Arts Enclave at Old Canton Ford Factory Draws Support

CANTON, MI — The old Ford factory could become a regional arts complex known as the Village Arts Factory under a plan that is gaining widespread support.

The former factory, where disabled World War II veterans lived and assembled auto industry parts by hand, would house art studios and galleries, classroom space for arts education classes and healing programs for U.S. veterans, and perhaps include a restaurant and brewery.

The Michigan Council for the Arts and Cultural Affairs recently approved $45,000 for the project through the local Partnership for the Arts and Humanities.

“It’s tough money to get, so they should be very proud of that,” John Bracey, executive director of the organization, told The Canton Observer. “ can’t tell you how competitive this program is. A project that is not a viable project doesn't stand a chance.”

Jill Engel, executive director of the Partnership for the Arts and Humanities, said that although the proposed project will be located in Canton, its scope is regional.

“We are not a Canton project,” Engel told the newspaper. “We are located in Canton, but we are going to be a regional destination. Southeast Michigan is our target.”

The project would complement the historic Yankee Air Museum near Belleville, as well as an arts complex under consideration in Westland on the site of the old Hawthorne Valley golf course.

The Village Arts Factory would be strategically located between Detroit and Ann Arbor, where the arts are already thriving. Work could begin as early as the fall of 2017, with a completion date of late 2018.

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Photo via Partnership for the Arts and Humanities