Artists may not save Detroit ...

See this smart and biting column in Forbes for several reasons why. But if the Heidelberg Project weren't proof enough, these awesome videos show yet again the power that artists have to reinvent ruins and bring life back to dead spaces. Check it out:

COMBO a collaborative animation by Blu and David Ellis (2 times loop) from blu on Vimeo.

MUTO a wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.

Send in the artists!

When people hear homes are selling for $100 in Detroit, they momentarily dream of a great deal. Then they see a picture of the property -- burned out, scrapped, and rotting in a dying neighborhood -- and the dream is dashed. Luckily for the city, some artists find that image irresistibly romantic -- and the price can't be beat. The Detroit News has a profile today of a group of artists who are eagerly buying up derelict property just north of Hamtramck. (A local novelist first wrote about them in Sunday's New York Times.) I wish them the best of luck, and I hope they bring their friends!

Give to the arts ...

Because GM no longer will. The Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Music Hall, the Michigan Opera Theatre and the Detroit Institute of Arts, among others, will all lose major operating support this year. Other foundations are bound to scale back support as well. Endowments have shrunk along with the stock market, and charitable contributions fall as jobs are lost. Some of our most important cultural institutions -- and many of the smaller, more local ones -- could be lost to the economic downturn if new benefactors don't emerge.

The Dirtbombs on Detroit

In an interview with The Sound of Young America, The Dirtbombs discuss living in Detroit, the advantages of being an artist in the city, and the comeback of The Gories, Mick Collin's legendary band.

Hat Tip: Motor City Rocks