Public Art in Southfield Brings Aesthetic, Economic Benefits

Community: City of Southfield
Population: Over 12,001

Public art has transformed the City of Southfield. A first-ring Detroit suburb originally designed around the automobile, Southfield has become a pedestrian friendly community enlivened by a large and engaging collection of public art.

Business owners and residents, elected officials, public servants, nonprofit organizations and a major private university came together to invest in public art for community-wide enrichment and economic development. All along, their input shaped the project, from the creation of Red Pole Park to the inspiration for “Tapestry of a Community,” a nine-panel mosaic that tells the history of the city. Led by the mayor and director of planning, participants understood thriving communities had distinct identities. They believed accessible, safe, free access to a greenway adorned with art by a diversity of artists would define and delight their city. Today, 24 works are on display along Southfield City Centre Trail, aesthetically enhancing quality-of-life and spurring business development.


Replicability:

After the Great Recession of 2008, business leaders and commercial real estate developers approached Southfield’s director of planning in search of ways to recruit and retain young professionals. Daytime population reached 175,000 (pre-Covid) and declined to 77,660 when employees went home. They wanted workers to have reason to stay – to patronize restaurants, bars and area services. Yet, even for a short distance, driving was required. Meantime, residents were clamoring for safe, “heart-healthy” outdoor recreation. The students, faculty and staff of Lawrence Technological University, an anchor institution, were completely disconnected. The solution: Make Southfield a walkable, more welcoming place, enhanced by an engaging array of public art. With efforts underway to build what would eventually become the 7.75-mile Southfield City Centre Trail, the City Council established in 2014 a nine-member Southfield Public Arts Commission (Ordinance 1630) “to serve the public interest, convenience, and enjoyment through the promotion of the arts.” The ordinance defined “works of art” as:
  • Sculpture – in any material or combination of materials
  • Painting – all media, including portable and permanently affixed works such as murals and frescoes
  • Photography
  • Mosaics
  • Mixed media – any combination of forms or media including collage
  • Water features and fountains
  • Streetscape and landscape features and elements, including signage, lighting, benches, clocks, kiosks and planters.
Not long after, Northland Center, often considered the nation’s first mall and a showplace of public art, went into receivership. Northland’s 14 works of art, by nationally and internationally recognized artists, were to be sold off piece-by-piece to recoup losses. The bankruptcy of the mall an offered opportunity. When an art appraiser estimated the collection at $500,000, City Council decided to loan Southfield Public Arts Commission that amount to purchase the artwork outright. The champion for this course of action was Mayor-elect Kenson J. Siver, a city councilman. He vowed to use his new role to drive fundraising to repay the loan. The following year, City Council established a public art requirement for all new real estate projects (Ordinance 1657). Developers were required to pay “0.5% of the total project cost (minimum $5,000) up to $12,500 for projects between $1 million and $2.5 million and 1% of the total project cost up to $25,000 for projects in excess of $2.5 million, to be committed to the procurement and display of public art on the site.” Five exceptions were written into the ordinance:
  • projects with a total cost less than $1 million,
  • renovations of less than $1 million,
  • residential projects containing fewer than four units,
  • instances when a developer donates a work of art that is approved by the Public Arts Commission, and
  • instances when the requirement would be “contrary to law” as determined by the Director of Planning.
All the while, the mayor and Terry Croad AICP, ASLA, director of planning, pursued a two-front strategy to beautify the central business district. The mayor drove fundraising to acquire, repair and install the Northland public art collection while the director of planning led efforts to construct a safe and spacious non-motorized trail that, in addition to creating a pedestrian friendly environment, would serve as an outdoor gallery for public art.

Creativity and Originality:

