Detroit muralist turns blank walls into masterpieces, honors city’s culture

(CBS DETROIT) One Detroit artist uses every brushstroke to bring stories to life, demonstrating how art can transform ordinary spaces into something spectacular.

Over 260 murals have been painted by Detroit muralist Anthony Lee, who has dedicated more than ten years to turning blank walls into works of art while respecting his heritage and glorifying Detroit’s legends.

“I just like seeing art activate spaces and doing something for people,” Lee stated.

Lee claims that this is the reason he is so deliberate, whistling his way through each wall segment until the formerly blank space is filled with potent imagery.

In an effort to improve the city in advance of the 2024 NFL Draft, Lee collaborated with City Walls Detroit and the People Mover to create his most recent painting at Bricktown station, a Detroit People Mover stop on Beaubien Street, just north of Congress Street.

“My pitch for this People Mover station was five people who have moved to Detroit,” Lee stated.

Only Lee and four other artists were chosen to paint murals at five People Mover stations out of nearly 150 artists that submitted concepts for the project. According to Lee, he wanted to make something that Detroiters could relate to.

His words, “No matter where you come from,” “You will always be an ambassador of where you come from.”

Lee is a Chinese Vietnamese American who is first-generation. Lee’s family is originally from Hong Kong and is a refugee from the Vietnam War. He integrates his culture into his work, which occasionally reminds us of a troubling period in American history but is also profoundly introspective, definitely emotive, and all Lee has strived to make his art.

“An artist’s grind is hard, but like anything worth having, you have to grind,” Lee stated. “You have to hustle, [and] you have to find your way.”

On December 7, Lee will establish a gallery at Detroit Shipping Company. In Detroit’s historic Chinatown, the exhibit honors Asian culture.

Being a native of Detroit, Lauren Winfrey has always dreamed of going back to share her experiences there that have influenced who she is now. Therefore, she jumped at the chance to lead the Saturday morning newscast with Detroit and the surrounding areas, even though it meant getting up early.

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