Museum’s Role in Police Mural Outside Detroit Draws Criticism

The Detroit Institute of Arts sponsored the mural as part of its efforts to support art in the communities it serves, but critics say the “pro-police” art work sends the wrong message.

They unveiled the mural outside the Sterling Heights police station with fanfare on June 1. The mayor of the city in the Detroit suburbs cut the red ribbon to mark the installation of the artwork, which had been three years in the making and depicts police officers bowing their heads and clasping hands in front of an American flag. But in the week since then, the work, which was sponsored by the Detroit Institute of Arts, has become a touchstone for controversy as critics have denounced it as badly timed and overtly pro-police when they say the public discussion should be about police aggression. Some have called for it to be removed, and following the backlash, the artist herself said she no longer believes it is appropriate and that she feels used by the museum, which paid for the work as part of an initiative to work with surrounding counties whose tax dollars support its operations. “I absolutely regret making the mural,” said the artist, Nicole Macdonald, in an interview. She said it should be taken down if it causes anguish for residents of the Detroit area. “The DIA’s number one priority should be serving the people in the city who are predominantly Black; instead, it represents those tenants of power that are historically racist.”