Community Celebration: "New Forest, Ancient Thrones"

Celebrate the installation opening of “New Forest, Ancient Thrones” by Sidewalk Detroit’s artist-in-residence Jordan Weber, a New York-based regenerative land sculptor and activist who works at the intersection of social justice and environmental apartheid through grassroots collaboration in industrial polluted neighborhoods. Festivities will commence with an opening ceremony and block party at Canfield Consortium Art Park in East Canfield Village. “New Forest, Ancient Thrones” is a new permanent sculpture that honors the resiliency of the East Canfield neighborhood and the dedication of its residents to continue the fight against environmental racism and the climate crisis.

About Jordan Weber

Jordan Weber is a New York-based regenerative land sculptor and activist who works at the intersection of social justice and environmental-apartheid through grassroots collaboration in industrial polluted neighborhoods such as St. Louis, Minneapolis, Detroit, Red Hook, NY, Boston and Des Moines, Iowa.

About Sidewalk Detroit

Sidewalk Detroit is a non-profit dedicated to improving livability for residents through the promotion of spatial equity and strong social infrastructure. Its emphasis is on public art, neighborhood place-keeping and equitable access to urban greenspace as tools through which residents reclaim their spaces and envision a joyful, protected and connected future. Sidewalk engages in culturally specific work by curating original place-based performance, installation and visual arts in neighborhoods around Detroit, with a historical emphasis on the west side, specifically via the biennial Sidewalk Festival, which fills the city with live performance and artwork from more than 30 Detroit-based creatives. Additionally, the organization facilitates collaborative engagement with residents around new public and private developments in their neighborhoods, putting them at the forefront of the development and design process. Lastly, it stewards and advocates for green space and green equity within parks and greenways—such as Eliza Howell Park, where we’ve organized infrastructure improvements, created accessible programming, developed over two miles of hiking trails, added new plantings and commissioned an installation by sculptor Patrick Dougherty—seeking to develop plans and infrastructure improvements in these places that are specifically geared towards the needs, dreams and concerns of long-term residents.

About Canfield Consortium

Canfield Consortium is a nonprofit community development organization committed to restoring the neighborhood community experience in East Canfield Village, an area which has lost basic support systems that were crucial to its vitality. Canfield Consortium was founded by sisters Rhonda and Kim Theus after watching their east side neighborhood shift from a thriving community to an area of blight. The sisters committed themselves to becoming a part of its resurgence and started Canfield Consortium with the intention of eradicating issues, such as substandard infrastructure, rundown buildings and idle space. By initiating an outreach effort to connect residents, schools, churches and businesses, Canfield Consortium is restoring the East Canfield Village community that holds tremendous promise for current residents, residents to come, visitors and businesses.​

Host or Publisher Sidewalk Detroit