It wasn't a typical Saturday afternoon in the retail center of the Old Redford/Brightmoor neighborhood as the second annual Sidewalk Festival of Performing Arts brought vivid sights, sounds and activity to four blocks near Grand River and Lahser Road on Detroit's west side.
The six-hour event, a colorful celebration of "Detroit’s independent and alternative art scene," included dancers, theater, jazz, DJs, poetry, spoken word and performance art -- more than 40 presentations in all.
"The streets were packed," event founder Ryan Myers-Johnson posts Sunday on Facebook. "We were overflowing with art." She's a 2004 graduate of the University of Michigan (film studies and dance).
Another participant, Devita Davison, posts: "This is what it looks like when artists and community work together to define, interpret and help transform their neighborhood through collaborative work. . . . I'm standing at the intersection of art, community impact and economic development."
The accompanying photos are by Davison and costume designer by Daniel Cascardo of Royal Oak.