October 19th was a beautiful fall day in the city of Detroit, the perfect day for celebrating Italian Heritage Month with the unveiling of a symbolic new mural donated to the city by the Consulate of Italy in Detroit.

Consul of Italy in Detroit Allegra Baistrocchi welcomed the artists, Italian artist in residence Nico Bruchi and celebrated Detroit muralist Hubert Massey, as well as Wladyslaw Fuchs of the Volterra-Detroit Foundation, and all the numerous guests of the Italian-American community to the event. Depicting the incredible ties between Italy and the United States, the mural is located at 2510-2534 Market Street, across from Eastern Market Shed 2, in the heart of what used to be “Little Italy”.

While Eastern Market might not still have a reference to Italy in the name, it does still at its core. This is the second mural that the Consulate creates in the market area, the first one by Ortica Noodles depicting Samantha Cristoforetti, the first European (obviously Italian) astronaut to command the international space station, on the side of Supino’s on Russell and E Fisher service drive. The most recent mural was inaugurated last month during “Eastern Market After Dark”, the most anticipated part of the Detroit Month of Design yearly programming, drawing over 30,000 attendees. The unveiling this weekend was more intimate, with circa 100 attending guests of the Consulate.

The mural depicts the collaboration and long standing friendship between Italy and the US, as is depicted by the gears on which the two figures stand, interlocking and fitting perfectly together. The Italian figure is Hubert Massey’s interpretation of Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus. She is holding a lightbulb with the world painted on it, a symbol of innovation and a monument to the genius that Italians have exported to the world. Like a mother with child, she is the caretaker of ideas. She is standing on a wooden gear rather than a shell, symbolizing craftsmanship and tradition. The American side, painted by Bruchi, is of a Statue of Liberty holding the sphere that is held by the Spirit of Detroit statue by Marshall Fredericks. She is a symbol of freedom and hope, standing on a steel gear, depicting the great industrial past of Detroit. Different techniques were employed by the two artists, with the Venus done in oil by Mr. Massey, and the Statue of Liberty spray painted by Sig. Bruchi.

The collaboration between the Consulate of Italy in Detroit and the Volterra-Detroit Foundation will continue as the VDF will host Massey in Tuscany and the two artists will collaborate on a wall there in spring of 2025.

The Consulate is also organizing an exhibit with the Metropolitan Museum of Design of Detroit. The exhibit opens on Nov 8th and runs till December 23rd. The best way to keep up to date on the events organized by the Consulate is my following them on social media (@ItalyinDetroit)!