Art Gems at Detroit People Mover Stops

Story by Michelle Martin

Detroit is home to world-class art museums and galleries, but there’s also great artwork in public spaces throughout the city. A fun way to see some of it? By taking the People Mover, a nearly three-mile elevated train loop through downtown.

Each of the 13 People Mover stations is filled with artwork ranging from ceramic murals to large sculptures. For just 75 cents, you can hop on and off to see it all.

Here are some People Mover stations that are worth making a stop.

Financial District Station

Artist Joyce Kozloff’s hand-painted ceramic mural, “’D’ for Detroit,” was influenced by murals in Detroit’s Fisher and Guardian buildings and the Diego Rivera Court at the Detroit Institute of Arts. Mythical animals – including the bull and bear of the New York Stock Exchange – form a large letter D.

Renaissance Center Station

“Siberian Ram,” a cast bronze sculpture by Marshall Fredericks, towers in front of a green backdrop designed with historic handcrafted tiles from Pewabic Pottery. Fredericks, an internationally recognized artist, is known for many of his other Detroit-area sculptures, including the iconic “Spirit of Detroit” downtown.

Broadway Station

Charles McGee’s “The Blue Nile” is the People Mover stations’ only true painting. It’s part of a series called “Noah’s Ark” and is painted in an African-influenced style. Because of weather and temperature fluctuations in the station, McGee could not paint the piece on canvas; instead, he chose alucabond (an aluminum composite) and painted it with industrial enamel.

Fort/Cass Station

Artist Farley Tobin’s two murals in this station are a work of art and architecture – bold, geometrical patterns that comprise more than 30,000 tiles. Some of the tiles were glazed using ash from the Mount St. Helens volcanic eruption. Tobin’s work is said to be influenced by the year she spent in India, and many say her design is reminiscent of the Taj Majal.

Huntington Place Station

Huntington Place, once known as Cobo Center, was at one time home to the North American International Auto Show – so it’s only fitting that the “Calvacade of Cars” mural is found in this station. The Venetian glass mosaic by artists Larry Ebel and Linda Cianciolo features vintage automobiles from Ford, Chrysler and GM – known as the Big Three – as well as Cord, a vehicle that had its heyday in the 1930s.

Riverfront Station

Two Venetian glass mosaics by artist Gerome Kamrowski comprise “Voyage” – murals that are based loosely on 17th century mythological and astrological figures. Interestingly, the mural was originally supposed to be blue to represent the skies. But to complement the former Joe Louis Arena, which was demolished in 2020, the colors were changed to orange.

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