Artist Open Call Coming Valentine’s Day

February 10, 2020 , Detroit – This Valentine’s Day, FCA will join Detroit’s Office of Arts, Culture and Entrepreneurship and City Walls Detroit murals program in showing the city some love. FCA and the City will issue a global open call to artists to create murals that will comprise one of the largest municipal art installations in Detroit’s history.

City Walls Detroit has worked with FCA to identify the canvases for the murals near FCA’s new auto assembly plant. FCA announced in February that it would invest $1.6 billion to convert two existing Mack Avenue facilities into a new assembly site for an all-new, three-row, full-size Jeep® SUV and the next-generation Jeep Grand Cherokee. FCA also will invest $900 million at Jefferson North to retool and modernize the plant for continued production of Dodge Durango and next-generation Jeep Grand Cherokee.

In total, the move will create 4,950 new jobs.

The Canvases for the Mural Project:

• The North Wall, which runs along Beniteau Street, immediately across from Southeastern High School
• The South Wall, located at Beniteau Street and Kercheval Avenue, faces a new stormwater park that includes a walking path, pollinator gardens and an educational pavilion

When the project is completed, Detroit’s east side will have one of the largest municipal mural installations in the region at 15 feet high by 1,500 feet long.

“Our commitment to this city goes well beyond our facility,” said Mark Stewart, Chief Operating Officer of FCA – North America. “We (FCA, the City of Detroit and residents) have a shared responsibility for the neighborhood around the new plant. These murals will reflect the values and identity of the community and our shared vision for a positive future.”

The Goals for the Mural Project are:

• To ensure that the design represents both the rich history and bright future of Detroit’s eastside neighborhoods and engage its residents, especially students, in creating the mural’s design
• To create a mural that leads residents and FCA to partner on further beautification efforts
• To create art that has both educational and aesthetic value
• To create art that reflects the values and identity of the community

In an effort to ensure that the mural reflects the culture and identify of Detroit’s eastside neighborhoods, the City and FCA is engaging local residents, especially students, in creating the mural’s design. Residents of both the Beniteau and Lillibridge communities, and students at Southeastern High School and Detroit Enterprise Academy, will help select a theme for the mural installation. City Walls Detroit will issue the open call and details about the application and selection process will be on the City Walls website on February 14, 2020.

The selection committee will choose an artist or team by June 1, 2020. The project is expected to be completed by October 30, 2020.

“This wonderful gift from FCA is just another example of how much arts and culture are alive and well and thriving here,” said Rochelle Riley, the City’s Director of Arts and Culture. “And even more great things are coming in Detroit, where the arts are a way of life.”

The mural project is part of the Community Benefits Agreement between FCA and the City of Detroit, a partnership that provides more than $35 million in support for neighborhood improvements, housing, workforce development, education and training programs, and environmental initiatives.

For more information, contact John Roach at City Hall at roachj@detroitmi.gov or 313-244-7857 or Rochelle Riley at 313-720-1016 or rileyro@detroitmi.gov. Artists should contact Zachary Meers at citywalls@detroitmi.gov.