The debate over what qualifies as “a work of art” traverses centuries. For the visitors and sponsors of the Lincoln St. Art Park in Detroit, pride is found in what can be created in castaways and the novelty of human signature upon the “built environment.”

Lincoln St. Art Park, on 5929 Lincoln St. near the Northwest Goldberg neighborhood in Detroit, was opened to the public in 2011 by Matthew Naimi, also founder of Recycle Here!” a recycling center adjacent to the park. 

The vision for the park was born out of a community cleanup effort to transform an industrial lot, once the site of an auto plant managed by Warren Motor Car Co., and, later, Ford Motor Co. The center, described by Naimi as “Detroit’s destination for recycling for 15 years,” encourages a public participation in patronizing and creating sustainable art, after the “take something, leave another behind” ideology of the Little Free Libraries found across U.S. communities. 

The recycling hub offers a variety of materials for no cost including colored glass, plastics, recycled paper and scrap metals in collection bins around the facility. To complement the communally involved vision of Recycle Here! another corridor advertises personal-use goods including vintage books, household items and other educational materials. As such, there is a special souvenir for every visitor. 

The park features mounted mural art, graffitied sections of brick and sculpture installations as part of an outdoor walk-through gallery where bright swaths of paint contrast against the rugged brick interior and uneven lawn. A flight of stairs escorts visitors to an upper plane where the park’s resident artists work.

Park visitors are welcomed into their studios to witness the creative process as they paint in real-time or browse through the handmade relics on display of bizarre stickers, crochetwork and prints of original canvas works.

“This project is about reimagining old structures in new ways and contributing to Detroit’s reinvention of itself and its icons,” Naimi said when speaking on urban renewal and trendsetting for the arts.

Near the entryway of this “junkyard” of treasures, two wall-murals stand out in particular. The first, a dramatic rendition of a pair of red and black Nike Jordans are ablaze with spray paint around the soles. At second glance, the shoes almost appear to be posing, the higher one tilted away from the inspector in a show of flair. The other, imbued with the city’s industrial legacy, bears the slogan: “Life is a Dreamtroit” against the grit of tarnished sheet metal. 

The phrase refers to a completed project that would bring together artists and patrons, retailers and community into one space. This vision came to life when, in Sept 2024, Naimi and project developer of Dreamtroit, Oren Goldenberg, welcomed the opening of the redeveloped commercial lot. While originally an exhibition park and recycling center, it would now function as a mixed-use retail and commercial space with parking, 17 affordable housing units, and a drop-off facility-turned creator’s market for recyclables.

The mixed-use property is an example of locals reclaiming space and creators staking out a path for themselves in an art scene that selectively rewards.

 Professor Joanna Woronkowicz of Indiana University writes in an article that “volatile income, limited benefits, and few protections against technological and market shocks” are among the many challenges American artists face. Many freelancers find themselves working multiple jobs — often in teaching or the service industry—to supplement the income made from art sales. 

The Lincoln Street Art Park, however, reimagines the future as one where artwork isn’t simply marveled at and then passed by, but where the individuals behind it are entitled to the same attention their work receives. Naimi describes this envisioned trend in terms of a “live/make artist community” where artists reside, create, and showcase their products. He believes offering affordable housing for rent to these new creatives gives them full license to earn a namesake, helping to offset financial uncertainty.