Siddiqui 1

Arshi Siddiqui
Professor Fowler
Honors 1000: The City
1 December 2014
What Should We Do?
For years on end cities have been known for their high rates of crime, places
where poverty has originated from, and areas that people use solely to their advantage.
Cities generally have negative connotations associated with them. Theres always too
much noise, too much segregation, too much crime. The city was never something
stagnant; people usually did not see the city of Detroit as home. This sense of an urban
feel entails people to dive into the culture of Detroit, and unafraid to do so. How do we
diminish the negative image portrayed by the media of the city of Detroit? How do we
tackle this problem and turn the city into something beautiful? We see answers to these
questions by observing Tyree Guytons contribution to the citythe Heidelberg Project.
This project has the ability to promote urban renewal and bring back peoples connection
to their city.
Tyree Guyton is an African-American born and raised in the city of Detroit. He
grew up on Heidelberg Street, which had a very significant impact on his way of seeing.
One of Tyree Guytons most prominent childhood memories was the riot of Detroit in
1967. He recalls thinking that the entire city was on fire.1 The race riot of Detroit was in
response to police brutality, segregation and black unemployment. Martelle states:

11

"History of the Heidelberg Project." History of the Heidelberg Project. N.p., n.d. Web.
27 Nov. 2014.

Siddiqui 2
The 1967 riotor rebellion, as local political progressives and many African
Americans came to call itwas a pivotal moment in the modern trajectory of
Detroit. Nearly a half-century later, areas destroyed during those five days remain
underdeveloped, and the clash between black frustration and white political and
cultural domination continues to reverberate through the city and suburbs.2
The race riots were just the beginning of the years on end of segregation in Detroit. It
sparked the acts of violence on both ends between blacks and whites. It was a propellant
behind already existing forces that dealt with the racial divide. Evidently, people like
Guyton were affected by these spontaneous acts of violence, and would change their
perception of Detroit in years to come.
In 1968, Tyree returned to the familiar street of Heidelberg, and found it in
shambles, riddled with drugs and deepening poverty. He was so used to poverty and
crime surrounding him; it was time for change. As he grew older, Tyree got tired of
seeing vacant homes and rubble outside the window in his deteriorated neighborhood. He
decided to turn the block into a work of art.3 He wanted to do something about the crime
surrounding him, something that was bold, and expressive. He decided to fuel his anger
towards violence in the form of art.
I strive to be a part of the solution. I see and understand how order is needed in
the world and in our individual lives. My experiences have granted me knowledge of how

Martelle, Scott. Detroit: A Biography. Chicago, IL: Chicago Review, 2012. 195. Print.

Alison, Carb Sussman. "Tyree Guyton: Art for the People." Essence 05 1997: 72.

Siddiqui 3
to create art and how to see beauty in everything that exists.4 This is how Tyree Guyton
responded to urban violence, by using his paintbrush as his weapon. He used the
materials around him: cast-off toys, discarded car parts, and other debris along with his
trademark brightly colored polka dots to transform the once crime-ridden street into a
work of art, something beautiful and symbolic of Detroits history.5 This was the epitome
of turning rags to riches, the way he expressed himself and his feelings through his art
was priceless. Discarded objects embodied optimism, growth and change for the city.
With every piece of art there was substance and a vision behind it. Take for
example one of the run-down houses he had revamped. This one in specific, entitled the
Dotty Wotty House followed a polka-dot theme. Guyton decided to decorate this house
with colorful polka dots for two reasons. One of them recognizing his grandfathers love
for jellybeans and the other, more significantly, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.s statement
that, We are all the same color on the inside.6 This draws our attention because Guyton
uses polka dots to symbolize the diversity of our world. Although each one of us is
different, we can unite to diminish barriers between races. He pushed for the belief that
everyone was equal, and this was his very constructed response to the race riots of 1967.7

"The Heidelberg Project | Non Profit | Open-Air Art | Art Education | Detroit." The
Heidelberg Project | Non Profit | Open-Air Art | Art Education | Detroit. N.p., n.d. Web.
5

Connecting The Dots: Tyree Guyton's Heidelberg Project. Detroit: Wayne State UP,
2007. Print.
6

Buffington, Melanie L. "Art to Bring about Change: The Work of Tyree Guyton." Art
Education 60.4 (2007): 25-32.
7

Walters, Wendy S. "Turning the Neighborhood Inside Out: Imagining a New Detroit in
Tyree Guyton's Heidelberg Project." TDR/The Drama Review 45.4 (2001)

