The Heidelberg Project is an outdoor art project in Detroit, Michigan. It was created in 1986 by artist Tyree Guyton and his grandfather Sam Mackey ("Grandpa Sam") as an outdoor art environment in the McDougall-Hunt neighborhood on the city's east side, just north of the city's historically African-American Black Bottom area. The Heidelberg Project is, in part, a political protest, as Tyree Guyton's childhood neighborhood began to deteriorate after the 1967 riots. Guyton described coming back to Heidelberg Street after serving in the Army; he was astonished to see that the surrounding neighborhood looked as if "a bomb went off".[1]
At first, the project consisted of his painting a series of houses on Detroit's Heidelberg Street with bright dots of many colors and attaching salvaged items to the houses. It was a constantly evolving work that transformed a hard-core inner-city neighborhood where people were afraid to walk, even in daytime, into one in which neighbors took pride and where visitors were many and welcomed. Tyree Guyton worked on the Heidelberg Project daily with the children on the block. He and director Jenenne Whitfield gave lectures and workshops on the project around the country. Their main goal was to develop the Heidelberg Project into the city's first indoor and outdoor museum, complete with an artists' colony, creative art center, community garden, amphitheater, and more.
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On two occasions, the Heidelberg Project faced complete destruction by the City of Detroit on the basis of the barriers to urban planning it represented. In November 1991, under Mayor Coleman Young, the Heidelberg Project's "The Baby Boy House," "Fun House" and "Truck Stop" were completely demolished.. Under Mayor Dennis Archer, a second demolition of the Heidelberg Project was ordered on February 4, 1999 that ended in the destruction of the houses Guyton termed "Your World", "Happy Feet" and "The Canfield House".[2]
The Heidelberg Project celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.[3]
The Heidelberg Project is recognized around the world as a demonstration of the power of creativity in creating hope and a bright vision for the future.[4] Some of the houses that remain on Heidelberg Street include the "New White House (formerly Dotty Wotty)", "Number House" and "Obstruction of Justice (OJ) House", along with the Detroit Industrial Gallery, an artist studio/home that was purchased and maintained by Detroit artist Tim Burke.
The Heidelberg Project hopes to offer a new approach to the growing problems of urban sprawl and decay facing many American and other international "Shrinking cities". This approach has garnered international attention, especially since the Heidelberg Project continues its maturation. The 20th Anniversary of the Heidelberg Project was celebrated on August 26, 2006, with a community festival, an event that ended a year of special attention. MTV producers filmed a segment for its show Made using the Heidelberg Project as a backdrop. Fashion model Kate Moss visited the Heidelberg Project with photographer Bruce Webber to photograph the City of Detroit for a special edition of W (magazine) in June 2006.
In 2007, two books were published about the Heidelberg Project. A children's book was written by Linda McLean,[5] and a coffee-table book, entitled Connecting the Dots: Tyree Guyton's Heidelberg Project was published by Wayne State University Press.[6] In 2011, the HP released its first children's book, "Magic Trash: A Story of Tyree Guyton and His Art".[7]
In 2008, the project was one of 15 projects representing the United States at the 2008 Venice Architecture Biennale.
The Heidelberg Project has received many visitors to its East Side location, including Counting Crows,[8] and Jason McGovern.