More Detroit Developments

Am I boring you with my current fascination with Detroit? I just think it’s going to be such an interesting city to follow, and I’ve been soaking in every article I come across about what people are doing to redesign it and help its recovery. The latest article I read was in The New York Times this week, and it chronicled what a community of artists are doing to help the city, including selling off square inches of property to help create a feeling of ownership, however small. When artists start to flock to an area, it’s always the first sign of improvement. There’s a sense of a new wave of Robert Smithson types with a penchant for industrial landscapes. Is the next step for Christo to wrap it all up in a bright color? Will Todd Selby* be heading there to photograph these artists at home? It’s going to be really fun to watch. Check out the article here.

*Speaking of The Times and Todd Selby, there was a great feature on him this week. Check it out here.

Image by Fabrizio Costantini for The New York Times. There’s a great slideshow of ten of his photographs here. The caption for the image above reads “Ms. Michael bought her house, left, with green trim, for $10,000. Artists and activists have rescued this leafy block from blight.” In addition, Ms. Bridget Michael is hoping to turn her second floor into a long term visiting artists’ residence, and it’s currently occupied.