By Peter Rozek, Canadian Residency Artist  Shary Boyle  from Toronto has been in Detroit for just over a month now and she’s hooked up with Pewabic Pottery, a Detroit Historic Arts and Crafts institution founded in 1903, to make a commemorative bas relief tile of her visit only available through Kickstarter. The above photo is of her raw, original clay sculpture on its way to production.  Each completed 4″ x 5″ x 2″ bas relief tile will be individually press molded in Pewabic stoneware, and finished with one of their famous, brilliantly colored glazes.

Detroit’s  2013 Knight Art Challenge-funded program  strives to create a more global Detroit by capitalizing on the city’s most accessible international assets just across the Detroit River. During the Canadian Artists’ stay they engage the community  and actively contribute to Detroit’s reputation as an international, cultural center for the the arts.  They take with them solid memories and real experiences of the city that debunk false rumors and replace them with confidence and encouragement for cross-border tourism and artistic collaboration.

Canadian Residency wants the world to know that Detroit is a thriving international environment for the procurement and enjoyment of art, while reflecting Detroit’s unique geographic assets and cultural resources as one of North America’s busiest border crossings. Their partners are  Friends of Modern & Contemporary Art,  Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, Cranbrook Academy of Art,  College for Creative Studies, Wayne State University College of Fine, Performing & Communication Arts and the Consulate General of Canada in Detroit.