Written by Stephanie Sloan, CNN
The new new Arts complex in Detroit offers a fresh take on the city’s rich legacy of the arts and the skilled labor it takes to bring those traditions to life.
Located in the heart of the city’s Midtown neighborhood, the new building looks to connect the arts and its inspirational processes and mindsets into the everyday life of the city.
The Busell Arts Complex, housed in the Harris Trust building, has three main floors, each dedicated to a different aspect of the arts world: the physical, the philanthropic and the educational.
The arts in Detroit are often thought of as inspired by the auto industry. The Detroit Institute of Arts is Detroit’s world-famous museum, with collections spanning the 18th century to modern art. The Amway Children’s Museum, meanwhile, is a hands-on play space and a research center devoted to creating a future for children who might otherwise never get a glimpse of the performing arts.
But the innovative Busell project seeks to delve further into the body of knowledge the arts bring to the everyday world — in particular, to define the role human labor might play in bringing these concepts to life.
The project, which is the product of a $5 million commitment from philanthropists Jim Busell and his wife, Brenda, is located in the heart of Detroit’s Midtown neighborhood. CNN’s Stephanie Sloan sits down with the visionary Busells to explore their vision for the project.
