From Liquidation to Little Village: The Arts in Detroit

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Abstract

Early in the twentieth century, Detroit was among the most prosperous and successful cities in the United States, in which a social compact between labor and industry had broad benefits. The later abandonment of Detroit by key industries combined with a political culture of austerity to bring about the city’s economic, demographic, and fiscal collapse. At the turn of the twenty-first century, the city declared bankruptcy and the state of Michigan reluctantly intervened. Among many proposals to resolve the crisis, the most radical envisioned selling much of the artwork that had become part of the city’s patrimony during more prosperous times. This approach was strongly contested and ultimately rejected, in part because of the inherent and abiding value of the arts. More recently, the Little Village project has vindicated those who defended the arts in Detroit. It serves as an example of arts-based community development that has so far avoided the common pitfalls of gentrification.