Water as Witness Eco Art Opening Celebration by Maya Davis + Artist Talk

We’re excited to invite you to the opening of Water as Witness by Maya Davis, our 2025–2026 Eco-Artist-in-Residence. This special celebration marks a major milestone, as Water as Witness is the first permanent sculpture installed at Eliza Howell Park.
Rooted in water, memory, and environmental justice, Water as Witness is an off-grid sculpture that collects, filters, and redirects rainwater into the landscape, supporting a future rain garden and deepening our relationship to water and land. This is a chance to experience the work together and celebrate what it represents for the park and community. Come be part of this moment as we continue to steward, care for, and reimagine what’s possible in our shared green spaces.

Artist Talk at 3 PM

Performance by Sophiyah E. at 2 PM

Stormwater Zine Release

Refreshments

More about Sidewalk Detroit's Eco Artist Residency

Sidewalk Detroit’s Eco Artist Residency at Eliza Howell Park in Brightmoor aims to empower the local community while promoting environmental awareness around the park’s meadows, woodlands and the Rouge River, which flows through the park. By merging art and education, the residency highlights the significance of the park’s natural areas and encourages community stewardship, attracting statewide attention to the park's ecological role. Sidewalk Detroit's ongoing vision for Eliza Howell Park includes improving park infrastructure, focusing on stormwater management and the restoration of native ecosystems to foster deeper connections with the environment.

More about the artist, Maya Davis

Maya Davis's artistic practice explores the interconnected concepts of care, preservation, and resilience through diverse media and processes. They examine care as both an intimate act and a collective responsibility, drawing parallels between human experiences and natural systems. Central to their work is an investigation of transformation and endurance, particularly through materials that embody cyclical patterns of damage and repair. Through research-based approaches, Davis cultivates and transforms organic materials, creating works that embody histories of adaptation and survival. Their practice examines complex relationships between colonization, displacement, and belonging that shape both communities and ecosystems. By interweaving biological, historical, and personal narratives, Davis invites reflection on our collective responsibility to nurture shared environments and the human capacity for adaptation within a world marked by both trauma and healing. Davis has participated in residencies and fellowships with organizations such as Independent Curators International, Modern Ancient Brown, and Bulk Space. Their work has been featured in galleries including Good Weather (Chicago), White Columns (New York), and the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit. Davis has received support from organizations such as Culture Source (ARC Fellow), Red Bull Arts (Detroit Mini-grant Recipient), MdW Coalition (Artist Organizer Fellow), and Petty Propolis (Visionary Resistance Fellow).

Visit Maya’s website: https://www.mayabdavis.com/

This project is funded by Applebum Family Philanthropy Compass Fund, Gilbert Family Foundation, and Huron Clinton Metroparks.

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