Detroit mural celebrates nonprofit's 30 years of inspiring young storytellers
InsideOut Literary Arts is a creative writing and poetry organization in Detroit.
The nonprofit is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year with a special piece of artwork on the city's west side.
The mural was inspired by a poem from 17-year-old Charisma Holly.
"If I were to wake up in Detroit 25 years in the future, what would I want to see, and what would I want to be different about my community?" Holly said. "And that is kind of what fueled the different imagery and the ideas."
It's a visual representation of the work the nonprofit has been doing for three decades.
"We wanted people to walk by and have a moment of joy and inspiration and remember how important it is to listen to young people," Suma Karaman Rosen, executive director of InsideOut Literary Arts, said.
Oshun Williams, the muralist, says the flowers are part of his aesthetic as an artist and a nod to the young poet.
"I like to give people their flowers. So, incorporating flowers into my paintings are always an important thing," Williams said.
He says street art can have a tremendous impact on a neighborhood.
"It's something to give the community, like a sense of appreciation, hope, to beautify it," Williams said.
For Holly, her poem celebrates the city she loves.
"I think that there's a certain quality to poetry that it is of the self. So it can be self-expression, but when you self-express, it connects to the most human part of the people around you," Holly said.
She hopes to motivate other Detroit youth to go after their dreams.
"I want you to know that you can do it. There's a world of opportunity waiting for you," Holly said.
She says all you must do is reach out and grab it.
The mural was made possible through a collaboration with Detroit City Walls, an initiative to enhance public spaces through art.
