For almost thirty years, the abandoned houses that dot Detroit’s Heidelberg Street have provided the backdrop to a kaleidoscopic display of outdoor art installations that aim to inspire and provide healing to the local community. In 2013 and 2014, a series of twelve arson fires gutted six installations on the Street, the most devastating assault on the Heidelberg Project in over twenty years. Renowned artist Tyree Guyton has used this opportunity to redouble his efforts and to re-imagine and rebuild the project. Debris and ash have been cleared away and new art emerges from the foundations of the burned structures, working through the walls of charred basements, surfacing with a creative new vision and voice.

In his first major public appearance since the fires, Tyree Guyton will discuss new construction on Heidelberg Street, a forthcoming history of the site, a new museum, his plans for future work with the local community, and exciting ideas for new art resulting from the fires. The conversation will take place Friday, February 20, 2015, 2–4pm at the Rackham Graduate School (4th floor), with a reception and meet and greet after.

Other featured participants include Jenenne Whitfield, COO of the Heidelberg Project, and U-M Professor Larry Grant from the School of Social Work and Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design.

About the artist: Primarily a painter and sculptor, Tyree Guyton has also been described as an urban environmental artist. He has waged a personal war on urban blight on Detroit’s East Side, transforming his neighborhood into a living indoor/outdoor art gallery. Through his art, Guyton has drawn attention to the plight of Detroit’s forgotten neighborhoods and spurred discussion and action. For more information on the Heidelberg Project, visit heidelberg.org.

The event free and open to the public, and is sponsored by the University of Michigan Museum Studies Program.