The Hancock House is a project to renovate a house in Detroit and establish it as an artist-led events space, studios, and residency. The project is led by Erin Wakeland, a multidisciplinary artist focused in social practice, painting, and fiber work. Wakeland recieved The Big Idea Award in 2020, which was the catalyst for the project.

The team of collaborators include Julian Hansen, carpenter and handyman extraordinaire and Payge Solidago, organizer in the Midwest farming community and a farmer herself.

While the renovation is goal-oriented, we have found so much meaning in the construction process. Throughout, we have invited artists, builders, friends, and neighbors to work on the house with us. Work days are not just about getting the job done—they are for skill-sharing, intergenerational community-building, and creativity. Tasks may be skilled and creative like building shelves using only found wood, creating wallpaper for a room using cyanotype, etc., or utilitarian like helping frame doors, insulating window bays, and more. There is usually a big pot of soup and always abundant snacks.

There is only grassroots support for artists’ line of work and we intend to create a home that contains the most radical support for an artist: time and space. We hope that giving artists a studio and a secure place to live allows for their creativity to bloom. Home as a refugee, home as a place for absurd experiments. With no-strings-attached to this support, the Hancock House honors rest and respite as a piece of one’s art practice, and sees it as a critical function in creativity, curiosity, and critical and poetic thought.