It’s My Story
Chazz is a fine artist, master illustrator and muralist whose range spans virtually every style and genre of painting. Among the first African‑American billboard painters to reach the elite “heavy pictorial artist” rank, he went on to build spaces that nurtured creativity. He founded Artist Village Detroit, a haven where artists of all disciplines gather to collaborate and co‑create their work, and established M.E.D.U. to advance art education and beautify communities through public art.
Dream it.
Manifesting Visions.
Think it.
Over-Standing the Vision.
Paint it.
Cultivating the Narrative.
Detroit artist Chazz Miller and Blight Busters partner for new exhibit.
You might be familiar with Chazz Miller. If you don’t know him by name you likely know his work in The neighborhood itself has finally attracted millions of dollars in investments, like for the long-abandoned bank nicknamed the Obama Building because of Chazz’s portrait on the outside. The Obama Building is now being completely renovated to the tune of more than $3 million for restaurant and retail space down below and lofts up above, as well as a gallery where Chazz’s Obama portrait and others will be displayed.
Chazz’s vision for community art 2008
In 2008 The College of Creative Studies invited me to speak on behalf of community beautification and art education, and why they should invest.
Detroit butterfly project has wings
Artist and volunteers to beautify the city this summer with 1,000 painted cutouts of public art
The Detroit News
22 May 2010
BY DONNA TEREK
2010 Artist Chazz Miller of Detroit, founder and director of Public Art Workz, is using his Papillon Effect to beautify city parks and to serve as a metaphor for Detroit’s ability to emerge from hard times.
It’s a butterfly release of grand proportions. Literally, 1,000 of them by summer’s end. Sounds pretty daunting, especially once you realize we’re not talking about delicate flying monarchs, but 4-to 5 foot-wide plywood cutouts painted kaleidoscopically by Detroit artist Chazz Miller and a host of young volunteers.
Miller has dubbed his project the Papillon Effect — papillon is French for butterfly.
“I thought Detroit needed a psychological readjustment,” Miller said. “I mean, when you look at a caterpillar you would never imagine a caterpillar is going to turn into a butterfly. And when you look at Detroit, you never imagine Detroit is going to come up off its knees.
“It’s a great metaphor for me to see Detroit as a butterfly — a papillon — to re-emerge.”
Papplion Effect
Stop Looking And start Seeing…
The Papllion Effect
500 U of M volunteers Painting 300 hand cut Papllions.
M.E.D.U. Detroit Detroit Blight Busters U Of M Community Foundation
