelberg Suite sponsored by the Fred A. & Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation
The Suite, performed by the composers with the Detroit All-Star Jazz Orchestra, brought many people together to
celebrate the creativity in Detroit and to wish bon voyage to Tyree as he embarked on his year-long residency in
Basel, Switzerland
The international release of the children’s book Magic Trash recognized by the Smithsonian as “recommended
reading” and a 2012 Michigan Notable Book
As we enter our 26th year, we deepen our commitment to our community, to our ideals and to exemplary art in
Detroit. We have a new word, HEIDELBERGOLOGY, to look up to, that defines what we do: The study of artistic
materials (i.e., discarded objects) incorporated into the fabric and landscape of an urban community and the effects on
that community.
Join us as we build a stronger community, a stronger city and a stronger legacy! In the end we keep Detroit’s legacy
alive— a city of Originality!
With best wishes,
Jenenne Whitfield
One of the early HP houses undergoing demolition in 1991
(left)...the Obstruction of Justice “OJ” House in 2011 (above).
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BOARD AND STAFF
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
STAFF
Tyree Guyton, Founder
Honorary Director, Heidelberg Project
Jenenne Whitfield, Executive Director
Sharon Luckerman, Development Director
Jenenne Whitfield
Executive Director, Heidelberg Project
Laura Bassett, Board President
Attorney, Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone PLC
Michelle Figurski, Executive Assistant
Amanda Sansoterra, Emerging Artist Program Director
Milana Duthie, ACE2 Program Coordinator
Deanna Dixon, Board Secretary
Senior Corporate Counsel, PulteGroup Inc.
Kellie Goines, Board Treasurer
Associate, Plante & Moran, PLLC
Trista Dymond, Site Development Coordinator
Jessica Williams, YAH Project Coordinator
Lisa Rodriguez, Curator-in-Residence
Tim Burke, Ad Hoc Director
Artist, Detroit Industrial Gallery
Emerging Artist Director
and Volunteer Coordinator
Amanda Sansoterra and
HP Executive Assistant
Michelle Figurski at a June
2011 parlor party held at
the HP studio.
Richard Bone, Board Vice President
President, Bone Asset Management
Anthony Curis
Vice President, Curis Enterprises
Judy Miller
Partner, Jaffe, Raitt, Heuer & Weiss, P.C.
Michael Moore
Consultant, Gmac & Associates
Daphne Ntiri
Professor, Wayne State University, Africana Studies
Michael Poris
Principal, McIntosh Poris Associates
Andy Sturm
Creative Director, RAD
Mission & Vision
The Heidelberg Project is a Detroit-based community organization
designed to improve the lives of people and neighborhoods through
art. Our mission is to inspire people to appreciate and use artistic
expression to enrich their lives and to improve the social and
economic health of their greater community.
The theory of change for the Heidelberg Project (HP) begins with the
belief that all citizens, from all cultures, have the right to grow and
flourish in their communities. The HP believes that a community can
redevelop and sustain itself, from the inside out, by embracing its
diverse cultures and artistic attributes as the essential building blocks
for a fulfilling and economically viable way of life.
Executive Director Jenenne Whitfield with artists David Philpot and Marsha Cusic at the 2011 Fundraiser “Jazzy Nights” in
December; former Board President Randal Cole and Board Treasurer Kellie Goines at a June parlor party at the HP studio; HP
community member Steve Snead on-site during Family Fun Day in June.
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PROGRAMS
Art, Community & Environmental Education (ACE2)
Inspiring students throughout Detroit, the HP ACE2 program doubled in 2011, now
serving over 200 third-graders at three Detroit Schools. Before Tyree left for
Switzerland in October 2011, ACE2 students had the opportunity to meet him up close
and personal in his studio. Once settled at his residence in Basel, he connected with
students via Skype online. What a surprise for our students to see an artist from their
community living in Europe!
Our program also included weekly lessons with trained ACE2 docents who
studied the principles of the HP, that is, how we can creatively take
responsibility for our community, our home and our schools. The docents,
who tripled in number since the first year, are trained by HP staff to teach the
ACE2 classes and give tours on Heidelberg Street.
