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Purchase College, State University Of New York: Knight Foundation Awards Professor Chris Robbins' American Riad Project ...

The grant will also allow for the design and installation of a performance space and for a series of performances and dialogues at the i ...

December 07, 2021

December 07, 2021

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The Knight Foundation Arts program award is proof of their confidence on its impact on the art and cultural life of Detroit.

The American Riad Project, the brainchild of Professor Chris Robbins and his arts collective Ghana Think Tank, was selected as a 2021 Knight Arts Challenge winner.

Find out what's happening in Harrisonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Inspired by the innovative idea, The Knight Foundation Arts program awarded the project $171,00 over two years, proof of their confidence that American Riad will positively impact the art and cultural life of Detroit.

A housing justice, preservation, and community art project years in the making—that many Purchase students have helped bring to fruition—is nearing completion. The award will help the group complete the 3,000 square foot sculpture at the center of this Community Land Trust. A former empty lot surrounded by abandoned buildings has transformed into a riad, a Moroccan-inspired shared courtyard surrounded by low-income apartments and businesses.

The grant will also allow for the design and installation of a performance space and for a series of performances and dialogues at the intersection of Black American and Muslim cultures.

Ghana ThinkTank, The Oakland Avenue Artist Coalition, North End Woodward Community Organization, and Detroit Justice Center formed an art and architecture collaborative to develop the abandoned corner. And to prevent gentrification, the eight business and residences will be kept permanently affordable through the legal and financial protections of a community land trust developed with the Detroit Justice Center and the Central Detroit Christian CDC.

Visit americanriad.org to learn more.

  • American Riad Project in Detroit.

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December 07, 2021

The Knight Foundation Arts program award is proof of their confidence on its impact on the art and cultural life of Detroit.

The American Riad Project, the brainchild of Professor Chris Robbins and his arts collective Ghana Think Tank, was selected as a 2021 Knight Arts Challenge winner.

Inspired by the innovative idea, The Knight Foundation Arts program awarded the project $171,00 over two years, proof of their confidence that American Riad will positively impact the art and cultural life of Detroit.

A housing justice, preservation, and community art project years in the making—that many Purchase students have helped bring to fruition—is nearing completion. The award will help the group complete the 3,000 square foot sculpture at the center of this Community Land Trust. A former empty lot surrounded by abandoned buildings has transformed into a riad, a Moroccan-inspired shared courtyard surrounded by low-income apartments and businesses.

The grant will also allow for the design and installation of a performance space and for a series of performances and dialogues at the intersection of Black American and Muslim cultures.

Ghana ThinkTank, The Oakland Avenue Artist Coalition, North End Woodward Community Organization, and Detroit Justice Center formed an art and architecture collaborative to develop the abandoned corner. And to prevent gentrification, the eight business and residences will be kept permanently affordable through the legal and financial protections of a community land trust developed with the Detroit Justice Center and the Central Detroit Christian CDC.

Visit americanriad.org to learn more.

American Riad Project in Detroit.

« Previous1 of 1Next »

Save & Share

  • Copy Link

The American Riad Project, the brainchild of Professor Chris Robbins and his arts collective Ghana Think Tank, was selected as a 2021 Knight Arts Challenge winner.

Inspired by the innovative idea, The Knight Foundation Arts program awarded the project $171,00 over two years, proof of their confidence that American Riad will positively impact the art and cultural life of Detroit.

A housing justice, preservation, and community art project years in the making—that many Purchase students have helped bring to fruition—is nearing completion. The award will help the group complete the 3,000 square foot sculpture at the center of this Community Land Trust. A former empty lot surrounded by abandoned buildings has transformed into a riad, a Moroccan-inspired shared courtyard surrounded by low-income apartments and businesses.

The grant will also allow for the design and installation of a performance space and for a series of performances and dialogues at the intersection of Black American and Muslim cultures.

Ghana ThinkTank, The Oakland Avenue Artist Coalition, North End Woodward Community Organization, and Detroit Justice Center formed an art and architecture collaborative to develop the abandoned corner. And to prevent gentrification, the eight business and residences will be kept permanently affordable through the legal and financial protections of a community land trust developed with the Detroit Justice Center and the Central Detroit Christian CDC.

Visit americanriad.org to learn more.


This press release was produced by Purchase College, State University of New York. The views expressed here are the author’s own.