Check Out Eastern Market's New Art Park

The Eastern Market is the largest historic public market district in the United States. Every Saturday morning, 5 sheds open their doors up for thousands of people to come by to shop the 150 + vendors that set up to sell their plants, fruits, veggies, meats, cheese, and baked goods. There is also a variety of food trucks that pop-up when the market is hopping and an ever-growing amount of business and restaurants in the area. Some of our favorite spaces include Mitten Crate, Rocky's Peanut Company, Henry The Hatter, Cairo Coffee, Supino Pizza, and Stache International. It is also the home to tons of great galleries including The Red Bull House of Art and Inner State Gallery. It is also home to the yearly Murals in the Market Festival which means that their 45-acre space has some of the best art that the city has to offer. Eastern Market has slowly become the heart of Detroit's art and culture, but it hasn't always been a friendly place to hang out unless you had a reason. Thankfully, with the addition of an art park across the street from Shed 5, there is a new reason to just come hang out at the corner of Russell and Alfred St.

The new Art Park officially opened last Thursday and we were able to attend the opening party which included letting us become part of the art that will decorate the space. Antonio Agee, a.k.a. Shades, painted all the murals that surround the park and left a few walls for people to put their print on the city. Eastern market representatives were on hand to help everyone people paint their palm to put their print on the wall. There was a DJ to get the crowd dancing and a lot of people eating food that they had gotten from the food trucks that were in town for the Thursday Night Markets that they have been running all summer. The park itself features a variety of picnic tables and outdoor chairs that are open for everyone to enjoy. There are also 4 different topiaries in the shape of a bear, a dinosaur, a horse, and an elephant amid a sea of flowers that are planted all around space. It is the perfect place to eat your take out or read book midday. There are lot so ways to find shade in the space, but there are also a lot of ways to get a tan if that is what you are looking for. Either way, it's an interesting and interactive community space that would make the perfect picnic spot if you need it.

The new Art Park will be open Thursday from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m., Friday from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. This schedule is expected to continue into the fall months and well beyond.

~S