For 7th Annual Sidewalk Festival, Old Redford Becomes Street Art Utopia

The Grand River and Lahser intersection will experience a massive takeover as 40 artists across dance, music, art, storytelling and theater take part in the 7th annual Sidewalk Festival in the Old Redford neighborhood. 

Created by Ryan Myers-Johnson to celebrate Detroit’s landscape and culture, the three-day festival, beginning Aug. 1st in collaboration with The Artist Village, puts an innovative spin on the traditional summer festival and spreads throughout the street. Opposed to seeing mounted stages, festival-goers will experience art makers, storytellers and creatives of all kinds making their work interactive and accessible. 

LaToya Cross

“What we’re doing is commissioning artists to create original works for the streets and [the] beautiful courtyard of The Artist Village,” Myers-Johnson says. “So we’re using alleys for our stage, rooms without roofs, community gardens, storefronts and the streets. We’re challenging artists to step out of their comfort zones and create work that’s on the street level; that’s interactive and that’s really focused on the community.”

This year’s theme is Peace Power Utopia, and asks artists and community members to think outside of the box and explore these concepts in relation to environment, societal systems, community and personal life. To illustrate these ideals and take a detour from a more dystopian culture, artist will create their perspective of a Detroit utopia in the festival’s art alley.

“Art is everything and everything is art,” says Alicia George, owner of The Artist Village and Motor City Java House.”With the Sidewalk Festival, it just explodes. You can see just about anything.” 

Click on the player above to hear CultureShift’s Ryan Patrick Hooper interview Sidewalk Festival organizers Ryan Myers-Johnson and Alicia George.