“ACE2 has taught the students how they can recycle and reuse
materials to create inspirational art and made them aware that they
should never give up on a dream and fight for what they believe in.”
-Art teacher at Detroit Service Learning Academy
Students paint shoes at Detroit Service
Learning Academy during a lesson
inspired by Tyree’s “Street Folk”
installation on homelessness.
“The children love the program…[it] teaches real world
concepts. It is a pleasure to be a part of this.”
-Third grade teacher at Clark Preparatory Academy
During a visit to the HP studio, students pose with Tyree’s
artwork including a bust of President Obama.
“I knew when becoming a Heidelberg volunteer I could have an
impact on the students’ lives, but I never thought about how much
they would impact mine.”
-Catherine Thomas, ACE2 docent and Wayne State student
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PROGRAMS
House That Makes Sense Center (HTMS)
For over 26 years the Heidelberg Project (HP) has brought inspiration, arts education, arts programming
and a new brand of community revitalization to the heart of Detroit’s challenged East Side, but we have
never had a permanent home on the street. The House That Makes Sense Center is that home. The new
building will provide space on site to host year-round art programs plus provide an indoor art gallery, multi
-purpose rooms, a gift shop, and office space for HP staff. As shown by the Williams College study
published in 2011 and noted in Crain’s Detroit Business, the HP generates a $3.4 million economic impact
in the city, and $2.8 million for the Heidelberg community.
The design of the HTMS will be as innovative as the HP itself. In the concepts created by University of
Michigan (U-M) Assistant Professor Beth Diamond and her landscape architecture graduate student Nick
Lavelle, the design is inspired directly from Tyree’s work at the HP. Walls made out of compacted metal
from old cars and canopies created from recycled windshields are some of the experimental concepts
being explored for this unique, sustainable community center.
“The Heidelberg Project has evolved
beyond its originating metaphors of
blight and abandonment to embrace
concepts of regeneration and
sustainability...”
-Beth Diamond, HP Lead Designer and
Assistant Professor of Landscape
Architecture, University of Michigan
This concept drawing by landscape architecture graduate student Nick Lavelle
shows an aerial view of a possible HTMS design.
Photos of The HTMS Center design model by Nick Lavelle show how recycled
car windshields may be used to create a canopy on the edge of the building.
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PROGRAMS
Emerging Artist Program
Opening new doors for upcoming artists is one of the many successes of HP’s Emerging Artist (EA)
Program. Earl Lee, the first artist showcased at the HP Gallery in February, was invited to display his
work at Children’s Hospital in Detroit. Seth Robinson, who exhibited in June, was invited to show work
at ArtPrize in Grand Rapids. The EA program helps educate artists by teaching them skills to market
themselves and display their work professionally. A majority of the participants also earned an average
of $600 selling their work during their solo show. The first four artists presented visual media, but EA
Director Amanda Sansoterra plans to expand the program to include music, theatre, dance and poetry.
She also partnered with the group Motor City Ragers in December to promote upcoming artists with
in-depth profiles on their website, motorcityragers.com
“The Emerging Artist Program gave me the confidence
to apply and approach other organizations for
involvement in other programs.”
-Geno Harris, Emerging Artist
Tyree talks to Emerging Artist Alexis Jasmund Manolis, who
transformed the walls of the HP Gallery into a cloud-wisped
sky for her show “High Passion” in September.
“It is rare to have the opportunity to support an
emerging artist and the community while growing
your personal collection.”
-Sheryl Bone, Heidelberg Patron
A visitor views Geno Harris’s work in the show “Colors,
Concepts, and Contradictions” at the HP gallery located at
42 Watson Street.
Emerging Artist Seth Robinson’s digital artwork “Valve.”
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PROGRAMS
Young Adults of Heidelberg (YAH)
Young Adults. Artists. Activists.
Some highlights of YAH’s work in 2011 include:
Partnering with Juilliard students for a third year to form Detroit Arts Immersion (DAI). The
group performed on-site at HP, the Detroit Institute of Arts, and Artist Village, as well as hosted
theatrical workshops at Covenant House and Holy Cross Children’s Services
Co-sponsoring “Eat. Sleep. Draw.” created by local artist Jasmine Harris as part of the Detroit
Design Festival. The event featured the works of seven local up-and-coming artists
Volunteering at community events, gallery openings, and our fundraiser
“YAH has created an environment of love… because of
the experience of sharing and exploring creative ideas
with the phenomenal artists of YAH. Wherever I go, I will
know that I am connected with some of the most
wonderful and big-hearted human beings.”
