2010 Top-Rated Nonprofit

The Heidelberg Project

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Nonprofit Overview

Causes: Arts & Culture, Arts Services, Environment, Environmental Beautification, Visual Arts

Mission: The Heidelberg Project (HP) is a Detroit community-based non-profit organization whose mission is to inspire people to appreciate and use artistic expression to enrich and improve their lives, and to improve the social and economic health of the greater community. We envision residents using art to rebuild the structure and fabric of under-resourced communities and creating a way of living that is economically viable, enriches lives, and welcomes all people.

Community Stories

28 Stories from Volunteers, Donors & Supporters

Kelvin Russell

Kelvin Russell General Member of the Public

Rating: 4

05/13/2012

Great projects to revitalize a community that is stricken by blight properiies. I applaud The Heidelberg Project for the great work they do to bring a community back to life.

1

g_curse Volunteer

Rating: 5

01/06/2012

If your looking to volunteer for a non-profit you've come to the right place. I've volunteered twice and I've feel in love with it. I actually had to remember i was volunteering seeing that i was having so much fun. Really rewarding experience and for me life changing. Looking forward to a great 2012 year with the non-profit.

Ashley L. Volunteer

Rating: 5

01/04/2012

I recently volunteered for the Jazzy Nights auction and wasn't quite sure what to expect. Amanda, the event coordinator, and all of the other volunteers were so great -- happy to be there, and they really felt like a family. I admittedly helped out as a way to introduce a non-profit I'm helping out with, and everyone was so eager to introduce me to the right people. I couldn't have asked for a better experience and I'm definitely excited to volunteer sometime again.

nat132 Volunteer

Rating: 5

10/15/2011

Hello mr.Tyree Guyton im the young lady that said i wanted to be a lawyer and i got accepted to a teacher program and you said u will donate some money to help me raise 7,000 dollars. hope you get this and looking forward to hear from you.

ELENOR FLOWSEVELT Client Served

Rating: 5

02/17/2011

I drive through here often...I love what it stands for. I f ever someone has never been I take them there. It kills me that the city demolished some of these homes. The message is inspiring. The whole idea is inspiring. To be honest I really just want to be apart of it.

10

dessa General Member of the Public

Rating: 4

03/07/2010

I love driving and walking through the Heidelberg Project at least once a season- because it always changes and because the weather impacts the art. Whenever I have friends come into town to visit, the Heidelberg Project is on the list of places I'm sure to take them to get a feel for Detroit. They are always amazed! Once, a friend was visiting from Sweden and I took here there. Tyree was there working on a project and asked us to help- very memorable!

5

the-power-of-art General Member of the Public

Rating: 5

02/27/2010

Tyree, Jenenne and the Heidelberg Project are one of Detroit's teasures, one that we share with the world. The language of art surpasses all barriers and speaks volumes about life and the way we live it. The Heidelberg Project challenges each of us who engage in it to rethink our social and economical judgements. It validates our varied cultures and backgrounds and asks us to consider and rethink our priorities. It invites those of all ages and levels of understanding to see that we each have a job to do, we are important as individuals and our comments and actions do matter. Here is a project that has thoughtfully provoked and engaged a world audience...and it started with a kid, a paint brush and some paint.

1

mehditroit Volunteer

Rating: 5

02/26/2010

Hi, I m from France and I visit Detroit as an Air France crew member in charge of the activities for the airline in Detroit. The H.P. is the first place that I had visited in D and then it s one of my favourite place around the world. Education, understanding, openmind, arts, music, colors, people, creation, improvement of man...all these things mean a lot to me. I found a lot of things in H.P. that I couldn't experienced in France in meeting people. For all these things H.P., Tyree Guyton and his works, Jenenne Whitfield and more generally Detroit changed my life and help me to keep faith in what I believe for so long!! True values, Justice and Equality. That's why I love this place and these people and I try to give it back to H.P. and Detroit. Thanks

5

kristin2 General Member of the Public

Rating: 5

02/23/2010

I have been visiting Heidelberg for over ten years now and each time it's different and amazing. The last time we went I was with my eight year old daughter who was able to meet and hang out with Tyree and contribute to the project by painting. While we were there Tyree educated her about the project. She then went back and shared her story with her class and many others. It was a unique experience in which she and I will not forget. We look forward to our next visit soon!

