The Cass Corridor is a truly astounding place. Tucked in between the northern shadow if Detroit's skyline and the Wayne State University complex, any passing visitor probably would do just that - keep going. At face value the Corridor would seem to have nothing to offer but a seedy and impoverished existence, which is indeed the case for a majority of it's disfranchised population. The Corridor's original population and industries fled to the suburbs a long time ago leaving behind a shell inhabited by the dispossessed and a lot of empty buildings. Perhaps that is were the story would end, were it not for the fact that a lot of those empty spaces became home to fine artists, poets, musicians, and revolutionaries.
Bigger cities have larger art communities.
However, by the nature of their very size, their art culture and the bonds between individual members tends to fractures into small tribal cells. However, a large bulk of the cultural community consists of individuals from around the World who have inexplicably come to ground and grown strong roots in the community. At a casual glance, it seems preposterous that Detroit should have such an enormous creative pool. City, state or federal support for the arts for this area is laughable, and is the chief reason artists continue to be one of Detroit's biggest exports. There are no remarkable landmarks, no sprawling avenues lined with cafe's.