Bringing Art into the Community

Something amazing happens when art is brought out of the gallery and placed in the community. No longer is the art something that seems to be distanced from the viewer behind red velvet ropes - no, the art has left the professional space and made its home with people. It can now be touched and appreciated in a new way, in a more familiar setting. There are many public art projects in the world and they often aim to benefit the community that they live within. A great example of this is the Heidelberg Project, founded by artist Tyree Guyton and his grandfather. In order to combat the physical and social deterioration of a Detroit neighborhood, Guyton began taking old things, beautifying them, and placing them on display, almost as if the neighborhood itself were a gallery. Rows and rows of shoes, old televisions, polka-dotted houses, torn stuffed animals, and more adorn the neighborhood's lawns and street corners. Because of the Heidelberg Project, the people of this neighborhood now have a sense of pride and people from all over travel to see it. The project brought positive attention there when before it seemed as if there was only negativity. Guyton says, "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 to create art and how to see beauty in everything that exists." The Heidelberg Project is just one example of public art that empowers a community, and it didn't cost too much to create it: only collecting old things, painting them, and arranging them in a place for all to see. How can we affect Birmingham this way? Or at least one of its 99 neighborhoods? All it takes is an idea and motivation to pursue that idea, and there is no limit to the amazing things we can do to impact our city through art. Let your imagination run wild. What is something that Birmingham needs and how can we promote or supply it through public art? For more information about the Heidelberg Project, click here.