Urban Art

 For the past few years I have taken a great interest in art. I guess it started when I worked at a French Impressionist art gallery for a few summers up north, but now my interest has shifted to a more modern type of profession. Urban art. So, what is it? For those of you who don't know, urban art is simply a type of art that is created by the city surrounding it's artist. Coming from Detroit, Michigan, I have seen my fair share of urban art especially downtown due to it's current economical situation. Tyree Guyton is best known for his work of "The Heidelberg Project" which reflects the neglected city's cry for help.

      Located just north of the city, Guyton has taken abandon streets and has turned them into works of art on the blocks of Mt. Elliott and Heidelberg. He started in the late 80's being inspired by his Grandpa and has continued his work still today. His houses range from a "Polka Dot" that is covered in colored dots to his "Animal House" which is adorned with stuffed animals from the roof to the ground. However, while many support Tyree for taking rundown streets and livening them up, others are very opposed. They claim that the so called "art" is an eye sore for their neighborhood and want it to be taken down immediately. They claim urban art isn't an expression and therefore cannot be qualified as "art". 

     But what defines art? There are plenty of artists out there just like Guyton who have taken traditional art and made it something of their own. They put just as much thought, creativity, and emotion to their artwork as previous artists have so why isn't it considered equal?