Detroit City Wire

DETROIT - Just weeks after readers and experts at USA Today, the nation’s largest newspaper, named Detroit #4 in the country in creation of beautiful murals, the Office of Arts, Culture and Entrepreneurship will launch a new mural map, mural app and a video declaring intent to make Detroit No.1 in America.

The video, which will debut 10AM Sunday on WDIV Local 4’s Flashpoint, is part of Detroit ACE’s efforts to identify every mural in the city and allow residents and tourists to use their smartphone in front of any mural to identify the artist.

Detroit ACE will launch the new site and map at 7AMFriday, October 28 at detroitmi.gov/ace (detroitartsandculture.com).

City officials and several muralists will take media and invited guests on a bus tour around the city Friday to see 10 of the more than 225 murals already charted on the map. Please RSVP to lacey.holmes@detroitmi.gov by noon Thursday to save your space.

Detroit ACE also will sponsor an online workshop to train mural hunters at 6 p.m. Thursday, November 17th, including street art photographers from around the country, to photograph murals, thus ensuring that the map grows. 

The Detroit Mural City Launch Event and Bus Tour will begin at 11:30 a.m. at Bert’s at Eastern Market at 2727 Russell Street. The 40-minute tour will wind up back at Eastern Market. RSVPs are required.

The murals initiative comes as Mayor Mike Duggan has departments across the city working on a Blight to Beauty campaign to improve neighborhoods citywide. Detroit ACE contracted with CANVS, an art technology company last June. Since then, CANVS has expanded to more than 100 cities with more than 2,000 murals identified and celebrated.  The Detroit ACE Mural Map will feature hundreds of murals and biographies of the artists so people can learn about the creators. The map also will have a search function that makes it easy to find favorite art and artists.  Rochelle Riley, director of arts and culture, said Detroit ACE hopes to better connect residents and visitors with the talented artists who have created and will continue to create iconic murals. 

During the Bus Tour Guests Will: 

• Meet three artists – Ijania Cortez, Waleed Johnson, and Phil Simpson -- whose murals are featured on the tour.
• Use the app and interact with the Detroit Mural Map 

Detroit ACE oversees the city’s investment in its creative economy, supports the city’s creative workforce and uses arts and culture as catalysts for neighborhood and youth education.

Original source can be found here.