4 new graffiti murals go up along Dequindre Cut

The northern end of the Dequindre Cut has some new (sanctioned) graffiti as the result of a partnership between the Detroit RiverFront Conservancy, Contemporary Art Institute of Detroit, and the College for Creative Studies' community+public arts DETROIT initiative.

The section of wall near the Gratiot entrance was previously either blank or artlessly tagged, says Jim Boyle who helps the DRFC with outreach via his position at LovioGeorge. "It was not painting over something that looked cool already," he says. "The Conservancy has embraced the aesthetic (of graffiti), they want to keep it alive and going on in a meaningful way."

Acting as project curators, CAID director Aaron Timlin and curator of graffiti art Tom Stoye selected four artists to create original murals along the Cut. Three writers -- MALT, PHERS and TEAD -- have completed murals on one wall near the Gratiot portion of the Cut, with an additional piece by GAME to be created in the same area this coming weekend.

Stoye says feedback from the community has been overwhelmingly positive. "They might not understand the art form or be able to decipher the letters, but there is a universal appeal to the public at large," he says. "A lot of people don't feel comfortable looking at art in a gallery or museum, but (seeing it in) a public space, a natural environment, has a really positive effect on people."

The Dequindre Cut graffiti initiative was made possible with support from Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan.

Source: Jim Boyle, Lovio George and Tom Stoye, CAID
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh