“Garage Cultural: donde el arte, la familia y la comunidad se unen.”
For over a decade, Garage Cultural has been rooted in Southwest Detroit — bringing neighbors together through art, music, festivals, and youth programs that celebrate our community’s culture and creativity.
Today, we are working to transform 4670 Junction Street into a permanent arts and cultural campus — a place for families, artists, and neighbors to gather, learn, and create. From workshops and performances to murals and community events, this new space will be shaped by the voices of the people who live here.
We want to hear from you. Share your ideas and input to help us build a space that reflects the values, traditions, and future of our neighborhood.
This campus is being shaped with — not just for — the people of Southwest Detroit. We invite you to share your ideas, concerns, and hopes for this project. Your feedback will guide the design and programming to ensure this space truly reflects the neighborhood’s values and needs.
Scroll down to share your comments, questions, or ideas in the interactive feedback section below.
Founded in 2011 by Chilean folk musician Ismael “Bandolero” Durán, Garage Cultural began as a grassroots effort to create safe, affirming spaces for Southwest Detroit’s Latine and Indigenous residents. What started as a youth-focused arts program has evolved into an internationalist cultural hub offering classes, festivals, murals, exhibitions, and public art that connect generations of BIPOC residents.
Over the years, Garage has:
“You can cut all the flowers, but you can’t keep spring from coming.”
-Pablo Neruda
Garage Cultural is transforming 4670 Junction Street into a permanent home for art, culture, and community in Southwest Detroit. After acquiring a 3,300 sq. ft. mixed-use building and 1.25 acres of vacant land, Garage has worked with residents through participatory design to envision a green, multi-purpose cultural campus.
This campus will provide opportunities for grassroots artists, youth, and entrepreneurs to thrive, while serving as a cultural anchor for the neighborhood.
Born and raised in Southwest Detroit, Amelia Durán is a community developer, artist, and organizer with 23 years of experience advancing social justice through arts and cultural production. She has curated more than 15 public murals, co-founded SWFest, and now leads the vision for Garage Cultural’s new campus. Her leadership reflects deep commitment to resident-led development and cultural preservation.
Garage Cultural’s history of murals and public art as cultural storytelling.
The proposed use (nonprofit neighborhood center) is a Conditional Use in an R2 district, which requires a Special Land Use Public Hearing. Garage Cultural has been engaging with the community to design the space and programming for the last two years and officially applied for land use approval on December 11, 2025.
The site plan is currently being reviewed by the Planning & Development Department and the Buildings, Safety Engineering and Environmental Department (BSEED), both of which must approve the plan before a hearing can be scheduled.
Questions, comments about the project, or would like to speak to a member of the development team directly?
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Garage is a neighborhood jewel!
Do you have kitchen space that is rentable?
Thank you for your question Bianca. Unfortunately, that is not a part of the project or programming for Garage Cultural.
This new home for Garage Cultural is desperately needed in our community. They have a genuine connection to our community and its residents. My children and I love having a safe place to share, dance, create and learn about various cultures and the arts. We are truly excited about the plans and opportunities that will be available to us. I’m a local resident and business owner with children and am excited to have someone close where we can all meet and be creative.
SW Detroit need more grassroots projects supported by the City.
This looks like a project that will be of great benefit to the southwest Detroit community and beyond.
I ❤️ Garage!
Thank you for creating a safe space for our talented creative youth!
Garage Cultural is a place in a beautiful space where arts and music meet Southwest Detroit and welcome all artists and non artist like myself, founded by actual natives of the city rather than transplants. A true Gem!
I consider this to be a wonderful project that will positively impact the community of Southwest Detroit and its surroundings by fostering a more cultural, social, and empathetic environment—one that recognizes and supports the development of diverse ethnicities, ideas, colors, and races. I think it is beautiful!
Considero que este es un proyecto maravilloso, que tendrá un gran impacto positivo en la comunidad del suroeste de Detroit y sus alrededores al fomentar un entorno más cultural, social y empático, con amplio reconocimiento y apoyo al desarrollo de diversas etnias, ideas, colores y razas. ¡Creo que es hermoso!
Garage Cultural does incredible work in the community and deserves a space to grow their programming and community impact even more!
Absolutely Love ❤️ Garage Cultural. I can remember when young people didn’t have safe spaces to be creative, Garage Cultural changed this for so many and it all started in one man’s Garage in Southwest Detroit! Gracias for all you do and the amazing vibrancy of colors you’ve added to our community!
