Detroit ART City

“Detroit is one of only places where an artist can come in and probably own a building with the amount of revenue that they get.”
~artist kt Andresky, via Michigan Radio

“Detroit Industry” – Detroit Institute of Arts
( Diego Rivera ) by DetroitDerek

All week Absolute Michigan is talking about Detroit. With a wealth of museums including the Detroit Institute of Art, the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History and the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, lots of public art and sculpture, artist venues like Detroit Artists Market and art schools such as the Detroit School of Art through Detroit Public Schools, the College for Creative Studies, Detroit definitely has a strong tradition in the arts. Detroit just wrapped up their annual Gallery Week, but you can get a sense of where the galleries are and what they’re doing at Art Detroit Now.

One factor that is overlooked but is contributing to a resurgence of art in Detroit is how affordable real estate is in the city. A prime example of what this allows is the 2.2 million square foot Russell Industrial Center was built in 1925 and designed by famed architect Albert Kahn. It served the auto and other industries for over half a century. In 2003 it was purchased by Dennis Kefallinos and has been transformed into one of the largest art/small business facilities in the Midwest, housing over 150 commercial tenants: architects, painters, clothing designers, glass blowers, wood craftsman, metal sculptors, graphic designers with space for hundreds more.

The quotation above comes from a Michigan Radio feature exploring how artists are finding affordable space in Detroit. Hear the full interview above or watch most of it with a slideshow below!