Case Study: 6102. ART PARK

The 6102 Art Park transformed a blighted neighborhood lot into a manageable and self-sustainable space for public art and communal gathering.

NW Goldberg Cares is a community development corporation located in the heart of Detroit’s NW Goldberg neighborhood. Founded by NW Goldberg residents Daniel Washington and Jordan Yagiela, the organization aims its efforts at improving upon the lives of residents in the predominantly African American community by incubating neighborhood businesses, building a strong community, and ensuring a family friendly neighborhood.

One of the first placemaking projects that NW Goldberg Cares took on was the 6102 Art Park, which transformed a blighted set of lots in the neighborhood into a manageable and self-sustainable space for public art and communal gatherings. The park created an enjoyable space for the neighborhood to experience commissioned art installations and murals celebrating NW Goldberg's history and future. The organization is working to establish a platform at the Art Park for spoken word nights and other family-friendly programming.

“There has been a huge impact within our community. Residents finally have a place that they can visit and gather. People have consistently been telling us how much they love the park. Visitors to the neighborhood also love it as it shows what our neighborhood can look like when residents come together and put in some work. We even had one woman tell us that she sends her son down every day to read in the park, because he loves to read and it’s a better place for him to read than their house.” - Jordan Yagiela, Executive Director of NW Goldberg Cares

“So many cars would drive by while we were working, and stop and either yell out the window or get out of their car to say, “You’re doing a great job! This looks amazing! This is what the neighborhood needs!” It was small moments like this that kept us going to finish the park.” - Daniel Washington, NW Goldberg Cares Founder and President

“It's amazing how something so simple can have a lasting ripple effect. I went from cautiously going outside to constantly walking to the park to take phone calls.” – Michael Lewis II, NW Goldberg neighborhood resident

Project Details

• Project: 6102. ART PARK
• Project Type: Public Art, Parks and Playgrounds
• Project Location: Detroit, Michigan
• Crowdfunding Raise: $7,569
• Crowdgranting Match: $5,100
• Patrons: 72
• Total Project Estimate: $10,200

About Public Spaces Community Places

Public Spaces Community Places (PSCP) is our crowdgranting partnership with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC). This crowdgranting initiative provides matching grant funds to eligible projects that improve public space in Michigan. Projects can receive a matching grant of up to $50,000 if they reach their crowdfunding goal.