Randia Camille Greene
The massive cleats will be on display near Detroit arenas, hotels and airports throughout the month of April.
People heading to downtown Detroit for the NFL draft this April will notice giant wedges painted with flowers, football players and vibrant natural scenes dotting the downtown area.
They are part of the “DCleated” art initiative on city walls in anticipation of the NFL draft. Twenty artists were selected to paint the huge props produced by Prop Art Studios, and each artist chose a non-profit organization to represent.
The cleats will be on display at locations such as Ford Field, Little Caesars Arena, the Coleman A. Young Community Center, Detroit Metro Airport, the city airport and downtown hotels throughout the month of April.
They will be auctioned off at an event at the Godfrey Hotel in May, with proceeds benefiting the artist’s chosen organization or charity.
Detroit artist Trey Isaac, who has painted several murals on city walls, painted his cleat to mimic stained glass windows with cartoon kids playing football and children’s handprints at the bottom. He chose the Children’s Center as his non-profit organization.
“When I was 16 and I was 18, my little brother and my mother died of cancer,” he says. Metro Times. “They had the exact same type of cancer, spinocerebellar ataxia type 7. It’s a neurological type of cancer and so is the generation. I have been tested for it since I was 18 and they are still testing for it. I had been boxing for almost a decade before that. So when they passed, it was a huge moment in my life that kind of transformed me.”
He says he wants his clip to represent turning “trauma into triumph.”
“I’m very grateful to have lost my mother and my brother to start doing what I’m doing today,” he says. “I realized that I am here to serve other people.”
Randia Camille Greene
Trey Isaac painted his wedge in support of the Children’s Center.
The artists, nonprofits and city officials gathered Thursday afternoon to unveil the clasps to the media before heading to their respective venues.
Children’s Center CEO Nicole Wells Stallworth thanked Isaac for his installation and for sharing his story at the press conference.
“Trey’s powerful art installation, as he pointed out, reflects his own journey overcoming trauma. I hope that this piece will serve as a catalyst to erase the stigma around speaking up and guide people to the necessary mental health treatment that everyone may need,” she said. “The Children’s Center is truly grateful to be a part of an important cause to celebrate not only the diversity of artists we have in our city of Detroit, but also the diversity of children and youth in our communities.”
The smiling man himself, Phil Simpson, was also one of the participating artists. He painted his signature smiling man in an outdoor scene with a bright blue sky and sports teams such as a football and a basketball. Proceeds from the sale of his leggings will go to Project Play, an organization that promotes active lifestyles through sports programs for children.
“As the father of a prosperous, energetic young lady who plays soccer and does gymnastics [and] is interested in flag football, he’s honored to paint this cleat here for Project Play,” Simpson said at the press conference. “In our household we advocate education, sports and reading.”
Tony Vlgn (pronounced hooligan) decorated a bright orange food cleat and the phrase “everybody eats” in his pop art style for the Gleaners Community Food Bank. It will be placed outside the Wayne County Airport.
The NFL Draft takes place primarily around Campus Martius and Hart Plaza from April 25-27. The NFL Draft Experience is free to attend with registration and features multiple concerts, games, an interactive exhibit, chances to get autographs from current and past NFL players and much more.
DCleated is a partnership between the City Walls program, Visit Detroit, DMC and SpaceLab Detroit.
