Taubman College Sirota Speaks with Stateside on Michigan Radio about the Need for Creating an Office of Arts and Culture in Detroit
Assistant professor of architecture, Anya Sirota speaks with Lester Graham on Michigan Radio’s Stateside about the need for an Office of Arts and Culture in Detroit. Sirota, working with other artists and community members, would like to see a central office which will link together the many locally rooted arts communities across Detroit and also advocate for them.
Sirota states that arts and culture are an attractor to the city of Detroit and create a sense of place and make communities proud of their heritage and identity. At the moment many artists are working independently and feel that there are no institutions to represent their interests and advocate for them. City led advocacy groups would be beneficial to explain to broad audiences the needs for artistic expression and the importance of murals and street art, for example.
Sirota states that Detroit needs to reinvent its city model. While there is an incredible amount of philanthropic support for the arts, grants are temporary, and there needs to be more of a long-term model. Currently Sirota and others have put together a letter and petition to Mayor Duggan to re-establish a Council of the Arts that will represent the artists and deeply rooted cultures of Detroit.
Listen here for the full inteview: http://michiganradio.org/post/detroit-has-thriving-arts-community-no-official-way-encourage-its-growth
