Artist easels before the MARTK’D Art on Canvas Contest
As the sun set over the city, the Ambassador Bridge and views of Detroit’s skyline presented as a canvas, setting the stage for a high-stakes battle of creativity. Twenty local artists transformed the city into their personal canvas, all wanting to be the winner of cash prizes and the ultimate prize of an all-expenses-paid trip to Art Basel 2025, an opportunity to redefine their artistic careers, hosted by the MARTK’D Art on Canvas Contest.
As the showdown of creativity unfolded, all artists had to come with their A-game, as some of the rules from judge’s Fashion Icon and entrepreneur April Walker, Ludlow Dawes III, Jules Sobion, and Vice President of Field Distribution and Operation at AAA David Campbell were to “be original,” “introduce others to Detroit,” and make sure their pieces “had the Grit that Detroit is known for.”
Founder of MARTK’D and Director of Pensole Lewis College (PLC) School of Design & Business, Dion Walcott, emphasized that Detroit has so much untapped artistic talent that the city needs more opportunities like these.
“One having tastemakers like April Walker, Jules, Ludlow, and David from AAA, having that diverse group of judges and letting the artists be exposed to that, is super important,” Walcott expressed.
“Two, being able to do it in this space (I|O Rooftop) because this is an elevated space, but we’re bringing culture and community to it, and then three, the prizes, including attending Art Basel.”
Several sponsors, including AAA and Bacardi, generously supported the event. Taurell Bush, Barcardi Multicultural Portfolio Ambassador, emphasized that as a person in the nightlife, it’s cool to see an artist’s interpretation of what “Friday Night in Detroit is like.”
“Watching it (art competition) happen in real time blew me away last year. Having a new cohort of artists doing the same thing in this beautiful venue that’s our partner is probably my favorite event of the week,” Bush said.
The competition showcased diversity. Artists of various backgrounds and ages enthusiastically participated, contributing to the vibrant tapestry of talent on display, like fine artists, muralists, and designer Joe Cazeno III.
Image of artist Joe Cazeno’s III painting
Cazeno expressed that he likes to see beautiful women with natural hair when he is out on a Friday night in Detroit, which inspired his piece.
“How I did the colors and in her (Cartier) glasses, that’s really my (artistic) style. But for the most part, this represents the differences in the experiences you get downtown. The art, music, spoken word, and the food. So the city is buzzing,” Cazeno said.
“I’m a light designer too, so of course, you got lights, so the reflections are just abstract representations of the differences and the beauty in those differences.”
The panel of judges carefully reviewed all the canvases, and it was a tough decision, but Torrence Jackson, Quadre Curry, and Mila Lynn were selected as the three finalists.
Image of artist Joe Cazeno’s III painting
Jackson emphasized that his creative flow is fueled by influences, including “Japanese anime and manga, luxury fashion and streetwear, hip hop, and RnB.”
Artist Quadre Curry explained that the Friday night theme hit home in a different way. He expressed that his mother and father were both from Detroit, but his mother left to live in Georgia after having a difficult time seeing her own dreams come to life, which caused her to be unsure of Curry staying in Detroit.
Image of Artist Quadre Curry’s painting
“My life was very divided between Detroit and Georgia, going to school, coming back for summers, going back for one semester, going back. There was a lot of back and forth. And I never felt like rooted anywhere except for Detroit,” Curry said.
“Now Friday nights with me, I get to exist in a cocoon of a life that I built inside of a place my mom thought we couldn’t be prosperous in and that’s like a magic.”
The competition’s first-place winner was Lansing native Mila Lynn, who hosted her first Art Show in 2018 and had her first solo exhibition in Florida the following year. She will now be able to showcase her artwork at Art Basel next year.
Artist Mila Lynn during competition, at The Godfrey Hotel
“I work in a corporate role, but I can’t build a brand without a creative. I can’t create a brand without a creative. I can’t create a story, anything that is the beacon of my communication. And so whether they (artists) realize it or not, they’re literally creating the function of communication,” Ludlow Dawes III said.
“And to see all of this happening, 20 different artists, 20 different outlooks, 20 different minds. It’s pretty impressive.”