IfrahMahmood

TheHeidelbergProject:ANeighborhoodsDispossession
AccordingtoHPsofficialwebsite,theirmissionistoimprovethelivesofpeopleand
neighborhoodsthroughart.Uponfurtherresearchontheproject,IrealizedthatHPisnot
actuallydoingtheneighborhoodanyrealandtangiblegood,meaningnoeconomicorpolitical
improvementswillcomeabout.Thepositiveimpactoftheprojectdoesnotreachpastthe
aestheticaspect.Sure,itissubjectiveart,andartissupposedtomakeyouthinksomething.It
mademethinkofhowHPcametobe.Asaresultofthe1967raceriots1,thecreatorofHP,
TyreeGuyton,startedpaintingonvacanthousesinanattempttobeautifyaneighborhoodleft
batteredasaresultoftheunrest.2 Theprojectmakesyouthinkaboutthepast,butitdoeshintat
anybrightfutureinDetroit.
WhenexaminingHP,itisimportanttolookatbothsidesofthestory.Thatis,Guytons
side,andthesideoffedupneighborsremainingonHeidelbergStreet.Guytonstartedtheart
projectinresponsetothelastingpropertydamagethatoccurredinhisneighborhoodafterthe
eventsin1967.Inapersonalstatementonhisofficialwebsite,hesayshecanhealhis
neighborhoodthroughartthatwasinspiredbyhisownexperiences.3Hetookpiecesofthe
neighborhoodheknewasachild,oldcars,shoes,discardedappliances,andturneditintoart,
obviouslysubjective,asawaytotellastoryabouttheneighborhoodsdifficultpast.4Insteadof
ignoringthepast,Guytonusedittotakeaction.Itinspiredhimtoturnthedamageintoartsothat
peoplecouldseetheneighborhoodinadifferentlight.

Nearlyahalfcenturylater,areasdestroyedduringthosefivedaysremainundeveloped,andtheclashbetween
blackfrustrationandwhitepoliticalandculturaldominationcontinuestoreverberatethroughthecityandsuburbs.
ScottMartelles
Detroit:ABiography
chapter16
2

ConnectingtheDots:TyreeGuytonsHeidelbergProject.pages7273
3

"Istrivetobeapartofthesolution.Iseeandunderstandhoworderisneededintheworldandinourindividual
lives.Myexperienceshavegrantedmeknowledgeofhowtocreateartandhowtoseebeautyineverythingthat
exists.directquotefrom
http://www.tyreeguyton.com/philosophypage
4

FromDeanHerronslecturevideo10.AccordingtoJohnBerger,wedrawfromthepastinordertoact.
1

Inaddition,GuytoninspiredyoungchildrenfromtheneighborhoodandDetroitschools
tohelpoutwiththeproject5,alongwithJohnGeorge,whofoundedthenonprofitBlightBusters.6
Together,theywanttochangethewayoutsiders,suburbanites,seetheneighborhoods.
AccordingtoMichaelG.Hodges,itsatMt.ElliotandHeidelbergthattheprojectworksits
mostremarkableindeed,almostunprecedentedmagic,initsuncannyabilitytomeltsuburban
apprehensionaboutdownattheheelsblackneighborhoods.7Accordingtothisquote,Guyton,
alongwithothers,canusetheircreativitytobringaboutpositivechange.Aparallelcanbedrawn
toHumanism,asdefinedbyCyrilE.Black.8Guytonthinksthathecandisplaytheneighborhood
inapositivewaybysharinghisintellectandideas,andhedoesthisbytakingmattersintohis
ownhandsonthedayhestartedHPin1986.
Althoughallofthiseffortseemslikeitisdoinggood,itisactuallynot.Whiletalking
amongsttheothermembersofmygroup,manyofusagreedthatHPisnotmakingadifference
fortheblightedneighborhoods.Someofthemhavesaiditisatemporarysolutionandtheart
isbetterthantheprostitutionanddrugs.9IrealizedtheothersideofHeidelberg,thesidethat
manypeopledonotthinkofwhengoingtolookattheart.PeoplewhostillliveonHeidelberg
Streetaresickoftheprojectanditsaftermath.10 Residentscomplainthatthevisitorsinvadetheir
privacy,andothersaremadatGuytonhimself.Oneresident,ErmaDicus,said,Whogavehim
permission?Wholethimdothis?Itssougly.11Notalltheresidentswantedtheirprivatelife
sacrificedtothenonexistentadvancesthatthesuburbanitesthinktheyaremakingbysimply
gawkingattheart.Itleavesthemwithasenseofdispossession,liketheycannotevenhavewhat
isleftoftheneighborhoodaftertheeventsin1967.

