DETROIT (WXYZ) — Detroit Mayor Duggan and the City Office of Arts, Culture and Entrepreneurship (Detroit ACE) announced today an initiative to revitalize commercial and residential alleys in five neighborhoods by turning them into community spaces to exhibit and experience art.
“Alleys in our city for years have been havens for illegal dumping and overgrowth and we’re steadily changing that,” said Mayor Duggan. “Activating neighborhood alleys in this creative way is going to help turn them into real community assets and attractions.”
The Arts Alley initiative is pilot program for potential future neighborhood alley activations throughout city neighborhoods. Part of Mayor Duggan’s “Blight to Beauty” campaign, the project will be funded with $3 million from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).
“The Covid-19 pandemic showed us the importance of safe, accessible green spaces in our neighborhoods,” said Rochelle Riley, Director of Arts and Culture for the City. “We want to help communities create their own spaces for activities and enjoyment.”
The Arts Alleys project, Mayor Duggan says, will contribute to work already being done by community and neighborhood associations that have already transformed alleys in their neighborhoods with art. Alleys behind approximately 2,000 residential streets have been cleared and reclaimed over the past two years.
The five pilot neighborhood Arts Alleys include:
- Jefferson Chalmers
- Old Redford
- Schulze
- NW Goldberg
- Springwells
To complete the project, Detroit ACE will work with residents, local artists and other stakeholders throughout the summer and fall to develop designs to transform an alley in each of the five neighborhoods. Through the partnership, new landscaping, improved surfacing and amenities will provide these communities with a sense of history, beauty and imagination.
For more information about the Arts Alleys project, visit www.detroitmi.gov/ace