I am forever grateful to the work that has birthed complimentary programs for our young, talented, creatives!
Amor y Orgullo
As a lifelong resident of Southwest Detroit, from the early days in which the art, history and culture of this marvelous sector of the City seldom recognized. From the DIA, to the libraries; foundation grants; seldom reached SWD. So, organizations formed their own , slowly meetings in basemen ts (La Sed – Nuestras Artes de Michigan); in living rooms. The light was lit. Donations, fundraisers, volunteers. The DIA held a LOW RIDER exhibit. Like the spring colors blooming, so did SWD. The Garage CULTURAL has been a strong component in the education of art; culture and and creating the vibrancy of SOUTHWEST DETROIT.
Absolutely essential for youth AND elders; one of few inter generational spaces in our community. Arts, music and dialogue are essential to understanding; the true path to peace.
Garage Cultural does great work in our community. We are fortunate to have them as dedicated supporters of Arts and Culture in Southwest Detroit.
Garage Cultural brings together creatives, organizers, and families of different cultures to share art, ideas, and education. It’s a melting pot where the wisdom of the elders meets the future of the community. Created by the community. For the community. The importance of that cannot be understated.
Garage Cultural was one of the first places I felt safe in public to bring my son who was just several months old at the time. At the same event, my husband and I were able to reconnect with old friends, and enjoy being in community in our neighborhood.
Garage Cultural represents the best that the city has to offer: safe cultural spaces by and for Detroiters. From the people behind GC to its programming, this project is vital to honoring past generations of SW Detroiters who have helped shape the city while envisioning a future that does not write out their contributions. My hope is that the people with resources pour into Garage’s success.
very excited for this, definitely what the community needs!!!
Garage Cultural is something special for Southwest Detroit. I’ve seen firsthand the impact they have on the community. They bring people together, support local artists, and create real opportunities for the neighborhood. Nothing but respect for what they’re building.
I ❤️ G A R A G E ! ! !
Garage Cultural has been such an important space for our community. It brings people together through art, culture, and connection in a way that truly matters. This work deserves to continue and grow 💛
Community by and for community is the only way forward. I wholly support the efforts of Garage Cultural, now and forever. Southwest is here to stay!!
Garage is such a critical and beautiful part of grassroots art and movement work in the city! I would love to see skill sharing workshops that are multi-generational, whether that is exchanging methods and skills around art, the trades, digital teach ins(design work, how to make flyers etc), land stewarding and growing native plants.
Garage Cultural is a grounding force in Southwest! The artistic contributions throughout the years have been of great impact to our community.
I’m thrilled to hear there’s potential for Garage Cultural to become an even bigger, better hub for Southwest Detroit art, culture, and community. There’s nothing else quite like it. I 100% support the site plan.
Delta Tau Lambda Sorority is so grateful for this cultural center for hosting our fundraiser for our scholarship program. They helped our mission of culturally relevant events to unify the community and
support academic achievements.
am thankful for the support i have received and mentorship from garage, I did my first mural with them and that opportunity really opened my eyes to the possibilities of pursuing painting. i’ve continued to work with them project base and continue to be inspired by the work they do for the community!
Garage has been a safe space in SW to have conversations about politics, culture and the needs of our communities. It has provided a space where your lived experiences are seen, where artists are valued and where community is built. Garage is the gem of SW Detroit!
First with Founder Ismael Duran, now with CEO Amelia Duran, Strangers No Longer have always benefited from the community building and cultural expressions in the SW Detroit community’s self confidence and vibrancy. Congratulations, GARAGE!!
Garage Cultural is a gem in Southwest Detroit. Ismael and his family have created and maintained this beautiful and important community art space.
Where do I even begin? Growing up 28 years in Southwest Detroit, Garage has always provided us something beautiful that we could be proud of here in our own city. Southwest is a side so often overlooked in media and political consideration that contributes so much, but when you ask people to think about the best parts of Detroit, they are probably thinking about a Garage Cultural project without even knowing. Not just in murals and beautification projects, but in after school activities and programs that kept kids like me off of the street and surrounded by fierce, passionate people who drove me to do better for myself and my community. Garage has always been a space where I and my entire family have felt safe, comfortable, and free to express ourselves. From giving young artists a space to create, to giving families a space to laugh, cry, love, and thrive, I cannot advocate loudly and often enough about how meaningful the future of Garage is to the future of Detroit. My baby brother got his first summer job and volunteer experience through Garage, and learned skills that influenced his career choices as he grew up. Garage is one of the only ways I can have a meaningful contribution to my neighborhood as I travel the world, and something I can show people across continents that exemplifies the resilience and beauty of MY city. Long Live Garage Cultural!!!!!
