From drug dealers to ritzy art galleries, Detroit artist Tyree Guyton has come a long way
DETROIT — Before turning a ravaged Detroit street into a work of art in 1986, Tyree Guyton confronted drug dealers who were ensconced there. If they wanted to sell drugs, they should become a doctor, he told them. If they wanted to carry a gun, they should join the Army. Being an artist, Guyton transformed his message into art, painting a series of crosses up and down Heidelberg Street. The young criminals began calling him the Voodoo Man. The Voodoo Man, who spoke during a solo exhibit Saturday, has come a long way. Back then, his Heidelberg Project was derided by many as an eyesore. Today, his work is shown in major collections around the world. He attributed the success of the long journey to courage, not just in facing down drug dealers but to picking himself back up every time someone told him he wasn’t any good. “They way to fix it is to fix yourself,” he said. “You have to fight for this. Most people are not living in the world today. We are in a world of confusion, a world of conflict.” Quoting abolitionist Frederick Douglass, he said that, without struggle, there is no progress. One needs
