FINALLY Went to Eastern Market

**BEEAH** · May-14-12, 05:32 PM

I cannot believe that I never really been to that before. I have explored so many different areas downtown and tried to learn more about whats going on. Went there this last Saturday and my jaw dropped. I cannot believe how big of an operation it is and how many people were there. I remember hearing that it was the largest open market in the country and after seeing it, I do not doubt it. It just goes on and on.

If you have never been, make a point to pick a good sunny day and go down and check it out. I will be visiting many, many more times.

**jpbollma** · May-14-12, 05:36 PM

I went for the first time several weekends ago! It was amazing!! My only negative observation was the amount of graffiti on the businesses. How disrespectful, that must drive those owners crazy.I wonder if they have any plans to clean that up or would some "artist" just come back down and do it again?

**Detroitnerd** · May-14-12, 06:00 PM

Originally Posted by jpbollma

I went for the first time several weekends ago! It was amazing!! My only negative observation was the amount of graffiti on the businesses. How disrespectful, that must drive those owners crazy.I wonder if they have any plans to clean that up or would some "artist" just come back down and do it again?

It's not graffiti; it's street art. Those are approved murals by internationally recognized street artists. The owners want them there. And if you could take them off the wall and sell them, they'd be worth thousands of dollars ... just sayin'....

**Wheels** · May-14-12, 06:29 PM

Originally Posted by Detroitnerd

It's not graffiti; it's street art. Those are approved murals by internationally recognized street artists. The owners want them there. And if you could take them off the wall and sell them, they'd be worth thousands of dollars ... just sayin'....

To you it might be art. To most it is blight. It represents everything that is wrong with Detroit. The owners might be tired o covering it up, but that don't make it art. It reminds me of the worst shit hole places I have been in Mexico. They call it art to. What a joke!

**jpbollma** · May-14-12, 06:31 PM

Lol most of it looke like writing to me rather than pictures. I guess it's just not my thing.

**Detroitnerd** · May-14-12, 06:41 PM

Originally Posted by Wheels

To you it might be art. To most it is blight. It represents everything that is wrong with Detroit. The owners might be tired o covering it up, but that don't make it art. It reminds me of the worst shit hole places I have been in Mexico. They call it art to. What a joke!

Um, the owners approved of the big pieces. These guys are international art stars. I've met a few of them and they're super-cool. You really have no idea what you're talking about.

**Detroitnerd** · May-14-12, 06:42 PM

Originally Posted by jpbollma

Lol most of it looke like writing to me rather than pictures. I guess it's just not my thing.

Well, that I can understand. Just so you know that a lot of it is legitimate art. Took me a while to take a shine to it, but I get it now.

**Wheels** · May-14-12, 06:57 PM

Originally Posted by Detroitnerd

Um, the owners approved of the big pieces. These guys are international art stars. I've met a few of them and they're super-cool. You really have no idea what you're talking about.

I know if you look up art you won't find any of that crap. If you look up Graffiti or Blight you will find plenty of examples.

If some are doing it with permission it only encourages all of the gang taggers to destroy anything they care to put their mark on.

Kinda like dogs pissing on a fence or a fire hydrant. Might be cute the first time but when thousands copy it gets really ugly.

**Detroitnerd** · May-14-12, 07:14 PM

Originally Posted by Wheels

I know if you look up art you won't find any of that crap. If you look up Graffiti or Blight you will find plenty of examples.

No, I'm not saying you're stupid, I just mean you don't know the particulars of what's going on down there. It's called the Detroit Beautification Project, and it has resulted in dozens of street art works from Hamtramck down to Phil Cooley's new space in Corktown. If people want to offer these artists their walls for this work, it's not graffiti and it's not blight -- it's art. International people are coming here from as far as New Zealand and Australia to paint these works. It's a big deal, and about as far from graffiti as you can get.

Originally Posted by Wheels

If some are doing it with permission it only encourages all of the gang taggers to destroy anything they care to put their mark on.

