Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Thesis Format

Monograph

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy

Program

Art and Visual Culture

Supervisor

Bassnett, Sarah

Abstract

This dissertation considers the City of Detroit as a case study for analyzing the complex role that artists and art institutions are playing in the potential re-growth and revitalization of the city. I specifically look at artists and arts organizations who are working against the popular narrative of Detroit as “ruin city.” Their efforts create counter narratives that emphasize stories of survival and showcase vibrant communities. By focussing on artist-led and institutional initiatives, I emphasize the importance of art in both community and narrative-building.

This research has taken the form of a written dissertation and two adapted projects, and positions scholarship on urban revitalization and critical race theory in relation to gentrification. Using existing socio-political theories, I carry out a critical analysis of Detroit specifically because it is a real-time case study of a post-industrial city in the process of major revitalization. There are many cities in the United States that have and are currently experiencing similar transformations, but Detroit is distinctly significant for two important reasons. Never in the history of the U.S. has a city like Detroit, once so economically prosperous, declared bankruptcy.[1] Secondly, Detroit fell so hard during this bankruptcy and the time leading up to it, that a space opened up for new opportunities, creativity and innovations born of resourcefulness due to the lack – lack of food, lack of housing, lack of clean water, lack of people, etc. So now, all eyes are on Detroit. What has the city, its institutions and organizations done? And what effect has this attention had on the grassroots movements, artist and community projects that grew in the spaces created by this bankruptcy? Detroit represents a city filled with possibility: the possibility to tell a different story of recovery.

[1] On July 18, 2013, the City of Detroit filed for Chapter 9 Bankruptcy protection, marking the largest municipal bankruptcy in the history of the United States.

Summary for Lay Audience

This dissertation is about the role of art in the revitalization of Detroit. Specifically, I look at the role artists, art projects, and the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) have in shifting the negative narrative of Detroit from “ruin city” to a people-centred narrative. I look at projects by artists from Detroit, both those currently residing in and those returning to the city. Their art includes photography, film, and installation work and allows the people of Detroit to tell the story of their city from their own perspectives. Additionally, I examine how the bankruptcy of Detroit affected its art museum, and the types of exhibitions, programming, and revitalization efforts resulting from this event. By focussing on artist-led and institutional initiatives, I emphasize the importance of art in both community and narrative-building.

This research has taken the form of a written dissertation and two adapted projects – a guest panel of arts and culture workers from London, Windsor, and Detroit; and an exhibition of artist Suzy Lake and filmmaker Orland Ford’s work on Detroit. There are many cities in the United States that have and are currently experiencing similar transformations, but Detroit is distinctly significant for two important reasons. Never in the history of the U.S. has a city like Detroit, once so economically prosperous, declared bankruptcy.[1] Secondly, Detroit fell so hard during this bankruptcy and the time leading up to it, that a space opened up for new opportunities, creativity and innovations born of resourcefulness due to the lack – lack of food, lack of housing, lack of clean water, lack of people, etc. So now, all eyes are on Detroit. What has the city, its institutions and organizations done? And what effect has this attention had on the grassroots movements, artist and community projects that grew in the spaces created by this bankruptcy? Detroit represents a city filled with possibility: the possibility to tell a different story of recovery.

[1] On July 18, 2013, the City of Detroit filed for Chapter 9 Bankruptcy protection, marking the largest municipal bankruptcy in the history of the United States.

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