The 10,001st Blog Post About The Heidelberg Project

If you're looking some fascinating (Detroit wonk) reading, try what I did this afternoon. Google "Heidelberg Project", then, in the upper left menu, click "more", then "blogs". Pick any three, or five, or eleventy-seven blogs to read and you will discover, as I did, the remarkable range of interest and reactions to this twenty-four year old street art explosion.

Locals, tourists, regulars, first-timers...for many visitors from outside the Detroit area, this place is what makes the strongest, most unique, most lasting impression of our city. It's interesting to think about why.

I have driven through and stopped briefly a few times over the years, but this was the first time I have tried to view the project with an outsider's eyes and taken pictures. You may deduce correctly that I have a weakness for Barbie colors.

Like many visitors, I received a warm welcome from Tyree Guyton, the creator of the project, himself. (Even the dogs were welcomed...we had been at Belle Isle and it was too warm to leave them in the car. Thank you, Mr. Guyton.)

The Heidelberg Project's next phase involves realizing its Cultural Village concept...developing further into a neighborhood anchor through partnerships with schools (from elementary to post-graduate), an artist-in-residence program, a cafe, and community garden. A $75,000 grant from the Erb Foundation was just announced to help with the Cultural Village development.

No blizzard of words and images can convey what it's like to be there in person, no matter how hard we bloggers try.

So if you're in the neighborhood, go see it.

Take some more pictures.

Read about it. And write about it.

Be the 10,002nd to be inspired.