Sidewalk Detroit

Sidewalk exists to advance public life and strong social infrastructure through the lens of arts, culture, collaborative design, and deep engagement with residents. Sidewalk Detroit was launched in 2012 to celebrate the landscape and culture of Detroit. Founder and Executive Director, Ryan Myers-Johnson launched the annual Sidewalk Festival with family and friends to celebrate the magic of Detroit's neighborhood streetscapes, with an emphasis on the Northwest Detroit neighborhood of Old Redford. Sidewalk Festival is an outdoor celebration of performance and installation art that attracts 5-6,000 attendees annually. Since its conception, the Sidewalk Festival has grown to welcome thousands of attendees each year, boasting dozens of one-of-a-kind place-based performances and installations from both local and national artists. Now in its 10th year, this festival produces and curates artists and arts organizations; seeding the creation of new, place based projects in unique spaces on the west side, uplifting voices of artists and community members through the production of socially relevant works that highlight the spirit of the community and promote walkability. Since its conception, the Sidewalk Festival has grown to welcome thousands of attendees each year, boasting dozens of one-of-a-kind place-based performances and installations from both local and national artists. Sidewalk Detroit continues to grow out of that same passion for celebrating spaces with art. In 2016, we began our work to uplift the 250-acre Eliza Howell Park in Northwest Detroit. Sidewalk Detroit has been using deep community engagement, innovative arts programming and park beautification upgrades as ways to re-activate and renew public engagement with the park. This work is part of a long term vision to curate outdoor interventions specific to the Brightmoor community and to produce events in the park with the shared aims of engaging residents in artistic and recreational activities: a yearly park event schedule that includes performances and weekly arts classes throughout the season. To date, we’ve engaged over 2,000 attendees in these events and raised funds to invest in park improvements. Our commitment to this space continues as finalize the Phase II park improvements from the community-generated Eliza Howell Park Improvement Plan and begin on Phase III.

Sidewalk Detroit practices an inclusive approach to creative city, neighborhood and greenspace building that combines vision of residents, strategy, and artistic ideation to create engaging spaces, programs and experiences that improve communities across metro-Detroit. We seek to improve livability for residents through the promotion of spatial equity and strong social infrastructure. Our emphasis is on public art, cultural programming and deep engagement with community members. We facilitate processes in which residents are empowered to reclaim their spaces and envision their future.