-Derell Thomas, DAI Program participant,
Wayne State theater student
Volunteers Jessica Kezlarian and Jeneen Conley-Berry
at our 2011 Fall Fundraiser, “It’s All About The D: Jazzy
Nights.”
“Working with YAH over the summer was a
great experience. It allowed me to recognize
my strengths as an artist and a teacher, and
shape my future while helping to change the
lives of others.”
-Indigo Colbert, DAI Program participant,
Wayne State theater student
Covenant House residents participate in a DAI exercise, conducted
by Juilliard graduate Breanna O’Mara, founder of the DAI program,
assisted by theater, dance and music students from Wayne State
University, Juilliard School, and University of Michigan.
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2011 EVENTS
HEIDELBERG 25 RECEPTION: Supporter Dexter Fields poses with “Lil Neal,” car hood artwork he owns, on loan to the
Charles H. Wright Museum for the Heidelberg 25 exhibition March - December 2011. Executive Director Jenenne Whitfield
with board member Rick Bone and his wife Sheryl, HP volunteer.
FAMILY FUN DAY: Pebbles the Clown provides airbrush art to kids at HP’s first Family Fun Day in June. Stacy Goldberg,
owner of What’s In Your Cart?, provided nutritional information at the event, co-organized by Amy Ben-Ezra.
FALL FUN AT THE STUDIO: A family reads our new children’s book, Magic Trash, at our book signing and open house in
September; Tyree poses with well-wishers at his bon voyage party in October.
OUT AND ABOUT: All That Jazz: The Heidelberg Suite was performed at the First Congregational Church by Marcus
Belgrave, Anthony Wilson and the Detroit All-Star Jazz Orchestra in October. Supporter Suzan Anderson visits with Development Director Sharon Luckerman at the Fall Fundraiser at Virgil H. Carr Cultural Arts Center in December.
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TYREE IN 2011
This past year proved to be a time of transition for Tyree as he
prepared for his one-year residency in Basel, Switzerland. The
year began with Street Folk, the large-scale installation he
created for Kresge ArtXDetroit featuring thousands of painted
shoes covering a one-block city street. In place for the month of
April, the project, now called Street Folk 2, moved closer to the
Heidelberg Project to its permanent home on Canfield and
Chene, another site where Tyree and his family once lived.
Tyree took off for Switzerland in October, following a Bon
Voyage party at his studio and concert event, All That Jazz: The
Heidelberg Suite in his honor, headlined by Marcus Belgrave and
Anthony Wilson. Prior to leaving, Tyree practiced German with
his assistant, Amanda, and spent time with Lisa Rodriguez, now
the curator-in-residence in his absence. After 25 years, he is
passing the baton to the staff to let the HP continue to grow on
its own until his return at the end of this year.
Tyree sweeps the street and rearranges shoes for
his installation Street Folk in April 2011 on Edmund
Place between Woodward and John R.
Update 2012! During his time in Switzerland, Tyree is at work on
the written portion of his dissertation for his 2009 honorary
doctorate from the College for Creative Studies. He has written
twenty short manifestos to date. He has also prepared his
studio at Laurenz Haus for visitors, including guests of the
international art show Art Basel. You can keep up with Tyree
during his time abroad by reading his blog at
http://swisstimesoftyreeguyton.blogspot.com/
Tyree found a
Heidelberg-esque
house on the clean
streets of Switzerland,
complete with stacks
of tires, street signs
and colorful graffiti.
Waiting at the airport for Jenenne to arrive January 2012, Tyree
greets her with a sign and a sense of humor on her first trip to
Basel, Switzerland.
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INTERNATIONAL CONNECTIONS
Even through its difficult beginnings, the Heidelberg Project always attracted
international attention. The children’s book, Magic Trash: A Story of Tyree
Guyton and His Art, by J. H. Shapiro, illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton, is
part of that tradition, and was released internationally October 1, 2011. The
Smithsonian Magazine recognized Magic Trash as a 2012 Outstanding Picture
Book and it also won a 2012 Michigan Notable Book award.