8

colin Former Volunteer

Rating: 5

02/16/2010

The Heidelberg Project (HP) engenders in the participant/viewer an environment conducive and supportive of wonder as well as a sense of community intertwined with hopeful optimism for good and change. Throughout my life I had been aware of the HP through news reports of demolition of decrepit dwellings and of city council hearings and headlines. It was something of a background. Later on, experiencing it and moving through it allowed me to understand the polarity of reactions coming from all

6

kt80 General Member of the Public

Rating: 5

02/15/2010

I can't think of a city with more of a need for community art, or a project with more of an impact on a city. From the moment you approach the Heidelberg Project in Detroit, you are in awe: this is a city still alive and fighting, and it holds a most unique beauty.

5

carol4 General Member of the Public

Rating: 5

02/15/2010

I have been blessed and touched by this project and the work that has been put into such a meaningful project. I trust that the rest shall remain and will continue to grow and that the city will not destroy any more of the embellishments of art at it's finest. The videos that are included with Dominic Murphy's Art are genius. I thank you for continuing the project and always look forward to visiting.

6

terri1 General Member of the Public

Rating: 5

02/14/2010

A visit to the Project on a Saturday is a pure pleasure and an artistic experience. Artist Tyree Guyton is very approachable and kind to visitors and is very often on site to meet guests. The block and surrounding areas are a continuously evolving canvas that takes everyday objects and juxtaposes them in the context of local, national and global events and situations. It is folk art both unique to Detroit and universal in scope. My hope is that the Heidelberg Project continues to grow and evolve as not just an installation and experience but as an inspiration to scores of young artists worldwide.

1

kitosho General Member of the Public

Rating: 5

02/13/2010

I was introduced to the Heidelberg project by my older sister. She showed me a piece that she bought in a heidelberg auction: A clay pot with a blue shoe in it. It didn't make any sense to me at the time, but when she took me there for the first time it all clicked. Converting dilapidated houses, the things that other people had thrown away, into something beautiful - and LOUD. Tyree Guyton isn't simply speaking to the denizens of Detroit - he's calling out nation-wide class divide without subtlety or pretense. The Heidelberg Project is, to me, the most important piece of art in the world, because it has completely transformed my view of humanity. I make it a point to go there every few months, just to remind myself what real art is all about.

6

grit-t-gonzo General Member of the Public

Rating: 5

02/12/2010

Tyree is a man ahead of his time! I really admire his resilience and commitment to his work, as well as his creativity. In the face of extreme adversity and negative vibes, he charges forward, unphased. That is priceless.

5

nick1 General Member of the Public

Rating: 5

02/11/2010

Experiencing the Heidelberg Project was a life changing event. Creativity, hard work and perseverance meld into a monument of hope and possibility.

6

detroiter313 General Member of the Public

Rating: 5

02/11/2010

The Heidelberg Project is a great asset to Detroit! I often will go and visit the Heidelberg Project to keep up with the outdoor art installations that are constantly in progress and evolving. I think Heidelberg could put on even more public events to attract more people at one time, and to increase the commraderie between visitors.

6

katibridge Donor

Rating: 5

02/11/2010

I have been paying attention to the Heidelberg project ever since I heard of and visited it during an art gallery event. I believe it is a great potential model of the way that art can strengthen communities, and of how healthy and empowering a consistent "grass roots" effort can be. The "dot" theme is sheer genius and deceptively simple. The dots unify the project and seem to me to become/symbolize creative and communicative particles that open doors to expansive experience wherever you stand, as well as creating pathways to link you with the world. They take on life and become encouraging friends in a challenging time. This reflects the project as a whole.

4

m.loca Client Served

Rating: 5

02/11/2010

I went there as a visitor to see this crazy abandoned homes art experiment and what I got was a run-down on Detroit's battle between abandoned spaces and art. I admire Tyree Guyton for his vision and his passion to educate people on housing and art and to make beauty where there is 'blight'. I love the experimentation, expansion and repetition. It is powerful and amazing as art and education.

6

lauren1 General Member of the Public

Rating: 5

02/11/2010

Heidelberg is like nothing I have EVER experienced before! It is such an amazing project with a WONDERFUL story and purpose. I was able to meet the artist Tyree Guyton and he was amazing! He actually invited me to participate and paint some dots on some of the projects! That was my highlight of visiting Detroit. I absolutely LOVE all of the creativity and out of the ordinary things within this project. Mr. Guyton takes everyday things that people would throw away and makes them into a beautiful artwork with a purpose. He is extremely talented and has such a great idea and goal. If you have not experienced the Heidelberg project yet, you are missing out. I highly recommend it to ANYONE.