Creativity and originality define many aspects of the public-art acquisition effort, especially the following three: First is the fundraising campaign to repay the $500,000 loan by the City Council to the Southfield Public Arts Commission to purchase the Northland collection. One of the most famous sculptures in the collection is “Boy and Bear” by Marshall Fredericks. A fundraising campaign was launched to “Free the Bear” from its boxing crate, along with the other works of art. Within the year, the campaign had raised $600,000 to repay the loan and fund installation. Approximately $100,000 of the overall amount came in small donations of $5, $10, $50 and $100. Many donations came with letters explaining why “Boy and Bear” held such personal significance to the individual donors. Second is the creation of award-winning Red Pole Park. The planning team realized the trail needed an entrance, a prominent gateway that would serve as a starting point and landmark destination for pedestrians. A stretch along Northwestern Highway service drive was selected, making the site visible to the approximately 110,000 cars that would speed by each day. It was 2017 and three things happened:
  • DTE donated a collection of discarded telephone poles that could be used to mark the gateway.
  • 3,665 donors raised $58,000 through a crowd-sourced campaign to fund the gateway.
  • A grant from Michigan Economic Development Corp’s Public Spaces, Community Places Initiative provided a $50,000 match.
HED, a landscape architecture firm, created the visually and environmentally distinctive entrance, appropriately named Red Pole Park. The Iowa chapter of the American Association of Landscape Architects awarded Red Pole Park the General Design Merit Award for Michigan. “The creative solution and innovative approach to using existing utility infrastructure not only pushed the design further but worked within a limited budget,” the jury wrote. “The buzz this project generated is very exciting and not surprising considering its unique, monumental and memorable quality.” Third is “Tapestry of a Community,” an art installation commissioned by Southfield Public Arts Commission (which was expanded in 2017 to 11 members Ordinance 1674), to tell the history of the City of Southfield. It is the creation of Dr. Hubert Massey, Michigan native and internationally renowned muralist living in Detroit, who held two virtual town hall sessions with residents to gain inspiration and an understanding of the community, past, present and future. When fully complete in 2022, nine massive panels will adorn the trail, as it runs along southbound Northwestern Highway service drive in Southfield City Centre adjacent to Lawrence Technological University.

Community Impact:

Mayor Siver is quick to tell you art enriches people’s lives and increases, from and aesthetic and an economic perspective, the value of a community. Southfield City Centre Trail and public art collection has built community wealth in several ways. Economic prosperity The public art collection and Southfield City Centre Trail unified the central business district and, through public-private-nonprofit partnership, created a community asset that did not exist 10 years ago. More than a dozen new works of art have been privately funded and installed on commercial properties in keeping with the public art requirement for new real estate – in addition to efforts of the Public Arts Commission to expand the collection. Today, Southfield is home to more than 10,000 businesses, including more than one-hundred Fortune 500 companies, and has become a regional center for automotive engineering and design as well as for automotive suppliers. Two major multi-million-dollar development efforts are underway. MiddlePointe is a mixed-use housing and commercial real estate development located in the central business district with easy access to the trail and art collection. Another is redevelopment of the 114-acre Northland mall site. It’s projected that three works of art from the original Northland collection will be returned to adorn the new mixed-use development. Sense of place The trail and public art collection offers beauty and tranquility nestled amid an urban setting, defined in part by glistening skyscrapers. There are 24 works of art in the collection to date, many by noted mid-century American artists along with new works by internationally renowned and up-and-coming local muralists. This commitment to public art exposes visitors to a diversity of talents and perspectives, enriching the trail experience and the lawns of nearby municipal buildings. All along, the mayor, director of planning and Public Arts Commission have had a singular goal: To strengthen the connection between residents and the business community to the places they share. They continue to work together to shape the public realm to maximize shared enjoyment. Natural assets The principles of sustainable landscape architecture and stormwater management shaped the trail project, as did the health of the area’s Rouge River watershed. Stormwater management is a challenge across Southeastern Michigan and particularly so in Southfield’s central business district due to the preponderance of asphalt parking lots. Natural features were designed to slow the flow of rainwater into the 126-mile river and help prevent flooding – essential for a trail that serves as a year-round, outdoor art gallery. The dense root systems of Black-eyed Susans, Purple Coneflowers and Swamp Milkweed, flowering in rain gardens, act as filters and stop pollutants before they reach the river or groundwater. In Red Pole Park, five species of trees, more than 100 trees in all, and native plants were added to attract bees and butterflies – important pollinators – and support bird and wildlife habitats. Additional trees were added at other points along the greenway. Overall, the greenway meets the standards set by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials Guide for the Development of Bicycle Facilities. Cultural substance Southfield City Centre Trail and the public art collection is free, open to everyone year-round. The majority African-American community recreates, explores and attends special events alongside members of the Chaldean, Korean American and Orthodox Jewish communities, among others. The young and old, able-bodied and disabled, working professionals and business owners, families with young children and senior citizens, and university students, faculty and staff – all enjoy equal and unimpeded access to the trail and exposure to the arts. More than any other single work of art, “Tapestry of a Community” captures and reflects back to residents and visitors alike the long, rich and diverse history of Southfield. The Potawatomi, an indigenous tribe of Native Americans, first settled the area. Abolitionists maintained a stop on the Underground Railroad, helping enslaved people get to safety. Pioneer families farmed. Lawrence Technological University advanced the principle that every person should have the opportunity for a college education… The history right up to the present is represented in Dr. Hubert Massey’s vibrant mosaic comprised in nine large panels.

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