Detroit native, Erik Howard, explains how The Alley Project (T.A.P.) came to be what it is today, in Southwest Detroit. Merging the artistry of graffiti and street arts with the practice of architecture and social justice, Howard and his organization, Young Nation, has provided more than just an artist outlet for Detroit youth, he has provided them with a structure which helps develop their craft and achieve their dreams.
Erik is showing the world how social justice can emerge from the synthesis of hip hop and architecture and doing it well!
"Things don't happen out of nowhere, and they don't happen when it's popular. Most of the work happens before it's popular," Howard says. "[A lot of the] big ideas happened at a time when there was nothing. There were no foundations. You had to pioneer. You had to blaze some trails. Why did we want to do that? Because we didn't have anyone that could [do it] it for us and we wanted to do that for them, [the next generation]..." - Erik Howard