The mission of Garage Cultural is to serve as an arts and cultural anchor in Southwest Detroit by providing a variety of events, public art installations, and educational programs to the residents of its communities. The center serves as an incubator for local artists, arts educators, organizers, activists, entrepreneurs and youth in the community. Assisting them in pursuing their personal and collective goals as they produce and exhibit in our multipurpose areas, galleries, and mercaditos. Garage Cultural is formed through collaborations with several community organizations and members who are committed to coming together to share their strengths and resources for the long-term advancement of the residents and artist it serves.

Southwest Detroit is a diverse community; Garage Cultural seeks to ensure its continued diversity by highlighting the existing culture and encouraging collaborations with new populations in a mutually beneficial manner through its programs and events.

As a partner we offer support through co-facilitating the team’s Counter Data workshops, adapting our “Maptime” workshops. These tried and tested workshops are designed to open the doors of cartographic possibility to anyone interested by making a time and space for collaborative learning, exploration, and map creation using mapping tools and technologies. In the proposed workshops, participants will drive the mapping topic which may include mapping out areas in their neighborhood where they feel safe or unsafe, included or excluded, inspired or creative. The proposed workshops share values with our organization’s goal to democratize map making: to help everyone learn how to make maps and become literate map readers.

The Detroit Collaborative Design Center (DCDC) is a multidisciplinary, nonprofit design center based in the University of Detroit Mercy’s School of Architecture and Community Development (SACD). DCDC exists to bring high-quality and community-engaged design to all neighborhoods in Detroit. They do this by engaging, educating and promoting equity in design processes and outcomes. They work with community partners citywide on a range of projects at different scales, prioritizing participation in the planning and design process with the belief that local expertise leads to the best ideas.

The City of Detroit launched the City Walls program in the Summer of 2017. The new initiative integrates a multifaceted approach to enhancing public space by focusing on an essential urban element: the city wall.  The program goals are to highlight the values and the identity of the communities where art work is being created, empower Detroit artists, and provide a positive cost benefit to the public via art versus the cost of blight remediation. The program ensures that the art develops organically and holistically within the community by the community.