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Chroma News Articles

Fall 2021

Hear what inspired the colorful “Girl with the D Earring” mural

November 2nd, 2021

Detroit is known for its grand and vibrant murals that grace the walls of buildings all over the city. The artists who create these masterpieces draw their inspiration from the people and things around them. One of those artists, Sydney James, did just that to create one of the most recognized murals in Detroit. James spoke to Tati Amare to discuss what led her to create “The Girl with the D Earring” mural, and her artistic journey.

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Chroma ready to open new coworking space

October 8th, 2021

Milwaukee Junction is having a moment. Storefronts are filling in along East Grand Boulevard; Vault of Midnight just moved from downtown to a bigger space, new restaurants and coffee spots have been opening, and a grant from the Knight Foundation will spruce up the streetscaping along the Boulevard. Now, its most noticeable building is ready to open its coworking space.

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Detroit artist Sydney James celebrates Black women, Detroit through her work

February 11th, 2021

“Malcolm X said the Black woman is the most oppressed person in this country, and that has not changed,” Detroit artist Sydney James said, standing in front of the 8,000 square-foot western wall of the Chroma building she and her team transformed this fall. When she was commissioned to create a mural to cover the empty wall, James referenced a familiar scene; Vermeer’s 17th-century oil on canvas “Girl With the Pearl Earring.” She used the iconic painting as a vehicle to tell a different story; one she said is not told often enough.

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After 21 years of borrowed space, City Year Detroit moves into place of its own

October 29th, 2020

After 21 years of operating from borrowed space, City Year Detroit has moved into a home of its own. The organization, which taps Americorp members to provide in-school tutoring, skills-building and engagement with students, has signed a seven-year lease for over 7,000 square feet of space on the fourth floor of The Platform LLC’s Chroma building in Detroit’s Milwaukee Junction neighborhood near the New Center area.

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Sydney G. James Gifts Detroit with Another Gem

August 28th, 2020

Detroit-based artist Sydney G. James will begin work on a new mural on the Chroma building, a developing creative hub in the Milwaukee Junction neighborhood, on Sept. 2. “It plays homage to Detroit, it plays homage to Black women and it plays homage to the North End – all in one image of a woman,” says James. This new mural, named The Girl with the D Earring, is a modern twist on the renowned portrait Girl with a Pearl Earring by Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer.

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‘How do I make this Black?’ Detroit muralist reimagines iconic portrait, space

August 26th, 2020

Milwaukee Junction is getting a new nine-story mural by Detroit artist Sydney G. James, who is reimagining the renowned Dutch painting “Girl With a Pearl Earring.” Now, she will be a Detroit girl with a pink earring. The Johannes Vermeer painting is considered to be one of the most beautiful in the world, which is why James said, “we are going to put it in Detroit.”

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Detroit Artist Sydney James Commissioned For Chroma Development Mural

August 26th, 2020

The Platform, a Detroit-based real estate developer, has announced that work began today on a new mural on its nearly completed Chroma development in Milwaukee Junction, located in the heart of the Greater New Center area. “The Girl with the D Earring” by Detroit artist Sydney G. James will adorn the western wall of the Chroma building, located at 2937 E. Grand Blvd. The art is a modern Detroit take on Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer’s “Girl With a Pearl Earring,” deemed the most beautiful painting in the Netherlands.

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Developers offer peek behind rainbow mural in Detroit

May 1st, 2019

Developers offered a look Monday at the progress on a $16 million project to turn a cold storage building into a co-working space and food hall in the Milwaukee Junction neighborhood.

The first floor-to-ceiling window has been installed in the nine-story building at 2937-67 E. Grand Blvd. It will be among dozens of windows that will pour light into the long-abandoned building known for its rainbow-colored mural.

“It is a relatively small project but because it is out of the norm, it attracts a great deal of interest,” said Peter Cummings, executive The Platform, the Detroit-based development group undertaking the project.

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Redevelopment starts at Milwaukee Junction’s ‘Illuminated Mural’ building

January 23rd, 2019

A standout building and mural in Milwaukee Junction will see new life, as the Platform announced the start of redevelopment of the former cold storage building on East Grand Boulevard.

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Coworking space, food hall coming to Milwaukee Junction neighborhood

January 22nd, 2019

Detroit — Construction began this month on a $16 million project to transform a long-vacant Milwaukee Junction building known for its rainbow-colored mural into a coworking space and food hall.

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