HP’s children’s book Magic Trash
Two students who barely got out of Cairo in the middle of the “Arab
Spring,” and a third from Lebanon, visited the Heidelberg Project as part
of filming the TV series On the Road in America. Informed about Tyree’s
Street Folk installation based on homelessness, the students brought old
shoes to paint at Tyree’s studio to contribute to the midtown art
installation. Their excitement for democracy in the Middle East is
expressed in their writings about their shoes.
The new Consul General of Japan in Detroit, Mr. Kuninori Matsuda,
visited the Heidelberg Project thanks to an invitation by HP supporter
Hiroko Lancour. Inspired by the numerous painted shoes, part of the
preparations for the Street Folk installation in Guyton’s studio, Matsuda sent
shoes for the installation after his visit, seeing it as a fun way to involve the
Japanese community in the city.
The Arab students from the
Middle East paint shoes at the
HP studio (above).
“If your shoes ache, maybe it’s
time to change them,” wrote
Dalia, one of the students
from Cairo (below).
Development Director Sharon Luckerman and the Japanese Consul
General Kuninori Matsuda on tour at the Heidelberg Project.
International Connections in 2012!
Jenenne and Tyree lecture on art as a social practice at the
Architectural Association School of Architecture in London,
England and appear at a screening of “Come Unto Me: The
Faces of Tyree Guyton” in Aix-en-Provence, France.
Jenenne will be the keynote speaker at Museum London’s
Public Art Symposium in Ontario.
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HP volunteer Hiroko Lancour was honored to paint a
dot on a TV set in the middle of Tyree’s Street Folk
installation during its unveiling. The event, held in
April, coincided with the tragic tsunami in Japan.
Street Folk explored the condition of people who are
homeless in Detroit, and the sentiment was extended
to the displaced people of Japan an ocean away.
2011 DONATION DATA
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Thank You, Donors!
The Heidelberg Project wishes to acknowledge the following donors for their support in 2011
Gifts $100,000 to $300,000
Annenberg Foundation
Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Family
Foundation
Gifts $25,000 to $99,000
Community Foundation for Southeast
Michigan
John S. and James L. Knight
Foundation
Kresge Foundation
Leveraging Investments in Creativity
(LINC)
Gifts $2,500 to $4,999.99
Maggie and Bob Allesee
DTE Energy Foundation
Juilliard School
Leslie and Mitchell Nelson
Gifts $1,000 to $2,499.99
Dawda, Mann, Mulcahy & Sadler, PLC
Caryn Grabe Robinson
My Morning Jacket
Gifts $500 to $999.99
Amson Dembs Development Inc.
Sheryl and Rick Bone
Katina and Aaron Cloutier
Kathleen Crispell and Tom Porter
Ryan Hart
Candace Jackson
Lindy Family Charity Fund of The
Jewish Federation of Greater
Philadelphia
John J. Matouk
Kathleen A. Meyers
Miller, Canfield, Paddock & Stone, PLC
Porter Family Foundation
J. Luke Wanagel
Washington Post Company Matching
Gifts Program
Gifts $250 to $499.99
Jolie and David Altman
Joann and Harold Braggs
Bill Burdett
Mardge Cohen and Gordon Schiff
Randal Cole and Paul Turnbull
Anthony Curis
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Deanna Dixon
Brenda and Geoffrey Eaton
Shari and Stanley Finsilver
Nathan R. Fletemeyer
Gail Job
Judith and Chris Kaspari
Joanne and Jeff Leider
Judith Greenstone Miller
Michael Norseng
Randolph Paschke
Kristin and Jan Richter
Riccardo Salmona
Nicholas Smylnycky
