City Walls campaign announces 15 new mural locations to transform more Blight to Beauty

• 12 artists selected to paint murals in 15 locations across the Motor City 

The City of Detroit celebrates the announcement of 15 additional locations across the City that will be beautified with stunning murals by 12 artists selected for the second wave of the 2023 City Walls campaign.     

The announcement follows an extensive search through City Walls' second wave of open calls for its three newest projects for Dexter Ave., Gratiot/7Mile, and the Joe Louis Greenway.  The winning artists for this round were selected from more than 200 submissions. 

The announcement follows the first wave of murals, which featured 25 artists. The mural project places emphasis on community engagement, highlighting each selected neighborhood and values. City Walls murals work to create a sense of community, beautify the space, and inspire creativity and wonder, while emphasizing how communities, neighbors and local artist can “show love the Detroit way.”  

City leaders say with projects like City Walls, Detroit is on its way to becoming the #1 destination in the United States for Murals.   

"I have seen firsthand the positive impact that murals can have on communities, especially with the way we engage with them to create the vision for the murals," explained Bethany Howard, City Walls' program manager. "Murals brighten up neighborhoods and create a sense of ownership. I am excited to continue working with City Walls to bring more murals to Detroit to help the City achieve its goal of becoming a national leader in public art.” 

Blight to Beauty 

City Walls was created initially in 2017 to replace graffiti-covered walls and viaducts in the City with attractive murals. Since its creation, more than 125 murals have been completed, building on Mayor Duggan's Blight to Beauty campaign. They include the program's 100th mural, "The Spirit" by Detroit artist Waleed Johnson, representing an African American woman as the Spirit of Detroit. The mural is located on Van Dyke at Mack Avenue.  

"#ShowLoveTheDetroitWay is a hashing that I take to heart and really translates to everyone involved being committed to doing our part to make Detroit more vibrant & beautiful one mural at a time," added Howard.   

Winners for Dexter Ave.: 

Fel’le: Fel’le, a nationally renowned artist and Detroit native, began painting at the age of 14 and has since grown to have a long-standing career of accomplishments. Felle has painted stage backdrops for a vast array of celebrities including Tyler Perry, Beyonce, Jay-Z, R. Kelly, and Kanye West - to name a few. In 2014, Felle appeared on GSN’s hit reality TV show, “Skin Wars," working with renowned talents RuPaul, Rebecca Romijin, Robin Slonina and Craig Tracey. His passion for his community and art alike were the sole inspiration for the birth of his best work yet! 

Nicole MacDonald: Nicole MacDonald is an artist and community advocate in Detroit focusing on city history and neighborhood empowerment. She has made large-scale public installations on abandoned buildings for over ten years, as well as murals in partnership with communities in Southeast Michigan. In all her work, she focuses on bringing to light alternative histories that may otherwise be papered over by a more mainstream agenda.  

Marlo Broughton: Marlo Broughton’s paintings involve bold, black and white portraits layered with vibrant colors, images of moments in Black history, and painterly depictions of clouds and stars. His clean graphic details are meant to captivate the viewer, reminiscent of a stencil image used in street art. Marlo is very intentional with how he uses color and composition in his work to create an emotional resonance with the viewer.  

Trae Isaac: Trae Issac has been a Fine Artist and Creative Director for 15 years. He is driven by genuine passion for manifesting awe-inspiring and psychologically empowering pieces of art. Based on his life as a person who has had to find power through loss and peace through discomfort. His psyche is inspired by a need to do and be greater for himself and those around him who in turn inspire and motivate. 

Winners for Gratiot/7 Mile: 

Phillip Simpson: Phillip Simpson was born and raised in 48205. He has spent his whole life being an advocate for the Osborn Neighborhood. His mural design is inspired by the children, the heart of the community. Art changed Phil’s life as a kid, and he hopes that this mural inspires all the children to follow their dreams and be great. 

Nick Pizana & Mieyoshi Ragernoir: The idea behind Nick Pizana and Mieyoshi Ragernoir’s sketch is the old saying “Home is where the heart is.” For this mural Mieyoshi painted a joyful woman as the focal point. Around her are design elements inspired by the area and surrounding architecture of houses and historic buildings. With this the hope is to reinforce the neighborhood identity and a sense of community pride. 

Ani Garabedian: For the past decade, Ani Garabedian has regularly collaborated with local community members and artists to create large-scale murals and public art projects. Through this process, Ani builds relationships with fellow artists as well as with the communities where they work. Collaboration has been an ideal way to share ideas, place more power behind an objective, serve communities, and learn from one another.  

Torrence Jayy: A Detroit based artist, Torrence Jackson aka (Torrence Jayy) focuses on painting, illustrations, and murals. His art skill and techniques are conducted through practicing self-taught methods. He is inspired and influenced by a multitude of topics and backgrounds such as Detroit, Afrofuturism, pop culture, fashion, and cartoons. Torrence implements various iconic figures and multiple characters, personal memoirs, and stories into his works. 

Trae Isaac (see biography above) 

Winners for Joe Louis Greenway: 

Esan Sommersell: Esan Sommersell is a Grand-Rapids based artist and designer driven by his zeal for creating dynamic and meaningful works of art. Esan’s painting aim to blur the line between reality and imagination, inviting viewers to delve deeper into their emotions and perceptions. Whether through mural installations or canvas paintings, Esan's art reflects the limitless possibilities of the creative mind. As an artist who thrives on creating thought-provoking art pieces, he is excited to propose a mural design that represents community and togetherness. 

Carson DeYoung: Carson DeYoung’s artistic practice began with visual inspiration from nearly a decade of collage work on canvas. Wanting the freedom of working on a larger scale, Carson decided to take his collages to the wall. Carson’s work juxtaposes and layers the bold and obscure, and conveys his interpretation and interest in people, history and culture through a surrealistic lens. 

Marlo Broughton (see biography above) 

Sintex: Sintex is driven by Detroit’s vibrant history and culture. He seeks to encapsulate its’ essence on every canvas. For Sintex, each wall becomes a platform for storytelling, inspiration, and introspection. Sintex’s art embodies the city’s resilient spirit. Sintex firmly believes in art’s ability to uplift communities, challenge perspectives, and ignite positive change.  

Trae Isaac (see biography above) 

Robin Speth: Robin Speth loves to explore. Wandering around the forest near his home or creeping through the alleys and fields of Detroit is what brings Robin joy. That sense of discovery and the unknown is powerful. It is the same in art. Every so often Robin finds a combination of peace and exhilaration within the act of creation where he is vitalized. Robin explores the depths of both canvas and mind, gradually carving out forms, and stumbling upon subjects. He hopes that his work makes others feel alive. 

As it beautifies the city, the City Walls program also highlights the values and identity of the communities in which the artwork is being created. More than 70 artists have already taken part in the City Walls program, which has boosted the local art economy by providing artists with funding and resources, so far infusing more than $1,000,000 in the Detroit arts community. 

These murals are only a part of City Walls’ work; the selection panel is actively working to identify “Sites of Beauty” for sculpture and art instillation projects.  Stay up to date on the site announcement selection, and other City Walls updates on the City Walls Instagram Page. 

The City Walls murals are also part of a major citywide initiative called Detroit Mural City that involves multiple city departments bringing beautiful murals to city neighborhoods. Detroit has been named as one of the Top Ten cities in the country for beautiful murals. (We are No. 5). The City is documenting every map in the city on the Detroit Mural City Map, which was launched last year and is connected to an app that lets users identify murals on site. Nearly 500 murals live on the site now. The map can be found HERE.