New vibrant window display exhibition in small businesses part of Detroit Month of Design

Vibrant colors, photographs and abstract art can be seen in Detroit window displays these days.  

Artists are installing displays in Detroit small businesses in an effort to create art that reflects the business, while helping to promote it.

The Detroit Window Design Classic kickoff event for viewing the window displays was Friday at Norwest Gallery of Art. The Grand River Avenue exhibition will run through Sept. 30. 

Asia Hamilton, founder and curator of Norwest Gallery of Art, thought of the idea to put unique window installations in different Detroit storefronts. With the inspiration from the 1987 film "Mannequin," Hamilton wanted to give artists the ability to create window displays, just like the characters did in the film. Hamilton also wanted to bring customers back into the area. 

"After COVID, small businesses really kind of fell off because we didn't have any foot traffic and we had to close our doors," said Hamilton. "This was an opportunity to bring attention to those small businesses, as well as get a little bit of foot traffic going in the neighborhoods." 

There will be 11 businesses participating: Cutz Lounge, HM Style Lounge, Norwest Gallery of Art, Orson's Collision Shop, Pages Bookstore, Pressed Juice Bar, Siege Clothing, United Horizon, DigiMax Business Copy Store, Voluptuous Bien'Aime Boutique and Flamingo Vintage. 

The 13 artists installing the windows will be competing for Best Storefront Window honors and $500. Visitors can vote on the Detroit Window Design Classic website. Voting ends Sept. 30. 

Robert and Jai Griggs are the owners of the Pressed Juice Bar, which focuses on selling fresh health and weight maintenance products and apparel. Artist Laura Earle was installing a large vibrant fruit display in the shape of lemons and oranges. 

Robert said that working with other businesses during projects like the Window Design Classic help to create community and a great network on Grand River Avenue.

"When it was brought to us by Asia, we said 'sure why not?' " he said. "Why not be engaged with the community and what's going on? When you're in the community, you've got to be all about it."

Earle's design was inspired by illustrations created by Detroit artist Olivia Guterson. Earle had a goal to lift the public's spirits by showcasing positive art in the window.

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"I wanted people to realize how vibrant this place seems to be," Earle said. "When I thought about the health and positive energy about this place, I wanted people to just glance at the window and know that there's this idea of exceeding expectations or pushing further than what you thought. But really, health and vitality was really what we were going for." 

Across Grand River Avenue, Cutz Lounge is a mixed-use building that holds a large barbershop, a pop-up restaurant and a photography studio. Dante Williams, owner of Cutz Lounge, had to shut down the building for three months because of COVID-19, and he hopes that this event will encourage people to come out again. 

Williams hopes that the design will bring "the camaraderie, where you start putting the other stuff aside and just coming out to enjoy art, each other or local businesses in the area. And just really being a community again." 

Williams plans to get to know the artists and hopes to provide a space for art installations more often.

Artist Jessica DeMuro spent time in the Cutz Lounge and began to take photos of things that stood out to her in the barbershop. DeMuro then began to curate those images in black and white into a large collage display for the window.

"The barbershop is such a vital part of a community and of a neighborhood,"  DeMuro said. "I tried to really bring in the vibe of this place."

DeMuro feels that it's important for artists to be involved in the community by creating beauty in everyday spaces. 

"I think it's really important that we coalesce community and things like arts, humanities and all of the genre that kind of covers that," DeMuro said. "Mostly because I think there's a lot of cross-pollination there."

The Detroit Window Design Classic is part of the Detroit Month of Design. Every year, the Detroit Month of Design brings together different artists to showcase their talents in various forms. 

"That gives an opportunity to focus on the designers of Detroit," Hamilton said. "Detroit, by design, is an industrial-type city. So we design a lot of things. Cars, dope music, clothes — we have a lot of style. And design is a major part of our culture."

The Detroit Month of Design will bring more than 65 virtual and in-person events, along with 13 no-touch installations in the city. 

A map will be available for the Detroit Window Design Classic, which will direct viewers to participating businesses on West McNichols and West Vernor Hwy. Hamilton hopes that the exhibition will create a place for people to gather again. 

"A lot of people spend a lot of time in Midtown, downtown and even on Livernois, but they don't really venture out to other parts of the city," Hamilton said. "This is an opportunity for them to see another part of Detroit that is thriving."

Contact staff writer Chanel Stitt on Twitter: @ByChanelStitt. Become a subscriber.