Program areas at Sidewalk Detroit
Eliza howell park: each year, Sidewalk Detroit selects talented artists and community organizations to lead weekly outdoor workshops in eliza howell park. Through weekly programming, Sidewalk Detroit is able to connect neighbors with art in this serene natural landscape to improve the community's mental and physical wellness and increase awareness of ourselves as part of the ecosystem. Since 2018, Sidewalk has hosted jax nights and other special events to celebrate the gestural natural green spaces in eliza howell park. Like other weekly events, these are intended to bring art, community, and nature together to share out connectedness. In 2022, Sidewalk Detroit held regular public events with opportunities to attend guided nature walks, create take-home art projects, and engage with community members in yoga and otherwise. 2022-2023 also included continued improvements to the infrastructure such as new and improved trails, way-finding signage,trailheads, and natural habitats rumination.
Consultant work: Sidewalk Detroit earns income through consultancy work focused on community engagement. The 2022-2023 fiscal year included work with the city of pittsburgh, the city of grand rapids, and the city of Detroit on several different projects including the joe louis greenway neighborhood planning study, the arts alleys initiative, and vibrant blocks for business commercial corridors project. These projects focus on deep community engagement throughout the development processes in these cities and their neighborhoods to give residents an opportunity to voice their concerns, opinions, and ideas through the projects planning process.
Sidewalk festival Sidewalk festival doesn't use traditional stages - artists are challenged to create site-specific performance and installation art for the alleys, gardens, storefronts, courtyards, parking lots and streets of Detroit. This festival serves as a sacred space for the convening of boundary-pushing artists, residents, curious art lovers and those of.adventurous spirit. In 2023, Sidewalk festival returned to two neighborhoods and added an artist residency component that features a permanent art installation at both locations. The residency, like the festival, focuses on deep engagement with the community and partnerships with local community-led organizations to develop a vision for the festival and art installation.