22 images of hand-painted Detroit murals and signs

By Metro Times Staff

Yesterday, we blogged about our conversation with Camilo José Vergara, who had a bone to pick with the weekend's upbeat story about two white, college-educated sign painters -- because, aside from the occasional Tyree or Dabls, the African-American artists and themes on the city's walls weren't mentioned. In the interest of shining a light on that body of work, he's sent along a number of images, many of which will appear in his book, Detroit Is No Dry Bones, coming out this fall.

Photos by Camilo José Vergara http://www.camilojosevergara.com/

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Camilo José Vergara

Sylvia Burke, detail of her mural, The History of Detroit, including the Motown Museum and Old GM Building. 1776 West Grand Boulevard, Detroit, 2006

Camilo José Vergara

Rain On Us Deliverance Ministries, We're The Church Where God Has No Limits! This church was still operating in 2013. Its name had changed to Prophetic Ministries but the minister's name remained the same. 4256 Mitchell Street, Detroit, 2003.

Camilo José Vergara

Nativity scene comissioned by Kat, painted on the ruins of the Goethe apartment building. McClellan at Goethe, Detroit, 2014.

Camilo José Vergara

Ruins of the Goethe apartment building of 1924. Kat, a neighbor who lives across the street, hired a sign painter. Berry, the postman, commenting on the art work, said: "The neighborhood is being blessed. The area is so bad that they could use a blessing. The murals on it are about faith," and remarked of the building that it was not "so much the eyesore that it used to be." McClellan Ave. at Goethe St., Detroit, 2014.

Camilo José Vergara

Inner City Crossover Gospel Ministry, Cass Ave. at Temple, Detroit, 1994

Camilo José Vergara

A homeless folk artist approached the owner of Willie's Garage about painting the façade. The artist painted the story of transportation, a playful arrangement of letters, vehicles, and animals ranging from donkeys to jet planes. In 2015 the former garage is being refurbished. 2520 Michigan Ave., Detroit, 1991.

Camilo José Vergara

Mr. Fix It, a former 1920s High Speed Gas Station in 1995. The artwork is by Eugene an itinerant sign painter with a distinctive style. His fading store signs can still be seen in southwest Detroit. Epworth St. at West Warren, Detroit, 1995