I’m grateful to Garage Cultural for supporting neighborhood artists, cultivating youth leadership, tending our cultural roots and uplifting global and local cultural expression.
Consistent cultural production is essential for building and maintaining a cohesive community. Garage Cultural has been on the cutting edge of this work for decades, first under Ismael “Bandolero” Durán, and today, under the leadership and guidance of the next generation, namely Amelia “Fiera” Durán. Garage Cultural has been a community arts & culture anchor in the Southwest Detroit community and this project will ensure that the work continues beyond Amelia towards the next generation. I wholeheartedly support the Junction Street Cultural Campus project and look forward to rolling up my sleeves to do my part in making it a reality!
Ismael Duran was a visionary artist who knew the value of a united community. The torch carries on through the genes that daughter Amelia inherited. These people don’t do this for the money, even though it takes money to do it. They are of the heart and soul that drives humanity forward to a higher level through ART projects like this. I have enjoyed their work for decades. They need all the support they can get. Peace.
Not enough can be said about the role of Garage Cultural in amplifying the voices and identity of our neighborhoods in Southwest Detroit through access to the arts and public art installation. They value community first in all of their practices. As Vice President of North Toledo Block Club Detroit, District 6, our members support Garage Cultural’s special land use permit request. We treasure their work and presence in our neighborhoods! Thank you Garage Cultural you make our lives brighter!
Garage Cultural is not just Garage Cultural. Garage Cultural is all the efforts, initiatives and connections fostered and nourished in our community and with our people. I have many wonderful memories participating in artist chats in both their previous location on Livernois and the current one. I look forward to SW Fest every year because it is vibrant and dynamic with performances and passive activities.
Their legacy will have a ripple effect throughout Southwest Detroit and beyond with their work spanning geography, age and language supporting and spearheading programs and projects, collaborating on initiatives like mural installations and Día del Niño/Día del Libro, involving youth and local artists. Their work has always included grassroots entities but also other organizations focusing on education, quality and advocacy. Garage Cultural is a staple of our cultural resources and needs to continue to be preserved.
Garaje is such a wonderful place for “la gente” to get together and celebrate all that this beautiful community has to offer!
This is exciting news for the community! Garage Cultural has delivered high quality programming for years and provides important spaces for ideas and creativity to flourish! The development of this campus will be enjoyed by residents of all ages. It is development projects like this one that make our family interested in sticking around and raising our kids here in Southwest Detroit.
I’m born and raised SW Detroiter. I recently became a first time homeowner in the 48210 neighborhood, very close to the proposed district and we NEED THIS. There isn’t one coffee shop in this. Neighborhood and after reading the plans, of course I’m excited about the greatness and work that Garage does in general cause it feeds our souls, but I need this coffee and space to be inspired and continue to grow myself. This project pours into community, thanks!
Garage Cultural has hosted countless of important and impactful communal celebrations and gatherings. I am so proud of the immense work throughout the years and the legacy it stands on. It is spaces like Garage Cultural, that provide space, nourish talent/curiosity, provide knowledge exchange, that SW Detroit is the cultural hub that people from all over travel to experience. Garage is so special to me but to so many other community members and artist as well.
Garage cultural is a gem of SW Detroit. Amelia has had a great achievement in fostering a space that has roots from all over Latin America and is still 100% Detroit. She was very generous with her space and helped me share my love of son Jarocho through workshops and performance opportunities. As a participant I also got to connect to South American and Caribbean cultures as well as the vibrant creative scene in SW Detroit in that blessed space. I strongly believe that anything that will strengthen Garage will benefit the neighborhood and community.
Garage Cultural has made sure the neighborhood is gorgeous and covered in color and inspiring imagery. When visitors want to see Detroit art, I always send them to this neighborhood first. 🙌🏼
Garaje Cultura has been a fixture in our community for many years. It is a vital component of positive programming for youth. It offers cultural stability, and enrichment for all.
Garage Cultural is a special place here in Southwest Detroit and has already done so much for the community in terms of programs, arts, and providing a safe space for creatives. I believe this project would be a tremendous benefit to the city and something that would help Garage Cultural impact even more people than they already have. I’ve always felt at home throughout my years coming to the space and I would love for that home to grow!
