
In May I posted: "What city will be the next New York?" and lots of folks joined in a freewheeling speculation as to where artists might next land in light of the mounting impossibility of making ends meet in NYC.
Well, check this out? Courtesy of Thomas Cott's You've Cott Mail:
Is Detroit the next artists' haven?
From Flavorpill.com, June 30, 2009
18 visual artists received a boost in the form of $450,000 in grant money from the Michigan-based Kresge Foundation. As the Detroit Free Press reported, "Advocates say the fellowships could have a galvanizing effect on the local arts scene - boosting public perception of an overlooked community, inspiring artists to create more ambitious work and offering them an incentive to remain here rather than leave for New York or elsewhere." Plus, next year the grants will recognize non-visual artists. Does this spell a mass exodus from Brooklyn, the current unofficial borough-of-choice for struggling artists, toward a land free of gentrification and trust-funders?...[M]aybe it's time to give Detroit a shot. As of December, the average price of a home there was $18,513. Back in May Ron English told us that he was involved with a campaign to buy houses in Detroit. "The idea is to create an artists neighborhood and artists housing. He's having all of us pop surrealists donate art to help raise money for this project. A lot of people have said, what kind of person is going to want to live in a neighborhood where the drug dealers are armed and it's very dangerous? People don't understand that artists... All they want is space and time." What do you think: Is Detroit the next Bushwick?
From Flavorpill.com, June 30, 2009
18 visual artists received a boost in the form of $450,000 in grant money from the Michigan-based Kresge Foundation. As the Detroit Free Press reported, "Advocates say the fellowships could have a galvanizing effect on the local arts scene - boosting public perception of an overlooked community, inspiring artists to create more ambitious work and offering them an incentive to remain here rather than leave for New York or elsewhere." Plus, next year the grants will recognize non-visual artists. Does this spell a mass exodus from Brooklyn, the current unofficial borough-of-choice for struggling artists, toward a land free of gentrification and trust-funders?...[M]aybe it's time to give Detroit a shot. As of December, the average price of a home there was $18,513. Back in May Ron English told us that he was involved with a campaign to buy houses in Detroit. "The idea is to create an artists neighborhood and artists housing. He's having all of us pop surrealists donate art to help raise money for this project. A lot of people have said, what kind of person is going to want to live in a neighborhood where the drug dealers are armed and it's very dangerous? People don't understand that artists... All they want is space and time." What do you think: Is Detroit the next Bushwick?