Murals at Lincoln Street Art Park by Andrew McFarlane

The whole idea behind Michigan in Pictures is to share to work of other photographers to help people see the state that I love from every angle, but on my birthday I like to share my own photos.

Since today is my birthday, I’m going to take the time to introduce you to something near & dear to my heart, the Lincoln Street Art Park in Detroit & Make Art Work, the nonprofit that seeks to preserve & enhance this incredible place. Instead of listing all the ways tmy spirit has been fed & connected by this wildly unique blend of art & community, I’ll let Maryam Moss of the Oakland Post explain how Lincoln Street Art Park has turned trash to treasure:

Lincoln St. Art Park, on 5929 Lincoln St. near the Northwest Goldberg neighborhood in Detroit, was opened to the public in 2011 by Matthew Naimi, also founder of Recycle Here!, a recycling center adjacent to the park. 

The vision for the park was born out of a community cleanup effort to transform an industrial lot, once the site of an auto plant managed by Warren Motor Car Co., and, later, Ford Motor Co. The center, described by Naimi as “Detroit’s destination for recycling for 15 years,” encourages a public participation in patronizing and creating sustainable art, after the “take something, leave another behind” ideology of the Little Free Libraries found across U.S. communities. 

…The park features mounted mural art, graffitied sections of brick and sculpture installations as part of an outdoor walk-through gallery where bright swaths of paint contrast against the rugged brick interior and uneven lawn. 

Learn how you can help protect it through Make Art Work’s campaign to raise money for Lincoln Street Art Park!

PS: The murals in the top photo were painted by (left to right) Zach Curtis, Ghostbeard, and FEL300FT.