In the last 50 years, Detroit has been home to racial tension, riot, protest, strike, automotive and architectural decay; “ruin porn” is at the forefront representing Detroit’s historical aftermath; there have been sparks of creativity beginning to fill the voids and ignite a storm of positivity for a city deemed by media as negative and bleak. The city itself is now becoming the source of inspiration for artists, local and abroad. “Art is one of the last things outsiders associate with Detroit. But drive the streets and you quickly realize the city possesses an energetic, grassroots creative class that not only spreads color, whimsy, and provocation across the landscape, but also serves as an engine of redevelopment.”

The objective was to transform the Globe Trade Building into an artist’s incubator, a provider of space, utility, resource, and machinery. With rentable studios and collaboration space, the process of making and that of production would become transparent, and the public would begin to engage with and become a valued part of this event. The hope is to create a central hub of energy for the city and through teamwork and collaboration, begin to redevelop the visual landscape of Detroit as a means to fight blight with art and vision.