Sun in Pisces: One Man’s Junk…

I’ve always loved the saying, “one man’s junk is another man’s treasure.” Today, the Sun enters dreamy, magical, transformative Pisces, the sign that knows how to go deep into the underground to mine for gold. So it’s fitting for me to write about one of my favorite artists, Tyree Guyton, whose work takes this expression to a completely brilliant level.

Guyton, like myself, was born and raised in Detroit, MI. In 1967 (5 years before I was born), he watched the city burn in the riots. In 1986, he was moved to take a stand against the poverty, crime, and despair that blanketed our home city. Thus, The Heidelberg Project was born. Using vacant lots and mostly abandoned houses (including the one he grew up in) as his canvas and discarded objects as him medium, he’s turned an entire city block into a vibrant Wonderland.

When I was home for Thanksgiving, I brought my husband Cory to see The Heidelberg Project. Fortunately, Cory rarely leaves home without a camera around his neck. I’d visited once before as a 1994 art school student, but I’d heard that the Detroit City Council was trying to force Guyton to dismantle. Still, I was determined to find what was left of it, because it represents what I’m most p

roud of in my Detroit heritage: an unstoppable creativity that rises in us natives of “The D” like a phoenix from the ashes.

I knew to look for the polka dots–the prevailing symbol of Guyton’s work–which symbolizes, in his words, “a celebration of color, diversity, and harmony” and were inspired by his grandfather’s love of jellybeans.  We spotted one or two, then, success! We were transported to Urban Oz.

The Heidelberg Project springs up unexpectedly amidst houses that are literally caving in, as if they were once part of a war zone. The 2005 census figures shows that the zip code in which it’s located is the most economically depressed neighborhood in the country. In spite of that, Guyton continues to catalyze change through his art. Although he travels the world exhibiting and educating, we had the good fortune to visit on a day when he was on site at The Heidelberg Project.

After finding out that Guyton is a Virgo (who else would have the patience to individually attach pennies to an entire panel of a house as he did in the aptly titled “The House That Makes Sense”!), I talked to him at length about the project. Virgos are also the sign that rules community service, and his artwork has done wonders for attracting people who were once afraid to venture forth from their suburban homes into the belly of one of Detroit’s most hardcore ‘hoods. It is indeed one of Guyton’s desires is to bring more people to the city of Detroit, to see what’s happening, to see what a community can create when people work together through art and imagination.

As I was chatting away with the artist, who modestly introduced himself as Tyree, it came up that I had a fear of heights. His response was to invite me to climb a ten-foot ladder and paint a polka dot on the side of a house, then, write about the experience in a book that’s will be traveling with him to Africa when he goes to teach there this year.

I took him up on his offer and ascended, my knees shaking. It was completely exhilirating; not just because I was conquering a fear, but because I got to participate in art as activism. With the Sun touring Pisces for the next thirty days, there’s so much power in following Guyton’s lead. Create artwork where you once only saw decay. Invite people to join you; shift the viewfinder in their lens. Inspire them to see hope. The human ability to create beauty, when combined with a higher purpose, is pure Divine inspiration.

Guyton is a living example of that power. Stop by and visit him in Detroit, he’ll be happy to welcome you: www.heidelberg.org

If you’re feeling it, as I certainly was, please make a donation to his work. I firmly believe that art has the power to transform the world, and, like Tyree Guyton, we can start with our corner of it.

*Tali

Photos by Cory Verellen

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