Joshi 1

Palak Joshi
Heidelberg Project
Detroit had undergone its industrial revolution with the auto companies and had
already reached its peak. The neighborhood Tyree Gurton was born into was workingclass, but thriving with people and black-owned business (Gerritt, 2003). But this
wouldn't last. Although Detroit and its urban form, which is the physical design and
interactions of a city, consisted of more than its autoindustry, it was the industry that
made it into the Detroit that is recognizable today (Steinmetz, 2009). Thus, with it decline
came the decline of the city, as the 1967 riots demonstrated. Houses were being lost due
to economic conditions and the movement of the population to the suburbs, as seen in
Figure 1 (Gerritt, 2003).

Figure 1. (a)1949, (b) 1981, (c) 1997 and (d) 2002

(Steinmetz, 2003).
The housing and living issues were often given less priority than other public services
(Rybcyznski, 1995). The number of houses physically present decreased and among
those, many were unoccupied and became sites for crime (Heidelberg Project). Although
his own neighborhood was the focus for Guyton, this was occurring throughout Detroit.
He had lost his brother to the streets and so was urged to take action by means of art by
his Grandpa, beginning the Heidelberg Project in 1986 (Heidelberg Project). With the use
of art on homes in his neighborhood to express social and economic conditions, Guyton
helped urban form by improving the relationship residents had with their community and
Detroit as a whole.

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Regardless of personal motives, Guyton developed a broader intent with the
establishment of the Heidelberg Project. His initial goal was to improve the environment
of his neighborhood. He wanted his art to give the social environment the positivity it
used to have. He used discarded objects to signify the past along with the anger and
frustration that many people felt due to the decline of the economy (Walters, 2001).
Therefore, his early works were centered on urban poverty, specifically on the African
American community. He showcased the struggles using hope and the efforts to move
past the hardships (Whitfield, 2000). As his work progressed, he broadened his scope of
social issues to things that Detroit faced as whole. For example, the Babydoll House
depicted issues such as child abuse, abortion and prostitution (Mabunda, 1995). His art
became his form of activism through which he commented on issues that came along
with urban life (Guhin, 2012). By raising awareness people could not only recognize
what the city brought to them, but also what they brought to the city.
With raised awareness regarding daily urban issues came controversy, which was
bound to catch the eye of the government of Detroit. Guyton used discarded materials for
his art to demonstrate that city life thus pieces of the city were art in itself. To the
unappreciative, this was junk-art and he was often ticketed for littering (Palmer, 2006).
In 1991 and 1999 houses were ordered for demolition by the Mayors (Heidelberg
Project). His art was intended to make a statement, and government involvement,
although undesirable, increased publicity. Art is an integral part of cities and urban life,
and thus cities function optimally when artists are free to express what they wish
regardless of what the art said about the city (Panew, 2016). However, it wasnt just the
government having issues with it; more than 12 fires have been set to Guytons pieces
over the years, as shown in Figure 2 (Heidelberg Project).

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Figure 2. Destroyed Heidelberg Project Homes

(Aguilar, 2015)
The power of the images and moral issues that his work brought up made people
uncomfortable, which caused these backlashes. As seen in Figure 2, many of the
destroyed houses were extremely controversial, such as the War Room and Obstruction of
Justice. Guyton knows that this was the reason for the demolition of the Babydoll house,
if not all the destroyed works (Mabunda, 1995). He attempted suing the city for
destruction of his work, but the case was dropped (Mabunda, 1995). With people on both
sides of the dilemma between free speech through art and provocative statements, people
involved themselves with the neighborhood and structures in their urban form, whether it
was the houses or the government.
Regardless of the critics, the biggest impact Guytons works had been with the
relationship between the city and the people. The crime dropped in his neighborhood.
Now pieces of art, the houses were respected and stopped being used for illegal activities
(Palmer, 2006). Steering those actions away created a positive shift in the ambience.
Guyton also started an Art from the Hood program at his old elementary school
(Gerritt, 2003). This program gave kids the ability to use art to express their grievances,
as Guyton himself had done. They aided Guyton with the Doors of Opportunity
sculpture (Gerritt, 2003). This connected kids with their community. Zooming out, his

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works obviously caught the eye of many. People from all over the city, for interest or
curiosity, visited the Project. This resulted in popularization of other the DIA, Detroit
Symphony Orchestra and art festivals (Heidelberg Project). People started to utilize
public events and institutions that were often forgotten about. They now received more
funding and appreciation, keeping culture alive in Detroit, which in turn promoted artistic
growth.
Guyton altered the urban form for the better: his work increased the quality of
interactions between the people and what the city had to offer. This developed into a
healthy, ongoing relationship between the two. With the city and its people aligned,
changes can be more easily brought, both economic and sociocultural. Guyton is still
working today, and as the urban form in Detroit is ever changing, so will his the focus of
his works, and that is what intrigues the public (Palmer, 2006). By building on his
experience in his community and with the decline of Detroit, he succeeded in saving his
neighborhood and the city (Guhin, 2012). His effects are not just in the past; although
many works have been destroyed or taken down, the public is still fascinated by
everything they represent. This is visible at the Number House: people continue the
tradition of leaving shoes at its gates (Joshi, 2016). The number of shoes shows the
interest people have in Detroits urban history. Guytons works have left their impression
on how people interact with their hometowns, as well as the way they deal with
hardships, and this effect will linger until every piece of his works are gone.

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Bibliography:
Ed. Colin A. Palmer. Vol. 1. 2nd ed. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2006. p145-149.
COPYRIGHT 2006 Gale, COPYRIGHT 2007 Gale, Cengage Learning
Ed. L. Mpho Mabunda. Vol. 9. Detroit: Gale, 1995. p99-102. COPYRIGHT 1995 Gale
Research Inc., COPYRIGHT 2007 Gale, Cengage Learning
History Magazine, vol. 97, no. 5, 2013, p. 61. U.S. History in Context,
Aguilar, Louis. "12 Heidelberg Fires, All a Mystery." Detroit News. Digital First Media
Newspaper, 20 Feb. 2015. Web. 08 Nov. 2
Steinmetz, George. "Detroit: A Tale of Two Crises." Environment and Planning D:
Society and Space Environ. Plann. D 27.5 (2009): 761-70. Web.
Guhin, Paula. "Magic Trash: A Story of Tyree Guyton and His Art." Arts & Activities,
Dec. 2012, p. 6. Fine Arts and Music Collection,
Panew, James. "Detroit chronicle." New Criterion, vol. 35, no. 2, 2016, p. 56+. Fine Arts
and Music Collection
Walters, Wendy S. "Turning the neighborhood inside out: imagining a new Detroit in
Tyree Guyton's Heidelberg Projects." TDR [Cambridge, Mass.], vol. 45, no. 4, 2001, p.
64+. Fine Arts and Music Collection,
Whitfield, Jenenne. "Thoughts on Tyree Guyton's Heidelberg Project." Southern
Quarterly, vol. 39, no. 1-2, 2000, p. 187+. Fine Arts and Music Collection,
GERRITT, JEFF. "CAN ART BRING NEIGHBORHOOD BACK TO LIFE? GUYTON
HAS FAITH." Detroit Free PressApr 03 2003. ProQuest. Web. 10 Nov. 2016 .
Rybczynski, Witold. City Life: Urban Expectations in a New World. New York: Scribner,
1995. Print.
"History." The Heidelberg Project. The Heidelberg Project, n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2016
.

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Joshi, 2016

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