MCSDA wouldn’t be where it is today without the support of Garage Cultural. Our continued partnership has meant a lot, and Ismael was a mentor early on—helping lay the foundation for the work we’re doing now. Strong support for this project. Southwest Detroit needs more spaces rooted in community, culture, and youth development. Excited to see what’s next, continue building together, and explore future collaborations.
Garage Cultural has been instrumental in helping me learn what the community needs and how the Senate Theater, where I volunteer, can best contribute to our neighborhood. When they got the location on Junction, I was so thrilled at the prospect of a permanent home for this work. Bringing multigenerational and multinational communities together through the arts is complex, people-focused work that Garage does so well. The vision for indoor/outdoor flexible spaces that are a home for all creatives is so needed in this community. Our corner of sw Detroit is reaching a critical momentum, led by the people here. Powering the next iteration of Garage Cultural in this location will ensure a people and culture prioritization in the neighborhood’s future!
A major reason I decided to stay in Detroit, create a successful business as a full-time artist here, and raise a family here, is because of the support I received when I was finding my footing as a muralist from groups like Garage Cultural. They do the hard job of balancing community benefits with artistic freedom in all of their public arts programming and projects. I’m super excited about how this new project will thrust their mission forward.
I taught music at the Garage for 5 years and it has remained one of my most treasured experiences in life! The space and community that surrounds it gave me room to grow as a creative and always made me feel safe, supported and inspired. It’s a special space, and something that we need more of– community spaces that celebrate and cultivate creativity, art, joy and connection! I’m always rooting for the Garage to grow and flourish because it’s truly what the world needs now!
Garage is a cultural institution that supports neighborhood talent while driving equitable programming for all. Amelia and team do a wonderful job anchoring legacy and preserving storytelling while the neighborhood continues to change. SW Fest is a reflection of resident driven, authentic community engagement that garage has been a platform for. I am a proud supporter Garage Cultural as a community organization and artistic development engine. This project deserves the City of Detroit’s support.
El Garage is important for Southwest Detroit and beyond. It’s a beautiful place to gather and learn about all the arts. El Garage has been a staple in Southwest Detroit for many years. I have had the pleasure to work with them many times.
What a gem to have anchored in Southwest! A space for grassroots engagement when it comes to growing a range of artistic expressions as well as a prime space for community building. We need so many more projects like this model. Thanks for helping us face our challenges and grow our futures.
Garage Cultural has been a pillar of Southwest Detroit for more than 15 years- not just for arts and culture, but also for community building and peace making. They’ve consistently created safe spaces for intergenerational learning, beauty, and fun. Their vision for a cultural campus in Southwest will ensure the availability of critical cultural infrastructure for all Detroiters for generations to come. Fully in support of this project!
I’m proud support this project that will pour back into the community that raised me! The place that shaped my values, my voice, and my vision. Supporting this campus is personal, because I know firsthand how powerful access and opportunity can be for our youth. This will be especially important for artists and entrepreneurs that will make it a cultural home for generations to come.
Over the years I’ve seen Garage Cultural offer amazing and transformational experiences to people in Southwest Detroit and beyond, whether through music education and performance, visual arts, SWFest and other festivals, beautiful and impactful murals or various community gatherings large and small. As a native Detroiter who spent formative years living in Southwest Detroit before moving to other parts, on return visits to my hometown I enjoy engaging in Garage Cultural unique experiences to get a pulse on Detroit’s vibrant artistic rhythms. Garage Cultural seems poised for growth and offers a vital bridge to the future of Detroit’s cultural heritage that crosses ethnicities and generations to bring people together.
El Garaje Cultural has been a community stable for a very long time and at times has withstood a number of challenges never wavering in
providing top quality artistic programming! I can only imagine the next phase of its development. A godsend. ACHE!
Amelia has lead Garage Cultural with her heart and soul.
The love for her Southwest Detroit Community is embedded in every project and partnership Garage Cultural engages with.
In these past 2 decades Garage has grown and with that growth comes more creativity and a continued passion to provide a healthy environment for community to gather to thrive by providing a space for youth and adults to develop their creativity. We need this energy for a city to thrive. We definitely need to support Garage Cultural in its expanded vision for community building.
Cuando yo era niño. Teníamos muy pocos recursos en Southwest Detroit, Pero ahora viendo tantas cosas cambiando me da felicidad. Justo son proyectos como este que le brindan la oportunidad a los jóvenes de crear arte y conectar que deberíamos de impulsar. Also shout outs to the Duran family ayyy
There are no words that can describe the incredible value Amelia and her father have brought to southwest Detroit through Garage Cultural. As a teenager and college student, they were some of my greatest mentors regarding teaching arts and culture. Garage Cultural makes space for young people to become practicing artists, though leaders and organizers. It is critical that this space continues to exist and expand in our community. This legacy is one that continues to pass down generations of artistic expression and healing through togetherness and intentional learning. I am rooting for Garage Cultural, not only for me, but for the cities youth, culture workers and artists.