Surprisingly, that's not the case. In study after study, the evidence shows that street taggers -- people who do illegal graffiti -- are impressed by these works and do not tag a wall once it gets a treatment from a professional street artist. There are high-profile examples that prove this, from Williamsburg, Brooklyn to Wicker Park in Chicago, and locally, in our own Dequindre Cut, or the recent "Welcome to Hamtramck" mural on Joseph Campau near Hamtramck Drive, which hasn't been tagged once since it was put in. It used to be the most-frequently tagged wall in town.

Originally Posted by Wheels

Kinda like dogs pissing on a fence or a fire hydrant. Might be cute the first time but when thousands copy it gets really ugly.

Well, I hope that knowing the facts helps change your mind. Art often provokes strong opinions, so yours wouldn't be the first. Just understand that this is different from someone writing "Wanda sucks it" on a wall.

**Wheels** · May-14-12, 07:22 PM

Originally Posted by Detroitnerd

No, I'm not saying you're stupid, I just mean you don't know the particulars of what's going on down there. It's called the Detroit Beautification Project, and it has resulted in dozens of street art works from Hamtramck down to Phil Cooley's new space in Corktown. If people want to offer these artists their walls for this work, it's not graffiti and it's not blight -- it's art. International people are coming here from as far as New Zealand and Australia to paint these works. It's a big deal, and about as far from graffiti as you can get.

Surprisingly, that's not the case. In study after study, the evidence shows that street taggers -- people who do illegal graffiti -- are impressed by these works and do not tag a wall once it gets a treatment from a professional street artist. There are high-profile examples that prove this, from Williamsburg, Brooklyn to Wicker Park in Chicago, and locally, in our own Dequindre Cut, or the recent "Welcome to Hamtramck" mural on Joseph Campau near Hamtramck Drive, which hasn't been tagged once since it was put in. It used to be the most-frequently tagged wall in town.

Well, I hope that knowing the facts helps change your mind. Art often provokes strong opinions, so yours wouldn't be the first. Just understand that this is different from someone writing "Wanda sucks it" on a wall.

Your argument is solid and if your data is real I will reserve judgment.

I still don't have to like it!

**Detroitnerd** · May-14-12, 07:26 PM

Originally Posted by Wheels

Your argument is solid and if your data is real I will reserve judgment.

I still don't have to like it!

Well, yeah. That's the great thing about art: We all get to argue about what it means, its merit, etc.

**EASTSIDE CAT 67-83** · May-14-12, 07:31 PM

BEEAH
Welcome to Detroit.....

**rjk** · May-14-12, 07:45 PM

Just a heads up to anyone going to EM, be careful about parking in some of the parking lots without marked lanes. The last few weeks at the lot by Roma Cafe cars have been locked in by a car in front and in back of them.

**BEEAH** · May-14-12, 07:57 PM

Originally Posted by EASTSIDE CAT 67-83

BEEAH
Welcome to Detroit.....

Heh, thanks! It cracks me up that I really never seen it before. I'm downtown all the time and have for years. I just never made it to that corner before and I'm bummed I've only just discovered it.

I've been a Downtown flag waver for some time now, bringing people down and showing them how things have changed. People that have not been downtown in 10 or 15 years and just assume nothing is different. When they see so many different areas of the city it really changes their persective.

Now knowing about EM I have more to learn myself.

**Hamtragedy** · May-14-12, 11:49 PM

As far as I'm concerned, Eastern Market has been for decades and still is the hippest spot in town, even with the "new look" and the improvements. Go early or go late [[with a hangover). All walks of life and cultures. Cheap groceries, and cheaper [[3 for $12) flowers. Don't bother turning E onto Mack, like everyone else, go to Wilkins and enter thru the backroads, easy parking along the Service Drive.

Bring a date. Hit the Coney, Russell St. or Bert's. Or go by yourself, easy in, easy out.

