Marcus Elliot with the Detroit Parks Coalition are one of the five winners of the 2024 Joyce Awards, which lift up collaborations between artists of color and arts and community organizations throughout the Great Lakes region.
“Ranging from old growth forests to wildlife habitats to places of gathering and recreation, Detroit’s storied parks are a vital community resource that have historically faced systemic neglect and disparities along racial and class lines, reinforced by a lack of awareness of their vibrant histories and ecologies. By uplifting the communities, voices, and histories surrounding the city’s parks in a joyful communal activation, Sounds from the Park will celebrate Detroit’s natural treasures and build momentum towards conserving and creating equitable access to public green space.” -Marcus Elliot
Detroit-based saxophonist, composer, improviser, and educator Marcus Elliot will create Sounds from the Park, a suite of site-specific works composed to illuminate the diverse stories, multifaceted histories, and varied cultures of Detroit’s parks and their surrounding neighborhoods. Commissioned by the Detroit Parks Coalition and developed through a series of co-creation workshops, interviews, and park visits with the residents and communities that surround and use each park, Elliot will transform his community interactions into improvisation-rich compositions rooted in Detroit’s parks and their neighborhoods. The commission will culminate in performances of the works in each park for the people that inspired them, and a recording that captures the live music against the backdrop of the city soundscape. The project will illuminate the histories and relationships of Detroit’s public green spaces and the communities they serve while fostering a shared sense of belonging and place.
About Marcus Elliot
Multifaceted saxophonist and composer, Marcus Elliot, has emerged as one of the leading voices of the Detroit music scene. The New York Times has called him “convincing and confident, evolved in touch and tone…”, and the Detroit Free Press has said, “Marcus Elliot represents the next generation of jazz.” Marcus creates music with the hope of “reminding myself and listeners that we are human beings, and what a gift that is.” He is a recipient of the Kresge Fellowship (2020), awarded to artists who are recognized for their creative vision and commitment to excellence within a wide range of artistic disciplines. Marcus is an instructor of jazz saxophone at Wayne State University and is director of the Creative Arts Orchestra at the University of Michigan. Marcus has performed and/or collaborated with Terence Blanchard, Karriem Riggins, Talib Kweli, Marcus Belgrave, Brian Eno, Shigeto, Robert Hurst, Anthony Davis, Mulgrew Miller, and many others.
About the Detroit Parks Coalition
The Detroit Parks Coalition (DPC) is a diverse group of park leaders and community members working to support healthy, equitable, and vibrant parks in Detroit. DPC develops and facilitates citywide parks programming, raises money for park improvements, and supports community organizations that care for Detroit’s parks. Together, we create opportunities for park restoration, enhancement, programming, recreation, and natural preservation for parks throughout the city. For more information, visit detroitparkscoalition.com.
Fellow 2024 awardees include: Andrea Assaf with Arab American National Museum (Dearborn); Terry Guest with Chicago Children’s Theatre (Chicago); Katie Ka Vang with Theater Mu (Minneapolis-Saint Paul); and Edra Soto with The Sculpture Center (Cleveland).