A few weeks ago, Sydney G. James noticed she was getting tagged on Instagram a lot. People were talking about new murals popping up downtown and the people tagging her wanted to know if she had painted one. She hadn’t. She didn’t know who had.
James is a well-known Detroit muralist. Her “Girl with the D Earring” watches over New Center, and the BLKOUT Walls Mural Festival she founded and organizes creates opportunities for other muralists.
As she learned more about the recent effort to bring more murals to Detroit, she was upset that no Detroit artists seemed to be participating.
“There was never an opportunity for a local artist to work on this,” James said. ”None of us knew about it.”
The murals were the work of artists commissioned by a New York-based nonprofit called Street Art for Mankind. The nonprofit reached out to James to tell her about the project in September, but James did not see the message until recently. The City of Detroit paid the group to assemble prominent street artists for a series of large-scale murals as part of a downtown art walk ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft to be held in Detroit. None of the artists are originally from the United States, let alone Detroit.
Detroit artists like James are worried about being passed over for big commissions like these. They say they should be given first or at least equal opportunity to apply for the work, especially when city funds are being used.
James added that the artists were paid substantially less than what would be a standard commercial commission in Detroit. She said doing large-scale work for so little might reduce what building owners are willing to pay in the future.
Rochelle Riley, director of the city’s Office of Arts, Culture and Entrepreneurship, said in an emailed statement that it has always planned to do a second phase of murals in April with Detroit artists.
Now, Detroit muralists are looking to create a set of guidelines for the city to follow around public art. They want a minimum pay rate and greater transparency in the selection process for commissions.
Murals at a discount
Street Art for Mankind works with international muralists and says its mission is “raise awareness around the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and child trafficking through street art.” Founders Audrey and Thibault Decker said they help create about 50 to 70 murals a year around the world.
The Deckers approached the city with the idea for the project earlier this year. The murals in Detroit are being presented as part of an “art walk” called Detroit Be the Change. There are seven murals by different artists. Four are from Europe, one is from Australia, one is from Japan and one is from Nigeria.
The city said in a press release that it paid the nonprofit $140,000. The Deckers said that Diageo, a United Nations Global Compact company, sponsored one of the murals.
“When a freeway gets repaved, the city puts that job out to bid. Mural work is skilled, physical labor, and we want it to be the same way for us.”
Artist Sydney G. James
Very little of that money ends up in muralists’ pockets. The Deckers said that at the request of artists, they don’t publicly discuss pay. James said if total funding for the project was divided among the artists, let alone for administrative costs, artists wouldn’t even be making enough to cover insurance, equipment and paint.
The Deckers admitted that the muralists working with them don’t make much money from the commissions. Instead, the artists believe in the mission, enjoy visiting new cities and benefit from the publicity, the Deckers said.
“I would say that nearly 100% of the artists we work with are pleased,” Thibault Decker said. “Many, many artists come back to us and say, ‘OK, when is the next one?’”
The spaces selected for the Detroit murals are thousands of square feet, which means the muralists would have received around $2-$3 per square foot. James believes muralists should get a minimum of $15 per square foot on commissions to have enough to cover overhead and still make money. She is worried about efforts like this coming in and depressing the market for local artists.
“Developers aren’t going to pay the same for new work when they can get it practically for free,” she said.
Riley said this contract “was a gift” but did not elaborate. She added that it has “absolutely nothing to do with what the City does or will pay artists,” which she said will be different in the second phase of the project.
“Artist pay is a matter that will be discussed front and center as a part of the second phase,” she said by email.
After James questioned whether local artists painted any of the walls, Riley offered her a $20,000 commission in the next round according to text messages reviewed by Outlier Media. Riley did not respond to questions about her offer, which James declined.
Mixed messages
An Australian artist named Smug painted a mural of Detroit artist Bakpak Durden as part of the project. Durden considers Smug one of the “top three muralists in the world,” and said they were really excited to be a model. But when Durden learned the full scope of the project, they were confused.
“If this was supposed to be an art festival, there should have been more press and social media engagement,” Durden said. “If this was commercial work, there should have been better pay.”
The Deckers said the murals they help create are meant to inspire and uplift.
“We want to unite the world around good values and bring people together,” Audrey Decker said.
Detroit artists Outlier spoke with found the connection between the murals and nonprofit’s goals tenuous. One mural depicts a wide-eyed girl holding a microphone with birds flying around. Another is a portrait of three women surrounded by flowers. A mural by a U.K.-based artist shows the head of the Statue of Liberty surrounded by greenery.
“This mural is meant to inspire civic advocacy for the restoration of ecosystems and tree equity in communities,” says an Instagram post from Street Art for Mankind and Nomad Clan.
James said if the murals had a message about child trafficking, it was lost. Neither the City of Detroit nor Street Art for Mankind made much of an effort to explain the project’s goals prior to the press release.
Others also objected to art being used to promote the NFL Draft and the buildings used for canvases.
The Deckers are passionate about spreading positivity around the world. But they also lack local context.
The Ilitch family owns four of the five buildings now graced by the murals. The billionaire owners of the Detroit Red Wings and Detroit Tigers have been the recipients of more than a billion dollars in tax incentives and presumably could afford to adorn their own buildings.
The Deckers said they weren’t aware of any controversy surrounding the Ilitches when the couple reached out to them about using their buildings for murals.
Organizing for better pay, transparency
Mural painting has exploded in Detroit in recent years. Murals in the Market, the City Walls program and private commissions have resulted in hundreds of new murals over the last decade.
Detroit artists have earned income and publicity from the increased interest. But standards in the industry are non-existent.
The controversy over Detroit Be the Change has spurred local artists to push for some. About 20 artists met last week at a gallery on the Avenue of Fashion to discuss their response to the city’s art walk. They want the officials to follow guidelines when commissioning public art in the future.
“When a freeway gets repaved, the city puts that job out to bid,” James said. “Mural work is skilled, physical labor, and we want it to be the same way for us.”
The group of artists plans to send the city a list of demands for future art commissions. They want a minimum pay rate of $15 per square foot and a transparent selection process when the city puts out a request for proposals for new murals. They also want the city to create a committee that can approve public art projects and help create and advise the city on cultural programming.
The City Charter outlines a body called the “Council of the Arts,” a 15-member committee appointed by the mayor that fills a similar role. But it doesn’t yet exist. Riley said her office is “in the process of working to stand this up.”
James said the full list of demands will be worked out over the next few weeks. But the ultimate goal of this and further organizing efforts will be Detroit artists having more say in the shape of public art in the city.
“It’s fine if you’re including people from out of state or the country in the selection process,” James said. “But we need to be a part of that conversation, too.”
Correction: This story has been corrected and modified on Jan. 23, 2024 from its original version. Artist Sydney James asserted “This was paid for by Detroit’s Arts, Culture and Entrepreneurship team. And there’s not one artist from Detroit represented?”
It has recently come to light that city funds have not yet been spent on the murals and City Council rejected a contract that would pay Street Art for Mankind for services already rendered. A city spokesperson further clarified to Outlier today that the contract that was voted down by city council would have used Planning & Development Department “sites of beauty” revenue. The quote has been removed.
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