One question for the rest of the regulars. Where did the bulk mushroom people disappear to?

**poobert** · May-15-12, 12:28 AM

It's interesting that a relatively simple marketplace, which is universal in humanity and how all people have shopped since time immemorial, is so novel here, where places like Wal-Mart are the norm.

That not withstanding, I agree...Eastern Market is, was, and will be, hands down, one of the best places in Detroit...Michigan...and far beyond!

**DetroitPlanner** · May-15-12, 05:32 AM

The Eastern Market has has a long history of murals. The sheds used to be painted to look like barnyard animals.

I'm surprised it takes some people so long to go there. My parents took us down there when we were toddlers. After all, it is where you could get fresh fruit and produce... CHEAP. We would also get Christmas trees there.

**Detroitdave** · May-15-12, 06:26 AM

NO NO NO don't tell people about EM It's horrible and Dangerous and expensive!
;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) Don't keep sending people down to my market !, It's getting too crowded ! I have to wait 20 mins to get a table at Russell st. ! so I stop going on the Weekends ! :-) and they keep building cool stuff i.e Garmack coffee :-[[
If this keep up it will be full of snobby suburban folks :-[[.
BTW you do know this is sarcasm :-)
Back to the subject Graffiti is a way of life :-[[ I've lived a lot of world class cities, Rome comes to mind and it's ALL over the place :-[[ even on the most beautiful buildings and ancient buildings :-[[ they keep washing it off and they keep putting it on , it [[ graffiti) has been going on for thousands of years :-[[
BTW I do get it and in the right places it's Ok, however, On Woodward , no .
I like MOCA, but I'm over the "ART" on the building, in a city like Detroit people visiting likely won't get it . Most people from outside the city i.e the burbs sees this as just more Detroit graffiti. For that building , I'd much rather see interesting architecture on that building and in that area. I believe most people driving by have no idea know what's inside, I've been several times and like it .
Just my opinion :-)

**Pam** · May-15-12, 07:37 AM

Last time I was there was in the fall and I did see junky "tagging" grafitti. So it's possible they have both that and what D-nerd is talking about.

**rjk** · May-15-12, 07:42 AM

It might be the best people watching place in the area. I'm sure it has something to do with the fact that it attracts more health concsious people. Last week I commented to someone that I can't remember seeing as many attractive middle aged woman in one place before.

It has been getting crazy crowded on Saturday.
Does anyone know if they're opened on Tuesday like they were last year?

**OCD-brandon** · May-15-12, 07:51 AM

What would people like to see painted on the side of a building? We have a multi-year lease on a large, bare building on Division/Riopelle and will be painting a mural on it very soon. Right now, the idea you we have, will likely not fly with some of you. So, that being the case, what ideas do you have?

**313hero** · May-15-12, 08:58 AM

The Eastern Market is great. thats where I buy all my meat products. And Flower day is always awsome. Cutter's Bar and Grill go the best Burgers in the city and Butcher's is good too. Bert's warehouse etc are all fun hangouts. The eastern Market is off the hook, and if you wanna still party after 2. Go to one of those warehouses.

**noise** · May-15-12, 09:03 AM

Originally Posted by Wheels

I know if you look up art you won't find any of that crap.

Street art isn't considered art? Thousands of art museums and galleries are wrong?

Thanks, Picasso.

**jt1** · May-15-12, 09:21 AM

Originally Posted by OCD-brandon

What would people like to see painted on the side of a building? We have a multi-year lease on a large, bare building on Division/Riopelle and will be painting a mural on it very soon. Right now, the idea you we have, will likely not fly with some of you. So, that being the case, what ideas do you have?

I'd like a huge mural of me on it.

**jpbollma** · May-15-12, 10:51 AM

As other posters have stated above, there is a section that seems to be badly tagged rather than painted with murals or street art, and that is the section I was referring to. Who knows though, maybe that is supposed to be part of the art.