After officials and artists responsible for seven murals across Detroit remained quiet about the project’s controversial fallout, the Free Press sought details through a Freedom of Information Act request, but the city said it would charge more than $17,000 for records.
The request seeks email correspondence of Antoine Bryant, director of planning and development, between October 2023 and January 2024 to grasp details about the “Detroit Be the Change” murals by the New York-based art group Street Art for Mankind amid questions surrounding the deal, which was completed without proper approval.
Controversy erupted in public when local artists realized muralists were sourced globally rather than locally and aired their frustrations online. Then, the Detroit City Council in January rejected a $215,000 contract with the artist group, leaving open the possibility of litigation against the city.
The murals were commissioned on privately owned buildings around downtown to polish up the city ahead of the NFL Draft. However, complications erupted within the corridors of City Hall as the project moved forward without passing through the proper channels.
Sounds like Bryant exceeded his authority by signing a big contract with an outside group, then the city council balked, and now they’re trying to cover up the whole thing.
I wonder if Bryant had personal connections to the artists group which led to hiring them instead of local artists.
Detroit and incompetence, name a better pair.
Politicians and corruption
