It’s sad but true. Detroit lacks a major infrastructure for the arts.

Sure, there are established institutions such as the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Detroit Artists Market and the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit: MOCAD. They are great, but some of the city’s emerging artists, designers and musicians wonder where they can come together for support, promotion and simply camaraderie? Many of them are young – in the 20s and 30s – and want to make a splash in Detroit, and they want Detroit to recognize them.

Paulina Petkoski and Samantha Banks Schefman want to expand the awareness of art in Detroit and get the artists more intricately involved in the city’s growth and development.

“It is terrible with what we are faced with right now. There is not enough focus on creativity, on design. There are exciting things happening in the city, but there is still a lack of a major infrastructure for the arts,” says 30-year-old Petkoski, the co-founder of PLAYGROUND DETROIT, a new retail storefront, gallery and event space at 2845 Gratiot Avenue.

The 1,500-square-foot, street-level space is located in a two-story, red brick building dating back to 1877 on the outer edge of Eastern Market, right by the Dequindre Cut. There is an empty lot next to the building Petkoski and Schefman would like to turn into an art park or public space.

“We are excited with the response so far,” Petkoski says. “We are excited that we are by the Dequindre Cut because there are a lot of existing businesses by us. It will be a destination.”

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This article originally ran in Daily Detroit on December 9th, 2016. Read the full article here.

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