Authenticity
Design by Claire Nelson (2009)One day my friend Torya Blanchard called to say she had this vacant building across the street from her crepe stand that seemed to be attracting lots of taggers and looky-loos. She wanted to paint something on the boarded up windows that would be a bit more attractive and meaningful. So I thought about all kinds of inspirational phrases and quotes, but we ultimately pared it down to just one word. I had participated in a lot of meetings that year to brainstorm ways to promote Detroit as a destination in an honest and compelling way. We always came back to the idea that for better or worse, Detroit is a uniquely authentic city. So Torya bought the paint, Downtown Detroit Partnership granted permission and primed the panels, and some friends showed up on a weekend afternoon to help us transform the boarded up windows of the gorgeous Metropolitan Building. It didn't turn out exactly how I imagined (and it got tagged shortly thereafter). But it was one of those quick, spontaneous public art projects that makes living in Detroit fun.