As an intern during my final college semester, I saw firsthand how Garage Cultural serves as a vital anchor where art, family, and community unite. From the vibrant energy of SWFest festival to the deep traditions of Dia de los Muertos, this space consistently brings neighbors and youth together to celebrate our collective culture.
Transforming 4670 Junction Street into a permanent arts and cultural campus is a transformative step for Southwest Detroit, especially since Garage has been doing the work for so long. Our families and artists deserve this dedicated space to gather, learn, and create. Garage Cultural is more than just a building—it is the future of our community’s creative spirit.
During the summer of 2024, a pair of artists traveling from Colombia brought a global retrospective of screen printed posters themed around the political genesis of Latin American punk to Detroit.
Garage Cultural is a vital community hub which centers political movement and music and it was the obvious choice for us to hold the event there and we were so grateful that they extended it. Garage offered us the space to exhibit these artists work, and bring musical guests to collaborate in our neighborhood where the cultural resonance was most needed. In the scope of this contribution, it allowed us to build international relationships with communities who were bringing the vibrant and urgent voice of counterculture to places where they could connect with fellow Latine and people of our city. We have felt the impact of this through these relationships, which have remained strong across borders.
Garage Cultural is such an amazing and special project! I have had the joy to attend some of their many shows and activities and I felt welcomed, safe and accepted. This project is such a beautiful effort to connect the community with art and culture.
I feel extremely grateful to Amelia Duran and Garage as they supported me when I was working on a film project in the community. They hosted us and shared their resources with us. As an artist, it’s rare to find such generosity and openness. Garage was truly a sanctuary for me and I am sure it will be for so many other artist.
I am excited to see this project bloom and grow!
A safe space to thrive in!
Garage Cultural has touched many people’s lives, including mine. Around 2013/14, I engaged as a volunteer and an art instructor. In those days, Ismael was one of those folks who believed in me before I could believe in myself, and that spirit lives on in the organization. I hope Garage continues to nurture the spirit of creativity and community it has for the past 15 years.
Where do I even begin with Garage Cultural? As a physical space, it has everything you could want to encourage creativity. But it’s not just a physical space, it’s a home for our friends, our art, our music, our grief, our love and successes. It’s where we go for safety when the world is unjust and cold. The haven to share what is in our hearts and cry if we need to. I am forever grateful to Amelia, Gabriel, and the legacy of Ismael who have made this place into the light we all need in this dark world.
I have been working with Garage Cultural since its inception. and I have always been struck by their commitment to engaging and serving the people of Southwest Detroit. From murals to music to Southwest Fest, to collective visioning, Garage Cultural consistently opens the process and invites the community in as creators and leaders. I look forward to the community center they are building just north of Michigan Ave.
This project and dream began nearly 20 years ago through the vision of the admired and dearly remembered Ismael. Over the years, many young people in our Southwest Detroit community have had the opportunity to develop their talents in music, art, and creativity because of that vision.
Now, with the possibility of this dream becoming a reality under the leadership of his daughter Amelia, and with the support of the City of Detroit, it has the potential to bring tremendous benefits to our youth. It would provide a positive space where young people can channel their energy into personal growth, creativity, and opportunity.
The benefits would also extend to the city by helping create stronger pathways for youth development and reducing the likelihood of negative outcomes that can arise when young people lack constructive spaces and guidance. In the end, the entire community would gain.
Today more than ever, our youth need places like this. Mental health, hope, and positive opportunities are essential at a time when many families are living with uncertainty because of what is happening across the country. Supporting projects like this is an investment in our young people and in the future of our community.
Couldn’t think of a better use for the open space the banks have left in our neighborhoods than a community arts space like this! I’ve had the honor of witnessing and participating in Garaje throughout its many manifestations. Can’t wait to see it finally land, take root and flower into a full campus.
As a local artist in the community, Garage Cultural opened a pathway to working with seasoned artist from L.A. Through them I was able to gain experience creating and collaborating on a neighborhood mural. An opportunity that I do not think would be possible without schooling, Garage Cultural helped build those connections for me and to them I am so grateful. They are constantly giving artists of different varieties a platform to showcase their talents. Something not seen in many organizations in Detroit. Their work allows our hidden, silenced and misrepresented community a spotlight to be seen in a positive light.
