Detroit's Heidelberg Project and Spot Lite partner for 'Second Saturdays' community events

Detroit’s storied Heidelberg Project continues the community outreach spurred by its recent leadership changes. It will host the September installment of its “Second Saturdays at the Heidelberg Project” on Saturday from 2-5 p.m.

Launched last month, the program is a partnership with a nightclub and gathering place called Spot Lite Detroit. Second Saturdays bring Detroiters and visitors to the project to enjoy art and live entertainment.

This weekend’s date includes a 2:30 p.m. performance of “The Adventures of Dimitri and Banana Sandwich,” an original puppet adventure-comedy from Corktown-based Flying Cardboard Theater, and a 3:33 p.m. tour of the Project’s core art environment led by City Institute, a grassroots nonprofit that takes locals and visitors beyond the headlines to educate them about Detroit’s history, culture and community.

Tyree Guyton, left, the founding artist at the Heidelberg Project, stands in the middle of Heidelberg Street next to Andy Sturm, executive director of the Heidelberg Project in Detroit on Friday, May 10, 2024.
Tyree Guyton, left, the founding artist at the Heidelberg Project, stands in the middle of Heidelberg Street next to Andy Sturm, executive director of the Heidelberg Project in Detroit on Friday, May 10, 2024.

“The Heidelberg Project is a unique cultural asset where people find community and inspiration,” said Heidelberg Project Executive Director Andy Sturm. “Second Saturdays brings people together for an afternoon of fun, to experience the unexpected, and engage with art and each other. We appreciate the partnership of Spot Lite Detroit, Flying Cardboard Theater, and City Institute, organizations that work, like us, to create a stronger, more engaged Detroit.”

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The first event, held in August, drew more than 400 people for brunch and events at Spot Lite Detroit and a block party on Heidelberg Street. The two destinations, separated by a few blocks, helped activate the sidewalks with pedestrians between the Islandview neighborhood and Tyree Guyton’s famous outdoor art installation in McDougall Hunt.

“We have been working in collaboration with the Heidelberg Project to put a Spot Lite on the East Side on Second Saturdays,” said Roula David, owner and founder of Spot Lite. “Between Murals in Islandview, Spot Lite and Heidelberg Project we have you covered with food, drink, art, and music. We hope to welcome Detroit here Sept. 14.”

The Heidelberg Project is located around 3600 Heidelberg St., and Spot Lite at 2905 Beaufait St., No. 4.

Contact Free Press arts and culture reporter Duante Beddingfield at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit's Heidelberg Project, Spot Lite partner for 'Second Saturdays'