TurningtheNeighborhoodinsideout:ImaginingaNewDetroitinTyreeGuyton'sHeidelbergProject.WendyS.
Walters.

http://www.jstor.org.proxy.lib.wayne.edu/stable/pdf/1146929.pdf?acceptTC=true
6

ConnectingtheDots:TyreeGuytonsHeidelbergProjectpages5859
7

ConnectingtheDots:TyreeGuytonsHeidelbergProjectpages5859
8

Thismovement,aptlycalledhumanism,emphasizedtheideathathumanbeingscouldrelyonthemselvesand
theirintellecttoimprovethehumancondition.fromChapteroneofRebirthbyBlack
9

Ingroupcollaboration.November10thinseminar.
10

ConnectingtheDots:TyreeGuytonsHeidelbergProjectpages53and56
11

ConnectingtheDots:TyreeGuytonsHeidelbergProjectpage53
5

TheunhappyresidentsofHeidelbergandtheirfeelingofdispossessioncanberelatedto
theeventsthatoccurredin1943,followingthebeginningofWWII.12Thefirstblackfamilies
weresupposedtomoveintotheSojournerTruthprojects,butwhiteswantedtokeepthemout.
Feelingsofdispossessioncausedriotstobreakoutandasaresult,alotofdamageoccurred.13 In
addition,blackresidentsofDetroitinthe1960sfacedhousingsegregationbywhites,andagain,
riotsbrokeout,andthistime,leftlastingdamage.14
Since2013,atotalof12fireshavebeenstartedatHP.15Clearly,therearepeoplewhodo
notwanttheprojectthere.Whatevertheirreasonmaybe,theirwayofseeingitconflictswith
Guytonswayofseeing.Thisleadstomyproposedsolutiontothisconflict:tojustdemolishthe
abandonedhouses.Thedownsidetothissolutionisthatitisexpensive.However,therearemany
justifiedreasonstodothis.One,thefireswouldhopefullystop.Second,itwouldnottake
anythingawayfromtheneighborhood.DonationsreceivedbyHPwereusedbyGuytontorunan
annualsummerprogramcalledArtintheHood.16Thisdoesnoteconomicallybenefitthe
neighborhood.Second,TyreeGuytondoesnotevenliveonHeidelbergStreetanymore.17Heis
notsubjecttotheinvasionofprivacyandlivinginfearofarsonists.Inshort,HPisnottakingthe
residentsoftheneighborhoodanywheregood.
Overall,IamgladthatmygroupandIagreedtovisitHP.Alotofus,includingmyself,
wantedtogobecausewehaveneverseentheprojectbefore,andwewantedtoseeexamplesof
howartcanhaveapositiveimpactonacommunity,orsowethought.Theprojectisnothing
morethanaplacewheremostlywhitesuburbanites,mostwhodonotevenventurepastthe
project,cometotakepicturesandgawkatsomeartthatwillhavenoimpactonthefutureofthe
blightedneighborhood.18

ArsenalofDemocracyexhibitDetroitHistoricalMuseum.

ScottMartelles
Detroit:Abiography
chapter13page150
14

TurningtheNeighborhoodinsideout:ImaginingaNewDetroitinTyreeGuyton'sHeidelbergProject.WendyS.
Walters.

http://www.jstor.org.proxy.lib.wayne.edu/stable/pdf/1146929.pdf?acceptTC=true
15

12Heidelbergfires,allamystery
http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/specialreports/2015/02/20/heidelbergarsonsdetroithardsolve/23769375/
16

ConnectingtheDots:TyreeGuytonsHeidelbergProjectpage57
17
http://www.heidelberg.org/who_we_are/frequent_questions.html
18

ConnectingtheDots:TyreeGuytonsHeidelbergProjectpage60
12
13

ImagestakenbyIfrahMahmoodonFridayNovember6,2015at3600HeidelbergStreet,DetroitMI,48207

References
[1]S.Martelle,
Detroit
.Chicago,Ill.:ChicagoReviewPress,2012.
[2]J.Herron,N.Shine,M.Jackson,J.Beardsley,M.Hodges,M.Wheaton,D.Hoops,A.
KadogoandJ.Whitfield,
ConnectingtheDots:TyreeGuyton'sHeidelbergProject
.Detroit:
WayneStateUniversityPress,2007,pp.5060,7273.
[3]Tyreeguyton.com,'TheArtofTyreeGuytonPhilosophy',2005.[Online].Available:
http://www.tyreeguyton.com/philosophypage.[Accessed:16Nov2015].
[4]J.Herron,'Lecture10:1967',WayneStateUniversity,2015.
[5]W.Walters,'TurningtheNeighborhoodinsideout:ImaginingaNewDetroitinTyree
Guyton'sHeidelbergProject',
JSTOR
.MITPress,Cambridge,MA,pp.6870,2001.
[6]C.Black,
Rebirth
.Boulder,Colo.:WestviewPress,2000.
[7]'InGroupCollaboration',Honors1000Seminar,2015.
[8]'ArsenalofDemocracy',Detroit.
[9]L.Aguilar,'12Heidelbergfires,allamystery',
TheDetroitNews
,2015.