Public art in Detroit is becoming more visible now that a billboard project by a group of local artists and entrepreneurs is standing vigil over I-94 in Midtown.
The painting, titled "The Rebuild," features a trio of futuristic sibling laborers inspired by Ford, Chrysler & GM triangulated around the globe working in unison. The logos for the automakers have been blocked intellectual property issues, but the spirit of the piece is to draw attention to the Big Three's place as a leader in Metro Detroit. The painting, created by
Miguel "BeloZro" Yeoman, also displays the phrase "Imagine, Detroit working together?"
"It's a bold statement of the three major stakeholders of Detroit that don't normally collaborate working together for the city," says James Feagin, project manager for
Imagine Detroit Together.
Feagin is the head of Marketing & Strategic Management for BeloZro Visual Energy, a creative firm based on the Yeoman’s artwork. He and
LOVELAND Technologies co-founder
Jerry Paffendorf, who raised $67,000 to build a statue of Robocop last year, raised $3,500 to purchase the billboard through
loudsauce.com.
The painting went onto the billboard, located at Second Avenue and I-94, on Jan 14 and will remain there for four weeks. It is visible to motorists driving on both I-94 and the Lodge Freeway.
"The message is the project itself," Feagin says. "We have a lot of talented people coming together to make this happen. What you have here is a model of how you tackle problems in the city."
Source: James Feagin, project manager for Imagine Detroit Together
Writer: Jon Zemke
Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at
SEMichiganStartup.com.
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