River Rouge Rolls Out A City-Wide Initiative and Invites Russell Industrial Artists To Relocate There

In an almost unprecedented civic gesture, The City of River Rouge has offered to help the recently displaced Artists and Craftsmen find new, affordable and functional studio spaces in the former industrial giant, which will include both city owned and commercial and storefront properties. The city will also offer both Legal and financial consultation to those displaced artists.

The city also welcomes other artists who seek affordable and safe creative spaces in the backdrop of the 20th Century's steel and automobile epicenter, as the city welcomes any creative individual who wants to be a part of something bigger-

Now that the Evans Administration has fixed our Rouge River Bridge on W. Jefferson Avenue, we in River Rouge are open for business....

"We, feel that our close proximity to Downtown Detroit, and the new Gordie Howe Bridge, gives us in River Rouge a unique opportunity to reinvent ourselves as a community, we intend to take full advantage of these positives, and aggressively market our city accordingly." Says Former Mayor and current Councilman, Dan Cooney

With the recent closure of the Russell Industrial Complex the city is fast tracking our Program ahead to offer those displaced tenants an open hand in possible relocation to River Rouge.

As a Rising Tide community we are rewriting our Master Plan, developing a Downtown Development strategy to promote commercial & residential development in our City.

We ask that the artists come look at our community with a small town feel, no city income tax, safe streets, beautiful parks, dependable municipal public safety & public works services.

Some examples of the range of potential Studios and business opportunities including former Industrial spaces with 3 phase power, storefronts and residential homes that the city would rather see inhabited than atrophied may all be available for occupancy, city-wide.

The city is planning on offering artists a bus tour of the entire city within the next few weeks.

Councilman and former Mayor, Dan Cooney is spearheading this program which has the Working name of "Artists First", along with Director of City Development, Karl Laub have secured the help the founder of the late CPop Gallery and longtime art advocate, Rick Manore to help re instate his "Red River Artist Center" concept to the entire city. *
(Red River Art Center was quickly bought by a prospective creative business, The Telegram News who relocated the longtime area newspaper from Ecorse into the building less than 6 months after the RRAC opened, by buying the former moribund property and bringing in jobs.

"We understand that River Rouge cannot be an Industrial based economy anymore, so the city is willing to become a haven for the creative, industrious and musical artists who populated the almost 150 studios on Clay Ave in Detroit, and if we can help make the abrupt closing of the former Russell Industrial Center, a viable and less stressful option for many, we welcome you" says Rick Manore who is collaborating with the city on this project which for him, is 10 years coming.

ARTIST INFORMATION
Interested artists (Russell Industrial and local artists in general) can contact the office of the Director Of City Development, Karl Laub at klaub@thecityofriverrouge.org

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