Dequindre Cut, Michigan
When the 1.5-mile-long Dequindre Cut
in Detroit was being renovated for public
use as a rail-trail, its organizers found
themselves drawn in by—and protective
of—the elaborate graffiti art sprinkled
along the way. Much of it had been
there a decade or more, and the planners
wanted to respect the original artists’ con-
tributions as well as the street culture that
protected these murals over the years.
“
There’s an unwritten rule with graffiti
artists,” says Marc Pasco, director of com-
munications for the Detroit Riverfront
Conservancy. “If something has artistic
value, if there’s inherent beauty and the
artist obviously put a lot of time into it,
people won’t graffiti over it and will leave
it alone.”
To further celebrate the unique artis-
tic vibe of Dequindre Cut, planners
have commissioned new graffiti murals
and established graffiti walls where they
encourage community members to con-
tribute their own designs.
Learn more about the Rail-Trail Hall of Fame
:
railstotrails.org/halloffame
The award recognizes the Virginia Creeper’s
tremendous beauty and cultural and scenic value,
and the hard work done by local communities to
maintain and promote the trail.
Thanks to your efforts, “The Creeper” is both
a much-loved place of recreation for locals
and an important driver of tourism and business
in southwest Virginia.
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy is proud to
announce the 2014 inductee into the
Rail-Trail Hall of Fame:
Photos courtesy Jason Barnette/Abingdon CVB
The Virginia Creeper
National Recreation Trail
rails
to
trails
u
fall.14
23