A mural at the Grand River Creative Corridor in Detroit. | Creative Commons photo via soupstance
If you spend any time in Detroit, you’d have a hard time not noticing all the incredible murals popping up on the sides of buildings, from Eastern Market — a personal favorite and a great spot to take in a high density of high-quality street art — to downtown and far-flung neighborhoods.
Viranel Clerard wants to document all of them. His website, the Detroit Mural Project, currently has information on around 1,000 of them.
We spoke to him on the Daily Detroit Happy Hour podcast about the project, which he hustles to squeeze in between trying to scrape together a living driving for Uber and working at Trader Joe’s.
Clerard speaks about what it’s like being black at nearly all-white art openings, how he wants his site to help residents connect with their own neighborhoods and how Detroit stacks up against traditional arts meccas like New York City in terms of street art.
“I know about a lot of them that are happening before they happen now, which is amazing,” he says. “I’m plugged in now. I got the connect. For example, this year I expect there to be at least 200 new murals in Detroit. We got some major things happening.”
Don’t forget where to find us and subscribe:
Recent Comments