Detroit is amping up for the NFL Draft with an art installation that's as big and bold as a fourth-quarter Hail Mary pass. More than a dozen gigantic cleats are stomping onto the streets, a move to lure in the football fanatics and art aficionados alike, as the city preps for the April 25-27 mega event. As reported by CBS News Detroit, the mammoth "DCLEATED" project is the brainchild of City Walls and various city partners, injecting a dose of creativity into downtown.
It's not just about supersized shoes; it's also about community spirit and charity. Each artist has teamed up with a nonprofit, weaving social missions into their boot designs. "To get to paint something as unique as a giant shoe is something you don't get to do every day as an artist," Robin Speth told CBS News Detroit, highlighting the novelty of the enterprise. Trae Issac, another artist, partnered with The Children's Center to bring his own experiences into the canvas. "They do a lot of work that I like to describe as helping kids turn their trauma into triumph. That's something I had to do as a child, when I found art at the age of 16, in order to come up with ways to cope with the loss of my baby brother, my mother," Issac shared in a CBS News Detroit interview.
The initiative isn't just pulling on heartstrings, it's also expected to pull in dollars for good causes. Post-draft, these art pieces will be auctioned off, with proceeds going to the charities picked by the artists, as per WXYZ. Nicole Wells-Stallworth, CEO of the Children’s Center, emphasized the potential impact of these donations. “Any donation that we receive at Children’s Center allows us to ensure that children and youth have access to evidence-based clinical treatment that they may need,” she explained to WXYZ.
While they make their way to various corners of the city, including airports and Ford Field, the cleats are more than city ornaments—they're a testament to Detroit's resilience and creative flair. "The reputation for Detroit for so long has been a city of, you know, struggling, but now we're thriving. And in order to create a high level of art, you have to be at a point where you're thriving," artist Chazz Miller told CBS News Detroit. All this ties into the city's larger narrative of rebirth and community, capturing the essence of Detroit through an unexpected but striking medium: colossal cleats. According to Crain's Detroit, an online auction will be set up, allowing not just deep-pocketed bigwigs but also the general public to get their hands—or feet—on a piece of Detroit history.
