Detroit artists push for transparency and fair pay after mystery murals crop up downtown

That’s when Detroit muralist Sydney James called us.

“All of these white artists painted Black people,” she says. “There was no vetting process or anything. They said, ‘Hey we can come in and paint these walls,’ and the city said OK, but they make Detroit artists go through the wringer and do all these community activations before they can put something up. These European artists weren’t asked to do all of that.”

Additional "rabbit hole" links:

• A selection of Detroit murals by Detroit artists
• Does the Motor City’s public art serve the public?