Detroit to Revitalize Alleys with Art Through $5.4M Effort

From alleys to art spaces ... the city of Detroit is working to revitalize nine alleys across the city into vibrant spaces for public art.

The effort, part of Mayor Mike Duggan's "Blight to Beauty" campaign, seeks to beautify neighborhoods throughout Detroit.

"Thanks to $5.4 million from the American Rescue Plan Act and $240,000 from the Knight Foundation, we're able to transform nine alleys that were once dilapidated, overgrown concrete broken into these beautiful spaces with lots and lots of beauty, flowers and art," said Rochelle Riley, director of Detroit Arts and Culture, in an interview with 7 News Detroit.

Three additional art alleys will open during the week of June 16, with others already completed. Each alley has its distinctive identity. The city is collaborating with 47 artists to create these art projects, one of them being Rahmaand Statik, a muralist from Chicago who is embarking on his fourth project in Detroit.

His newest work was unveiled on Korte Street between Manistique and Phillip streets.

"It depicts the idea of the human self of this woman — this that exists in real life. But she's heavily modified by technology and a higher spiritual self, which is like the vibrant colors, you know, and the struggle between the dual personalities within all of ourselves," Statik explained to 7 News Detroit.

Statik's mural is one of 12 on display in what the city of Detroit has called the "Path to Well-being" alley, which will open on Saturday, July 5.

View the locations, opening dates, and descriptions of the art alleys on the City of Detroit's Office of Arts, Culture, and Entrepreneurship website.