The Metro: New Eliza Howell Park art project to be made from Rouge River waste
The park’s 2024 artist-in-residence Halima Cassells joined the show along with Program Director Augusta Morrison to talk about the park’s residency program.
This year's Eco-Artist-in-Residence at Eliza Howell Park, Halima Cassells, will be using materials and waste collected during an Earth Day River Clean-up in her upcoming art installation.
Eliza Howell Park in Detroit’s Brightmoor neighborhood will soon be seeing new art installations as part of Sidewalk Detroit’s 2024 Eco-Artist-in-Residence program.
As Detroit’s third largest park, Eliza Howell Park offers approximately 250 acres of natural areas, trails and park amenities along the Rouge River.
This year’s Eco-Artist-in-Residence, Halima Cassells, will be using materials and waste collected during an Earth Day River Clean-up planned for this Saturday in her upcoming art project. Cassells will then lead three workshops that allow individuals to contribute to the creation of the installation. The completed art installation will sit at the trailhead leading to the Rouge River.
Cassells joined The Metro on Tuesday, along with Sidewalk Detroit Program Director Augusta Morrison, to talk about the residency program and the park’s history.
Cassells says she appreciates how Sidewalk Detroit engages the community and artists around equity. Part of the residency is about coming together and finding local solutions to environmental problems.
“It’s important that we have opportunities to be creative and think about solutions that will benefit us all in a much more creative way,” Cassells said. “Especially in groups because then we get to listen to each other’s questions and experiences and, you know, possible solutions because it’s also very important that we have clean water and clean air.”
The Earth Day River Clean-up will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Eliza Howell Park.
Use the media player above to hear the full interview with Eco-Artist-in-Residence Halima Cassells and Sidewalk Detroit Program Director Augusta Morrison.
More headlines from The Metro on April 16, 2024:
- In 2016, Katie Fahey ran one of the most impressive political ground games this state has seen. She gathered an army of volunteers to put an anti-gerrymandering measure on a state-wide ballot initiative, and she won. Fahey is the co-founder and executive director of The People, a nonprofit that seeks to make government more responsive to the needs of Americans. She recently co-authored an article in the Detroit News advocating for ranked-choice voting in the state.
- Detroit Public Television, now known as Detroit PBS, has announced a rebranding and a return to the city. The return comes nearly 20 years after its move to Wixom. An entire block in Milwaukee Junction, at Woodward and Grand Boulevard, will be home to the new studio and gathering space. WDET’s Stephen Henderson joined the show to discuss the move.
- The Detroit Free Press has teamed up with Batch Brewing Company to create a new beer. To learn more about the collaboration, we’re joined by Batch Brewing founder Stephen Roginson and craft beer writer for the Free Press, Brian Manzulo.
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