Siddiqui 4
Using the beliefs of Martin Luther King Junior, Guyton prompted for change even in
small increments starting on Heidelberg Street. Just like King, he pushed for peaceful
protesting but in his eyes, this could be seen in his art. He brings light to the spectrum of
emotions that people tend to push aside. By making such a bold statement, people would
eventually follow in his footsteps.
Another piece that addresses the severity of racial divide is Guytons art piece
entitled Soles of The Most High. Tyrees grandfather was raised in the South and
would tell Guyton stories about slavery and his memories of seeing lynched bodies of
African Americans thrown into the trees. Guyton wanted to create a piece remembering
the lives of many who were lynched in the South. By keeping this in mind, he collected
discarded shoes and changed their meaning by placing them in the tree.8 When viewing
the shoes hanging from the trees, it gives viewers a sense of closeness, and how personal
each soul was. It draws attention to the severity of racism and how deeply rooted it
manifested in the society of Detroit. Although Detroit was not the South, clearly both
places had to battle issues of racism. This piece in specific promoted a social shift, in the
respect that as representatives of Detroit, we would not want to backtrack and experience
the same bouts of racism that were alive during the 60s. This brings awareness to how
split our society once was, and to be able to put aspects of personalization in art for
everyone to see shows how crucial it was for Guyton to invest his message into the
public.
The Heidelberg Project combatted public response to something negative. It is a
direct way of showing us the ideas shown by Rybczynskis ideology of the city beautiful.
8

Buffington, Melanie L. "Art to Bring about Change: The Work of Tyree Guyton." Art
Education 60.4 (2007): 25-32.

Siddiqui 5
He talks about public art, the push for our cities to become better. We want our cities to
become more inviting, and to prompt the arrival of newcomers. The Heidelberg project is
a reflection of these works of civic art that Rybczynski touches base on. This project
would draw people into the city, and for those who were already inhabitants of the city
would make them proud to represent the city that they live in. This brought together an
extraordinary group of talented and like-minded creative individuals.9 People who
wanted to express their views on politics, racism and religion through art and his
supporters fell under this category. The city beautiful became a rallying cry that brought
together civil reformers, community volunteers, businessmen, and municipal politicians,
with crusading architects and landscape architects.10 In the case of the Heidelberg Project,
this reflected the ideals of the city beautiful because it caused people to pursue a role in
changing the city. It was an exhibit in which people could relate to, and address the issues
they have been tucking past them in an expressional way. People who wanted a voice and
wanted to speak up about racism supported Guytons position and works of art.
Tyree Guytons Heidelberg Project is a performance of history, and exhibits
strengths and limitations to answering the question of what should we do? There have
been instances in which people did not agree with the way that Guyton chose to battle the
problems of the area. Some residents believe that the Project is not safe, and that they do
not understand the purpose behind it. Others actually pushed for the houses he worked on
to be demolished, and they got their way before Guytons supporters fought against its
9

Rybczynski, Witold. "Civic Art." City Life. Simon & Schuster, 1996: n.p., 1995. 13132. Print.

10

Rybczynski, Witold. "Civic Art." City Life. Simon & Schuster, 1996: n.p., 1995. 136.
Print.

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destruction.11 The reason why the voice of the supporters was louder was because the art
put into Heidelberg Street are slivers of hope in a small portion of their city.
Nevertheless, these works of art can help the community work towards harmony
and empowerment. They are more than just polka-dotted paint splattered onto the cement.
It encourages people to put these problems they have been battling for years in front of
them, and address them wholeheartedly. It prompts the youth to delve deeper and learn
about their roots and history, and what makes them the way that they are. It causes people
to freely talk about issues of politics, religion, segregation, homelessness and crime. It is
a new art form that brings about hope for the future, and helps the community put their
differences aside and work together to solve the problems of today. It is not about
discarding the past; it is about reclaiming Detroits history and transforming it into
something valuable in todays world. So yes, this is an answer to what should we do?
because bringing light to deeply rooted issues such as racism, segregation and crime is
what the future youth of Detroit should focus on.

11

Buffington, Melanie L. "Art to Bring about Change: The Work of Tyree Guyton." Art
Education 60.4 (2007): 25-32.

Siddiqui 7
Works Cited
Alison, Carb Sussman. "Tyree Guyton: Art for the People." Essence 05 1997: 72.
Buffington, Melanie L. "Art to Bring About Change: The Work of Tyree Guyton." Art
Education 60.4 (2007): 25-32.
Connecting The Dots: Tyree Guyton's Heidelberg Project. Detroit: Wayne State UP,
2007. Print.
"The Heidelberg Project | Non Profit | Open-Air Art | Art Education | Detroit." The
Heidelberg Project | Non Profit | Open-Air Art | Art Education | Detroit. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2014.
"History of the Heidelberg Project." History of the Heidelberg Project. N.p., n.d. Web. 27
Nov. 2014.
Martelle, Scott. Detroit: A Biography. Chicago, IL: Chicago Review, 2012. Print.
Rybczynski, Witold. City Life. Simon & Schuster, 1996: n.p., 1995. Print.
Walters, Wendy S. "Turning the Neighborhood Inside Out: Imagining a New Detroit in
Tyree Guyton's Heidelberg Project." TDR/The Drama Review 45.4 (2001)