clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Local artists create new murals for small businesses across Detroit

By Robin Runyan
Sydney James’ mural in progress at E&S Uniforms on Schaefer Highway
Courtesy of Quicken Loans

Expect to see new murals on the sides of many small businesses in Jefferson-Mack, University District, Rosedale Park, and Springwells over the weekend. A partnership between Quicken Loans and 1xRUN is pairing local artists with local businesses across Detroit to help activate the neighborhoods and celebrate the city’s entrepreneurship culture.

Participating businesses — all graduates of local entrepreneurial training and development programs — are Cutz Lounge The Grooming Shop and Garden Bug in Rosedale Park, Social Sushi and E&S Uniforms and Apparel in University District, La Posada Taqueria Y Carniceria in Springwells Village, and Craft Café in Jefferson-Mack.

“I love the collaboration of this project – you’ve got entrepreneurs, artists and creative people working together to make amazing things happen,” said Dante Williams, Owner/Manager of Cutz Lounge The Grooming Shop. “As a community, we’re really creating synergy and capturing the essence of Detroit.”

The entrepreneurs and artists collaborated on the design for the murals, making each painting unique and representative of their business and neighborhood while keeping with the artist’s style. Four of the six works were designed to allow for multiple painters to work on each mural. Volunteers from Quicken Loans will help complete the murals.

Eastern Market-based 1xRUN, known for Murals in the Market, is curating the Small Business Murals Project.

Sydney G. James works on a mural in the University District

“Over the past 10 years we’ve worked hard to collaborate with local businesses that may be considered more ‘off the beaten path’ to create unique murals that not only allow the artist to express their creative freedoms, but to build on the exploration of art in the City of Detroit,” Jesse Cory, 1xRUN CEO said from his Eastern Market studio. “From the moment we started the conversion with Quicken Loans our entire team was excited to collaborate with a partner that shares our vision for public art in Detroit.”

The murals are expected to be completed by Sunday, May 21.

Next Up In Detroit Public Art