Detroit is known for its thriving public art scene, and it's on a mission to become the #1 city for creative murals in the U.S. Detroit's Office of Arts, Culture and Entrepreneurship (Detroit ACE) is working to identify and map murals across the city. In October, Detroit ACE launched a mural map that residents, artists, and photographers can submit works that they identify across the city. The map already has hundreds of murals (including the Bunnie Reiss mural on the side of the Downtown Synagogue above), and it continues to grow.
This week, the city announced that indoor murals can be included on the map. Individuals can create an account here to submit murals, or they can email detroitace@detroitmi.gov.
The Hubert Massey mural inside Huntington PlaceCity of Detroit
Earlier this month, the city announced plans to commission 200 murals by young artists across the city to reflect the unique culture and history of our different neighborhoods. The program is led by Dr. Hubert Massey and funded by the Public Art Fund and the Ford and Kresge foundations.
“What’s important about this effort is that it makes clear that Detroit is a walkable destination and a bike-able destination,” Dr. Massey said. “Detroit is the mecca for mural expeditions. It’s just a good way of showcasing arts and culture and for people to come and see this great city. Our murals are in the small communities outside downtown and downtown. This just opens up a gateway to the city of Detroit’s arts and culture excellence.”
We can expect murals tours to start up this summer, led by Detroit ACE. You can also browse through the City Walls Gallery, a gallery of murals across Detroit.
