MEXICAN TOWN MURALISM IN SOUTHWEST DETROIT

Notice the Mexican symbolism behind the head & flowers. 

Vibrantly painted murals on buildings in Mexicantown, Detroit, capture actual Mexican Muralism of the large cities, a social and political movement that started in the 1920s in the country with the goal is informing people about the importance of Revolution.  The murals united the Mexican population.

And the movement spread as more people immigrated from Mexico to different areas of the U.S. including Detroit.

For example, in Mexican Town, extraordinary large outdoor paintings of people, ideals, flowers and movements punctuate the Bagley and Vernor areas, the main thoroughfares – yet there are more streets that capture the essence of this beautiful and historic culture.

Spend a day there and you can see murals under bridges, on fences, on portions of overpasses and rocks.  Even the benches at Clark Park boast incredible paintings – rich, lush and colorful with its own vibration.

The artists themselves understand how to prepare their “canvas” to create a lasting work.  They clean the surface, use acrylic exterior paints; pour them into plastic containers with wide openings, have a large flat brush for big open areas and a rounded brush for outlining and seal it with polyurethane.

Artists, painters, musicians make up the residential population in Mexican Town, and they have no inhibitions about showcasing their work. It's the best place to see theme-based outdoor art in one section of the City. And there is plenty of it.

Professional artists as well as students from Wayne State University visited some businesses and offered to paint their expressions, with the owners permission, on the outside of the buildings. Works are jaw-droppingly wonderful.

There's even a section called The Alley Project, a one block museum where you can sit and contemplate the awesome billboard style paintings.

Southwest Detroit has a character all its own. Park your car , take your camera and explore.