Take Action! Let's use these abandoned buildings and vacant lots!

I get pissed while driving through busy foot traffic areas in Detroit seeing all the empty real estate just sitting there, vacant. Or the large empty lots where a building once stood. You see it everywhere, Lake Orion, Pontiac, Royal Oak, Ferndale and especially Detroit. Why aren't cities using these spaces to attract out of town money? Yes, I get it, alot of the properties are privatley owned, and they want to sell or rent..but what about all the foreclosed spaces and city owned lots? 

As an artist, I see these as great opportunities. Why shouldn't I or the hundreds of artists around metro Detroit be allowed to come in and set up our artwork to sell? 

Legalities, permits, blah blah blah..I get it, people sue, there must be bathrooms, etc. etc. Plus most cities want to charge artists some ridiculous fee to set up a booth (ie; every towns "First Fridays" events) instead of looking at the BIG picture, drawing out of town money into their cities restaurants, bars, local galleries and stores, they only see the quick buck they can make off the artists with fees. They also don't realize the power of social media, every artist has hundreds, and some thousands of followers on FaceBook, Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram etc..Each artist promoting themselves on these outlets can bring HUGE amounts of bodies into cities. With ZERO cost to the cities. 

There are some orginizations trying to do this already, "Revolve Detroit" is one of them. Working with building owners to set up "Pop Up" shops in locations around Detroit. But the process of waiting and being lucky enough to get chosen just isn't good enough. ALL artists, no matter what medium, should be allowed to get in on these opportunities. I'm not bagging on what Revolve is doing, but they seem a bit more focused on helping coffee shops and eateries than art, safer bets. 

Well, I'm here telling you all this because I'm getting the ball rolling. I'm going to sit down with whoever I need to and hammer this shit out. I plan on implementing this idea into whatever town will listen and be setting up within the next two weeks. I am sick and tired of fucking around WAITING for people to call me back or WAITING to hear from so and so if I made the cut to get in on THEIR little projects. I'm starting my OWN fucking projects. Lifes too goddamn short to wait.

Sinister