“Before [The Alley Project] there were many murders in a in a three-, four-month period…And what’s incredible about this particular project is that residents can see [crime] actually move away. Now it actually feels peaceful. That’s what’s amazing. This place, you can stand here and it feels … peaceful, and it’s because of TAP.”

Dan Pitera, advisor to the TAP Gallery, Associate Professor of Architecture, Director of Detroit Collaborative Design Center

Check back soon to see an interview with founder Erik Howard and professor Dan Pitera as they give a walking tour of TAP.

Below are snippets of my interview with Amanda Sansoterra. She is the assistant to the artist Tyree Guyton, the director of the Emerging Artist Program, and the intern/volunteer coordinator at the Heidelberg Project.

ArtRoots: Did the Heidelberg Project always have support from the community, foundations, & government?

Amanda Sansoterra: Goodness no! The Heidelberg Project is 26 years old this year. The community and government despised the project and parts of it were torn demolished, twice. Oh, probably within the past 8 years we have begun to gain support from the community and within the past few years we’ve been recognized by amazing foundations. We’ve Always had a major following of supporters who adore and respect the project and see it’s value.

AR: How did Tyree initially fund the project?

AS: It was all out of pocket.

AR: Was this Tyree’s first major community project? Was it yours?

AS: Major…yes. Me as well. I’ve not been involved with a project as big as the Heidelberg Project…

AR: How do you measure the success of this project?

AS: We do look at a few…statistics. Here is a link to an article that was done on Heidelberg’s economic impact: http://web.williams.edu/Economics/ArtsEcon/library/pdfs/HPEconImpWayneCo.pdf 

For many of us here at the Project, we measure success by the stories that are shared with us of inspiration, hope and change and by witnessing these things ourselves.

AR: In many ways HP achieved things the government failed to do…create good public space, increase safety, etc. Were these goals Tyree had in mind when he started the project?

AS: Absolutely. The fact that the city was not doing anything to better his neighborhood, prompted Tyree to make the change he wanted to see for himself.

“The problem with being “flavor of the month” of the art world is that it can disempower others from believing they can be doing the same thing. The truth is, any group of individuals could get together, and are getting together, to get information out on the street.” -Gran Fury The Illuminated Mural. Artists: Katie Craig and Brandon Dougerty. Location: 2937 East Grand Boulevard, Detroit, MI. Photo by me.  Source: Gran Fury. Gran Fury: Read My Lips. Comp. Michael Cohen. New York: 80WSE, 2011 . Visit the Gran Fury exhibition at NYU through March 17 at 80 Washington Sq. East.  

“The problem with being “flavor of the month” of the art world is that it can disempower others from believing they can be doing the same thing. The truth is, any group of individuals could get together, and are getting together, to get information out on the street.” -Gran Fury

The Illuminated Mural. Artists: Katie Craig and Brandon Dougerty. Location: 2937 East Grand Boulevard, Detroit, MI. Photo by me. 

Source: Gran Fury. Gran Fury: Read My Lips. Comp. Michael Cohen. New York: 80WSE, 2011 . Visit the Gran Fury exhibition at NYU through March 17 at 80 Washington Sq. East.