4

germ415 Donor

Rating: 5

02/11/2010

My fiance and I had traveled out to Detroit for a wedding. It was our first visit to Detroit and the groom told me to check out The Heidelberg Project. As we approached the neighborhood, we parked and started wandering around the exhibit. My fiance noticed a man sweeping the streets and performing some yard maintenance so she went over to ask a few questions. Well, the person was Tyree Guyton and he spent the next few hours of his day walking around with us explaining details of the exhibit and answering every question she and I had for him. He was a very impressive person from the way he carried himself to the ideas and artistic expressions he had created in such a desolate area. We met other volunteers around the neighborhood that were just as friendly and helpful as Tyree. The exhibit to me was amazing, to see someone put that much time and effort into their own neighborhood so that the people of the area had something to be proud of was simply awesome. Detroit is struggling and the area around the exhibit is as poor and desolate as I have seen in the U.S.A., but the exhibit brought an aura to the area that puts visitors at ease and is a beacon of hope in a city that is desperate for optimism. As we left the area I could tell that my fiance had just taken her first walk through a poverty stricken area and she was amazed at the kindness of the locals and how one idea could provide so much life to area that would normally seem dead to a visitor like ourselves. The attitude and ideas expressed in the exhibit are the type of ideals the USA needs right now in order to pull itself out of this economic crisis. Tyree Guyton is one solid man running one incredible non-profit.

5

hairwars Professional with expertise in this field

Rating: 5

02/11/2010

The hair industry in Detroit is very active and creative, so we thought the Heidelberg Project was a great way for us to take off a Saturday of working in the salons to share some of the creative hair artistry to the street festival. The Heidelberg Project supplied us with everything we needed and was very professional in presenting their event. We would love to work with them again.

5

courtney2 Volunteer

Rating: 5

02/10/2010

The Heidelberg Project has really helped to broaden my definition of art as expression and service. So often, money is poured into artful expression that only hangs in museums that are frequented by members of a privileged part of our society, and therefore only serves to entertain this privileged class. The Heidelberg Project, however, has not only in some ways redefines the concept of breathtaking artwork, but has simultaneously transformed an entire community in Detroit.

5

bettie-fraser General Member of the Public

Rating: 4

02/10/2010

Hi: My friends and I have been to Heidelberg about four times (from Canada). The last time was to see the fantastic brick work and the sundial. We will be returning in Spring. The enthusiasm of the artists is wonderful. Have a great Winter.....

4

jo1 Donor

Rating: 5

02/10/2010

I have been to visit Tyree Guyton and his Heidelberg many times over the last twenty years. It is my "go to place" when out of town company visits our city. During Thanksgiving 2009 weekend, I scheduled a fun Detroit day and again brought down my family. After a visit to the Avalon Bakery, we drove to HP. Tyree greeted us warmly and invited my son, Zak to paint a polka dot on his house. Huge honor! We took lots of photos and felt like it was a real big honor to be present during this historical opportunity. My guests were blown away by the experience of visiting this living and breathing tribute to creativity. As much as I love it and appreciate the artful and political statements he makes, I have to say, having my son be part of this Detroit legacy will never leave my soul. Thank you to Tyree, Sharon and all the other artists who are inspired by outsider art...Heidelberg is a gift our city gives to everyone who takes the time to really see Detroit.

6

lois1 Donor

Rating: 5

02/10/2010

In my opinion, the Heidelberg Project has created a new definition of "urban art" Tyree Guyton has taken a run-down block in Detroit which looked like any other dilapidated city street and with simple materials has transformed it into a world renowned art scene. It is a place of great beauty in a broad and worldly sense. Indeed, Tyree Guyton and Heidelberg is known and respected internationally. Heidelberg is both a symbol and reality of what can emerge from the ordinary to the extraordinary when talent, energy and purpose combine. The Heidelberg Project has given hope and a new concept of beauty to the City of Detroit. It has inspired many, young and old to see their surroundings and their city in a new and creative way. Thousands of people have learned and grown as a result of their contact with Heidelberg.

4

techne-art General Member of the Public

Rating: 5

02/10/2010

Detroit is an area that is overrun by so much crime and community detachment. The Heidelberg Project allows for community members to use creative skills to make connections with others, solve problems, and help construct not destruct their own environment. The process of using objects that have been disposed of and bringing them back to life in a completely new form could be used as a metaphor for lessons that the participants could be learning in society.

6

nancy3 Volunteer

Rating: 5

02/10/2010

The Heidelberg project shows how art can make a difference. The engery of the volunteers and the creativity of the project I always find inspiring.

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