Ijania Cortez, left, stands in front of her mural of LGBTQ Activist Ruth Ellis at the Ruth Ellis Center and Dr. Hubert Massey, right, a renowned artist in Detroit.
Simply put, Detroit doesn’t know how to sit still – and the residents are okay with that.
From the multi-layered, multi-leveled arts and culture pumping through the city like the lifeblood for its residents, to the music and sights of plays and performances creating new sounds around Motown, there’s never a dull moment.
One particular Detroit artist, Ijania Cortez, recently made local history with her mural of Ruth Ellis, an LGBTQ activist in the city.
Cortez’s mural is proudly displayed at the Ruth Ellis Center in Highland Park.
Ellis (1899 – 2000) came out as a lesbian when she was 16 years old, which her family accepted. Ellis and her longtime partner moved to Detroit from their hometown of Springfield, Ill., for the promise of higher wages. There, she became the first woman in Michigan to run her own printing business. She printed fliers, posters and stationery in the front room of her home, which also quickly became a hotspot for Black LGBTQ social life. At the time of her death at the age of 101, she was recognized as the oldest out lesbian in the US.
When Cortez put her paint brushes down to take a breather, she told the Michigan Chronicle that as a self-taught artist, her practice is centralized around painting but also includes murals as well as works of mixed media. She is known for the color she uses in her portraits as well as the subjects, exclusively depicting Black men from the inner city.
“The inspiration behind the mural is in dedication to Ruth Ellis – trying to embody her spirit and the spirit of the work she did, which was using everything she had to give back to her community,” Cortez said. “In that same spirit, I tried to do the mural to inspire people and give back to them.”
Cortez said that she likes to paint community figures and depict the “multifaced [aspects] of those Black men.”
“I … focus on strength and vulnerability and joy and all types of things that make people a full human. I think they get overlooked by American society,” she said adding that she is blessed to be an artist in Detroit. “I don’t take it for granted or lightly. … I feel like there always has been a heavy, heavy culture here, creativity, and hardworking people. … It’s just getting its attention right now.”
Local artist Dr. Hubert Massey paints bold images throughout the Detroit metropolitan region and they are seen especially throughout Mexicantown, Greektown, the Cultural Center, Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, Detroit Athletic Club and other notable community attractions.
The award-winning Kresge Fine Arts fellow paints fresco murals, and told the Michigan Chronicle that he is heavily influenced by artist Diego Rivera.
The Flint native has called Detroit his home for the past 40 years, where he paints in a style that is the oldest form of painting.
“It goes back thousands of years,” he said, adding that he wants to help impact young artists who are interested in learning the craft. “I talk to a lot of young artists and one of the beautiful things about doing art is you don’t have to be limited and you don’t have to be specialized.”
He added that his love for the city knows no bounds.
“There’s no other place that I would rather be,” he said. “I can visit every other place but my home is here. To me the largest population of African Americans in the United States [is here] and it’s just good to see our people. It’s good to see that we have so much talent here.”
For more information visit ijania.com and hubertmasseymurals.net.
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