Tyree Guyton, an artist best known for his east side Heidelberg Project, a two-block installation of discarded objects, has brought another multihued, open-air art concept to a different part of town.
Spectators flocked Saturday to Edmund Place, east of Woodward, to examine and admire "Street Folk," an environmental installation that features thousands of shoes of every type on display along a city block. At first glance, they appear randomly scattered, but closer inspection reveals intentional design elements, including a peace sign on one end of the exhibit. Many of the worn shoes were donated by people who had stories to tell. Their testimonials were posted on a nearby gate. One letter read: "Dear Tyree, these shoes represent my mom. Please hold them in your hands and feel what a good person she was." The exhibit is part of a five-day art event with newly commissioned works, concerts, lectures and performances through Sunday at locations across Midtown, including the Detroit Science Center, Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit and Charles H. Wright Museum of African-American History. Guyton's installation will remain on display through April 24. Some visitors to the site said they felt moved by the massive piece. "It's telling the story of what these shoes have been through. It's a spiritual thing," said 20-year-old Devin Agee, a college student and Detroit resident. "Shoes carry history." Read More >>>>>> 