Garage Cultural is a vital hub for culture and community in Southwest Detroit, and enriches the Detroit art scene as a whole. As an artist who has worked with them, I saw first hand how they approach projects with a focus on public good, bringing in local residents, students, and artists and engaging them with educational, and creative discourse. In a time where third spaces and places for people to connect with their neighbors are vanishing, places like Garage are more necessary in Detroit than ever.
Garage Cultural is a cornerstone and valued hub in Southwest Detroit. It stands out as one of the most vibrant, intergenerational, inclusive, and safe spaces to foster connection, nurture community care, and build resilience.
Garage Cultural is unique because of how much they do, from art with adults and children to public projects, music, dance, organizing, and resources for the community and beyond. I had the chance to work with them on a mural honoring a beloved resident on Bagley Street, and it showed me how deeply they care about the people and histories of Southwest Detroit.
I remember the music festivals Ismael Durán organized, where anyone could show up and play, no matter their experience. That spirit of openness and welcome is powerful, and it is part of why their work matters so much.
Garage Cultural has been at the forefront of Arts & Culture in Southwest Detroit for many years. Whether it be the murals on small businesses, the affordable lessons offered to families, the space given to artists to express themselves, or the several events they produce or support; Garage Cultural has played a tremendous role in both sustaining and uplifting the culture of its community. A community that is made up of several different backgrounds, all of which are more than deserving of spaces that remind them of where they come from and encourage them to use their legacy as a tool in forging their permanence in a city that is changing. Their plans to build a cultural campus in the community of Southwest Detroit would have an impact so large that it can only be described as transformational. It would reshape Southwest Detroit in the immediate future through opportunity, access, and activation, while laying a long-term foundation for its youth, its artists, and generations to come. We need spaces for us that are created by us with love, art, and resistance.
During the 30-year affiliation with Wayne State University I have participated in several events organized or sponsored by Garage Cultural. I support its community-oriented mission, which fills a major gap in the recreational and artistic life of Southwest Detroit. It provides complementary after-school hands-on cultural and educational opportunities for K-12 students in the fine, visual and expressive arts, as well as murals, that have greatly enhanced the area’s aesthetic appeal to its residents and visitors.
I don’t just know about this project.
I’ve witnessed it.
I’ve watched this vision be held—through grief, through health challenges, through the long, often invisible work of building something that truly belongs to community.
I’ve watched a daughter carry forward legacy after loss.
I’ve watched a family honor lineage shaped by migration, resilience, and survival.
(Her father left Chile during the Pinochet regime—this work carries that history in its bones.)
And I’ve watched what happens when space is created with care:
youth finding themselves
artists being held and resourced
community members finding healing in a world that too often fractures them.
Garage Cultural is not just a project.
It is a safe harbor. A cultural nexus. A living offering.
What’s being built on Junction Street is more than a campus—it is a continuation of memory, care, and possibility.
Detroit deserves this.
And I’m honored to have witnessed its becoming.
Trust is everything to me when it comes to standing behind and believing in something. Over the years, Garage Cultural initiatives have built a level of trust within our community that truly exceeds expectations. There are many organizations doing work in the community, but the trust that Garage Cultural has earned through its consistent efforts and impactful initiatives stands in a league of its own
I’ve been coming to and working with Garage for the better part of a decade and I can say that Garage is exactly the kind of community center we need in this city. It’s a model third space that has been so important to the SW area and the broader arts and activist communities of Detroit. They regularly bring together Detroiters from all across the city around art, history, and activism. Even drawing in folks from my neighborhood association way on the Eastside! I’m so glad to see Garage making these moves to expand! Detroit will be stronger for it!
I first encountered the Garage team circa 2013. Not only was this soon after their founding; but I had only been in the US for a few years at this point: years that had coincided with 2008 Economic Collapse. Why does all this matter? Well, you can imagine the news/impression I had gotten about Detroit up until that point.
From the time I encountered the team, I fell in love with Detroit. I have driven hours to see the new murals, been to every SWFest but one- including vending the last time I was there. it is as close to an idyllic community as I have encountered here: and it’s especially of the essence in this era.
I can’t say enough about the space, the people, and the spirit.
Been rocking with Garage for years throughout the neighborhood . As an artist from the neighborhood I’ve had the pleasure to witness Garages works as well as be a part of it . Can’t wait to see what the future holds .