A Detroit skate and sculpture park will be the beneficiary of a $50,000 grant awarded by the Joyce Foundation to Jamaicana-born artist Nari Ward and Detroit arts and community group Power House Productions. The two will partner on the construction of a new sculpture for the park on Detroit's east side.
Ride It Sculpture Park is located at the intersection of the E. Davison Freeway and Klinger Street, just north of Hamtramck. Power House Productions built the park, converting an unused vacant lot into a skate park, art installation, and community space. They've received national attention for the park, even drawing in legendary skateboarder Tony Hawk, who visited Ride It in 2013 and, through his foundation, awarded Power House Productions a $30,000 grant.
Ward plans on using the Joyce Award to spend the year in Detroit, where he'll take in the city and find inspiration for his sculpture. He'll also use that time to find locally-sourced materials for his piece.
"I have always wanted to come back and do another project in Detroit," says Ward. "The opportunity to work with Power House Productions on a large scale public sculpture offers me this opportunity. I look forward to encounter, experiment with, and accompany a community with humility and respect."
Also winning a $50,000 Joyce Award is Sanford Biggers. The New York City-based artist will partner with the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit in the creation of "Subjective Cosmology," a multidisciplinary piece that will explore American history. Biggers also plans on spending a year in the city as he gathers inspiration for the project and meets local artists and musicians.
The Joyce Awards presents itself as the only program to specifically support artists of color in the major cities throughout the Great Lakes region. A project in Chicago and a project in the Twin Cities join the two projects in Detroit as $50,000 winners.
Source: Joyce Foundation press release
Writer: MJ Galbraith
Got a development news story to share? Email MJ Galbraith here or send him a tweet @mikegalbraith.
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.