Tyree Guyton has seen Detroit mayors come and go: Coleman Young, Dennis Archer, Kwame Kilpatrick and now, Dave Bing. All have attempted to put their mark on the city, none has succeeded to the extent that this Detroit-born artist has. All have tried or is trying to make the city over into the symbol of the striving metropolis it once was, none has succeeded, and one has actually contributed to making it a symbol of malfeasance and disgrace.Guyton has taken the abandoned houses and the refuge of a consuming society, which have come to symbolize the city's demise, and turned it into artistic installations that speak to Detroit's spirit. The Heidelberg Project, as it's called, attracts tourists from around the globe. Guyton is an ambassador of sort, but more than that, he's a griot.
My project with Tyree will be to tell the story of his community through his art. Like Simon Rodia, creator of the Watts Towers, he speaks to those of us beyond the borders of his city.
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