Kimberly Steinberg Goodman
Zodiak Active
Gifts $100 to $249.99
Denise Acierno
Edward Addison
Steven Alexsy
Suzan and Charles Anderson
Christopher Drew Armstrong
Laura Bassett
Lauren and Eric Bean
Joanne and Bruce Boardman
Molly and Aaron Chernow
Heidi Coffman
Phillip Cooley
Wendy Cutler Luczak
Michelle DeLand and Brent Kelso
Linda and Mark Dembeck
Marla Donovan
Dede Feldman
Elizabeth and Gary Fields
Mark Galloway
Leo Gibson
Abby and Don Goldbaum
Molly and Philip Goodman
Great Lakes Beverage Company
Amy and David Green
Jane Grymes
Stacey and Greg Gutowsky
Kelli and Sam Haidle
Alan P. Hall
Chris Heaphy
Marion Jackson
Jewish Council for Public Affairs
Theresa and David Josnick
Fern and Brian Kepes
Michael S. Khoury
Marlo and Ingmar Korstanje
Michelle and Jonathan Kroll
Jennifer and Robert Krut
Hiroko and Colin Lancour
Martin Lavelle
Mary and Patrick Martin
Heather and Bruce Marwil
Martha Mayo and Irwin Goldstein
Susan Meyers
Laura Miller
Gail and Ira Mondry
Daniel Mulvihill
Ashley Oleshansky and Brian Adelman
Breanna O’Mara
Jason Page
Shawn Marie Pelak
Wendy and Scott Pittman
Joanna and Robert Pollack
Michael Poris
Michael Quinn
Nikki and Mike Rubin
Jodee and Roy Raines
Libby Robinson
Sharon and Ronald Rose
Kate and Randy Safford
Amy Saks
Harriet and Alvin Saperstein
Reza Sazgari
Pamela and Charles Schiffer
Beverly Seiford
Lynn and Scott Sirich
Skunk Productions
Jennifer Smith
Sharon and Andrew Spilkin
Gary Spondike
Risa Steinberg
Ronald A. Steinberg
Andrew Sturm
Patricia Tourney
Hilda and Don Vest
Brooke and Paul Wolf
Amanda and Robert Wolfe
Gifts $50 to $99.99
Wendy and Henry Abrams
Mitchel Alexander
Karyn and Darren Beach
Julianne Bjarnesen
Mark Blanke and Michael Perkins
Marsha Bruhn
Thank You, Donors!
The Heidelberg Project wishes to acknowledge the following donors for their support in 2011
Gifts $50 to $99.99, continued
John Colby
Janis and Harvey Eisman
Paul Feiten
Dave Figurski
Kellie Goines
Sophia Gutherz
Tracy Hoffman
Joyce Keller
John and Sally Kendrick
Kathleen Klein
Sonya and Norman Klein
Jane Levin
Karen and Curtis Mann
Allen Mehler
Michael Moore
Lara O’Keefe
Lawrence Rhodes
James Roth
Julie and Adam Rothstein
Allen Salyer
Brenda and Adam Shapiro
Michael Smith and Frank Markus
William Snyder
Ronald J. Stempin
Jean Stenger
Brian W. Taylor
Lori Wallrath
George Westerman
Vagner Whitehead
Susan Wineberg
Stephanie Yates
Gifts up to $49.99
Debra Bernstein-Siegel
Cori Birchett
Michael Blaga
Jackie and Richard Bone
Patricia and Brian Cleland
Arleen and Amanda Coffee
Sabrina Cronin
Thomas Czarnik
Patricia DiFranco
Linda Ferrell
Diane Geiger
Give Back America
Harold Harris
Collette Hopkins
William Johnson
Gail Katz
Larry King
Anne Marie Kuntzman
Daniel Maggio
Crystal Miller
Paula and Norman Miller
Cristina and David Mollicone
Sharon Moore
Sheila Murphy
Kenneth Naigus
Shawn Neal
Daphne Ntiri
Joseph O’Mara
Donna and Allan Pearlman
Gail and Chip Rosenblum
Russo Family
Todd Schafer
Rachel Schoenfeld
Debra Ann Smith
Suzanne and Tyler Tennent
Sarah Tuthill
Katherine and Dave Vailliencourt
Nicole and Ted Wagner
Delores Whitfield
In-Kind Sponsors
90.9 WRCJ
Arts League of Michigan
Otila Bell and Family
Brazilian Cultural Arts Center TABCATS
Capuchin Soup Kitchen
Chef for All Seasons
COMPAS
Creative Arts Studio
Dearborn Farm Market
First Student Transportation
General Linen
Gerych’s Graziella
Parthena Henry and Family
KAPS Whole Foods
Kroger
Ivory D. Williams
Sanders Candy
Star Trax
Sun Messengers
Union Street
We Will Cook For You
What’s In Your Cart?
Zingerman’s
Thank you to our foundations for their support!
Thanks to the Erb Family Foundation for the challenge grant to match
donations from individuals on a 1:1 basis. This challenge grant helps
us continue to build organizational capacity.
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THE HISTORY OF THE HEIDELBERG PROJECT
Art as a Catalyst for Community Change
Twenty-six years ago, artist Tyree Guyton returned to Heidelberg, the street where he grew
up on Detroit’s East Side, and found it in shambles, riddled with drugs and deepening
poverty. His community is currently in one of the most economically depressed zip codes in
the country. Bruised by the loss of three brothers to the streets, Guyton was encouraged by
his grandfather, Sam Mackey, to pick up a paintbrush instead of a weapon and look for a
solution.
“I came up with a solution,” Guyton says today. “It makes people put aside their fear of
Detroit and they come here because they have to see it.”
Household items, dolls, shoes, vacuum cleaners were left on the streets, abandoned, just
like the people themselves. But Guyton picked up the abandoned items on his street,
cleaned them, organized them, added color, and something magical happened. The
community awakened!
“I’ve never seen anything like this in my life...” “It’s a whole bunch of junk that makes
beautiful art.” “It makes me feel inspired and I think that it’s very beautiful.” “It gives us
confidence to do whatever we want to do in life.”
-Four Detroit elementary school children at the Heidelberg Project, recorded in the
video, The Heidelberg Project.
“[Heidelberg Project] is painting, it’s sculpture, it’s installation, it’s design. There’s nothing
like it anywhere.”
-Richard Rogers, President of College for Creative Studies
“Once you see it you can’t forget it.”
-Professor Aku Kadogo, Director, Black Theatre Program, Wayne State
Guyton’s “solution” grew and he received many local and international accolades over the
years including the 1991 Michigander of the Year, Harvard’s 2005 Rudy Bruner Award for
Urban Excellence, an invitation to represent the United States at the 2008 Venice
Architecture Biennale, a 2009 inaugural Kresge Award Fellow, 2010 Wayne State University
Martin Luther King Community Awardee, and a 2009 recipient of an honorary Doctorate of
Fine Arts from the College for Creative Studies.
Guyton is currently working in Basel, Switzerland on a year-long artist residency at the
Laurenz Haus.
But Guyton is most proud of the influence of his art as a mechanism to heal his community
which serves as a catalyst for change. Stephen Snead, for example, a Heidelberg resident,
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HISTORY, CONTINUED
had slipped through the cracks of our economy becoming homeless for months.
Working with Guyton at the Heidelberg Project (HP), Snead found a way to improve his
situation by collecting and selling refuge to the salvage yard. After receiving his first
paycheck, Snead donated $75 to the HP!
“Heidelberg taught me that I have the power to change my circumstances, my life.”
-Steve Snead, Heidelberg Project resident
Tyree’s message touches a variety of people.
“This community helped raised me as an artist. I didn’t know that the exchange would be
so powerful.”
-Lisa Rodriguez, WSU student volunteer, who created an HP installation
After visiting the HP, the president of the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Michael
Kaiser, wrote an article in the “Huffington Post” on what he was most thankful for. Number
One was “…the energy, creativity and amazing spirit of the (Heidelberg Project)
organization!”
Today the Heidelberg Project welcomes over 275,000 people annually and has grown into
the third most-visited cultural attraction in Detroit.
Visitor Rodney Curtis shared this photo of his daughter,
Skye, who was invited by Tyree to “redefine” a dot on
Heidelberg Street this summer in front of the New White
House.
Jazmine Steele, center, celebrated her birthday Heidelbergstyle with friends decked out in bright colors and polka dots.
The HP information booth in the background was originally
constructed and painted by kids from the community.
Thanks to photographer Daryl Davis for the photo.
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The Heidelberg Project
42 Watson
Detroit, MI 48201
The Heidelberg Project
(313) 974-6894
www.heidelberg.org