Detroit artist Sydney G. James, a 2017 Kresge Artist Fellow, has spent years transforming parts of the city into vibrant outdoor galleries, notably the North End. James co-founded the BLKOUT Walls mural festival in 2021 alongside Thomas “Detour” Evans and Max Sansing. The festival aims to give Black artists a canvas and help their work shape the city, emphasizing that, as James states, “all people need is opportunity and space.” The initial years of the BLKOUT Walls festival were based in the North End. The festival is slated to return to Detroit in September 2027, with new artists and a theme yet to be announced, ready to match the city's vibrancy through art.
Among James's prominent works is her nine-story mural, "Girl with the D Earring," located on the side of the Chroma Building. This towering piece watches over Detroit’s North End, serving as an unofficial flag for the neighborhood. The mural is a reimagining of Vermeer’s classic "Girl with a Pearl Earring," depicting a Black woman with the gothic "D" logo of the Detroit Tigers hanging from her earlobe. Patches on the subject’s shirt bear the names of local Black-owned businesses, including Apex Bar and Angie’s barbershop. James intends for her art to be both clever and subtly educational, designed to capture viewers' attention quickly. This signature mural also references an era in Dutch painting when open-air art markets were prevalent, underscoring how BLKOUT Walls has helped transform the North End into an accessible outdoor art hub.
The BLKOUT Walls festival prioritizes intentional art, with pieces curated to reflect the city's soul and spirit. Co-founders provide artists with themes, such as "beautiful resistance," and information about the specific areas they are painting to ensure the work is deeply connected to its surroundings. James, who also has work in museums and galleries, is driven to create public art because she believes art can often feel elitist and exclusionary. Her goal is for people to feel a sense of ownership over the art. The festival specifically curates its artists to reflect the community they serve.
James's artistic contributions extend throughout the North End and beyond. Her untitled mural at Baltimore and Brush illustrates the evolution from boyhood to adulthood. On Oakland Avenue, her Yolanda Williams piece portrays a local business leader looking toward the future, with the past etched into her apparel. Near King Street and Oakland Avenue, "Matriarchy," a collaborative mural with her mentee Bakpak Durden, stands as a tribute to all mother figures, including her own, with roses symbolizing children. A few blocks west on Woodward Avenue, James painted "Let Me Get Umm…" in 2021, a collaboration with her mentee Ijania Cortez, on the side of the Turkey Grill. This mural depicts everyday Black men of Detroit, including her partner and nephews. The artwork gains added significance given that directly across the street, a historical plaque, dedicated three years after the mural's completion, commemorates the spot where the killing of three Black teenagers became a defining horror of the 1967 riots. Today, that site is a quiet public park.
The artist’s reach also extends into Highland Park, where a mural honors Malice Green. "Path of Giants," her homage to the Detroit Pistons, offers another portrait of modern Black manhood through the lens of the Motor City, located at Kiesling on Milwaukee Avenue, a bar operating in a 19th-century building since the 1890s. James’s work is also featured in several local hotels. The Shinola Hotel is one, and Hotel Indigo, which underwent a $10 million art-infused renovation and reopened in 2020, hosts visiting BLKOUT Walls artists and displays her work depicting hands playing instruments immediately upon entry. The historic Book Tower Hotel features her 2019 painting "Maya, Ode to Sweet Thang" on its second floor, reimagining Barkley L. Hendricks’ "Sweet Thang (Lynn Jenkins)" with a close friend as the subject, surrounded by the spirit of poet Maya Angelou. Her latest work, celebrating childhood joy, is painted on the ventilation tower of the tunnel connecting Michigan and Canada, situated at the Detroit River waterfront within the new 22-acre Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Centennial Park, which includes playgrounds, water gardens, sports fields, and walking paths.
While James has made her mark on the North End, another area shaped her formative years: Conant Gardens. She notes that Conant Gardens was the first neighborhood in Detroit where Black people could buy, build, and own their homes. Her grandfather, after living in the North End, was aided by a landlord in buying a place in Conant Gardens, and her own father helped lay bricks for the house she grew up in when he was twelve. The community garden started by celebrated artist Halima Afi Cassells in Conant Gardens inspired James to explore outdoor art. James often suggests a visit to Conant Gardens for a taste of Detroit.
The North End, invigorated by James’s murals and other BLKOUT Walls pieces, offers a creative atmosphere alongside local shops and restaurants. Visitors can find breakfast or brunch at See You Tomorrow, where James recommends fried chicken and broasted potatoes. Other options include Café Noir for lighter fare, Vault of Midnight for comics and gaming, and Delores Bennett Park for outdoor relaxation. For dining, Supino Pizzeria or The Kitchen by Cooking with Que offer vegan-friendly choices. In Conant Gardens, local spots include the original Buddy’s Pizza, Taylor Made Burgers, and Nevada Coney Island, near which James’s Waajeed mural—a portrait of the local hip-hop and techno legend—is located at Ryan and Hildale. James highlights that Detroit’s neighborhoods, like Conant Gardens, reflect the city’s diversity and resilience. She concludes by stating that Detroiters are confident people who can accomplish their goals.