Marygrove College Announces Community Greenspace Project & Crowdfunding Campaign

DETROIT, Feb. 22, 2016 -- Marygrove College today announced a new crowdfunding campaign through Michigan-based crowdfunding platform, Patronicity. Funds raised through this joint effort between Marygrove College, The Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), and the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) will support construction of the Charles McGee Community Commons, a greenspace planned for the Wyoming & McNichols corner of the Marygrove College campus.

If the campaign reaches its crowdfunding goal of $38,250 by its deadline of April 2, 2016, the project will win a matching grant with funds made possible by MSHDA and MEDC’s Public Spaces Community Places program.

“Local residents in the northwest corridor of the city know that Wyoming & McNichols is an important neighborhood crossroads for travelers by foot, bus, and car enroute to local schools, hospitals, and small businesses,” said Marygrove College President Elizabeth Burns. “Our intention is to provide the community with a public space that telegraphs the revitalizing spirit, vitality, and resilience of both the neighborhood and this important intersection.”

In addition to featuring a relief sculpture by Kresge Eminent Artist Charles McGee, who has had a studio across the street from Marygrove College’s campus for 50 years, the Commons will also feature a seating area and walkway with permeable paving, a healing garden with low-maintenance plants and drip irrigation, technology access, and low-voltage LED lighting and signage. The unveiling of the sculpture and the opening of this new green space is scheduled for September, 2016. A complete description of the project can be found at www.patronicity.com/mcgeecommons.

The design and construction of the Commons is part of "Connecting, Recognizing and Celebrating Neighborhood Creatives,” a larger civic-engagement made possible, in part, by a grant awarded to the college by the National Endowment of the Arts (NEA). Components of this project include:

• Surveying and mapping creatives in Northwest Detroit to enrich connections and collaborations
  
• Gathering Stories to preserve our neighborhood’s creative history
  
• Celebrating Neighborhood Creatives: a culminating festival of music, dance and storytelling with the installation of the sculpture scheduled for September 2016 
  

To follow the development of the Charles McGee Community Commons project and other civic-engagement initiatives, please stop by www.facebook.com/changingthevibe.

All donations are tax deductible. Those who wish to contribute to the Charles McGee Community Commons initiative can donate online at www.patronicity.com/mcgeecommons
or by sending a check to Marygrove College/ Charles McGee
                                      Marygrove College 8425 West McNichols,
                                      Detroit, MI 48221.

ABOUT MARYGROVE COLLEGE
Founded by the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM) in 1905, Marygrove College is an independent, Catholic, liberal arts college. The College’s commitment to the city of Detroit comprises an institutional mission and vision for developing urban leaders. The main campus is situated on 53 wooded acres in northwest Detroit.

CONTACT:
Erin Piscopink
Senior Editor, Manager of Special Projects
Marygrove College
P: (313) 927-1438
F: (313) 927-1595
[email protected]
www.marygrove.edu