Magic Trash: A Story of Tyree Guyton and His Art

by J.H. Shapiro, Vanessa Brantley-Newton (Illustrator)

Vacant lots. Abandoned houses. Trash--lots of trash. Heidelberg Street was in trouble!

Tyree Guyton loved his childhood home--that's where his grandpa Sam taught him to "paint the world." So he wanted to wake people up... to make them see Detroit's crumbling communities.

Paintbrush in hand, Tyree cast his artistic spell, transforming everyday junk into magic trash. Soon local kids and families joined Tyree in rebuilding their neighborhood, discovering the healing power of art along the way.

This picture book biography of Tyree Guyton, an urban environmental artist, shows how he transformed his decaying, crime-ridden neighborhood into the Heidelberg Project, an interactive sculpture park. The story spans from Tyree's childhood in 1950s Detroit to his early efforts to heal his community through art in the 1980s. Tyree's awards include Michigan Artist of the Year and International Artist.

MAGIC TRASH offers strong themes of working together, the power of art, and the importance of inspiring community--especially kids--to affect action. The Heidelberg Project is internationally recognized for providing arts education to children and adults and for the ongoing development of several houses on Heidelberg Street. Not only does the Heidelberg Project prove that when a community works together it can rebuild itself, but it also addresses the issues of recycling, environmentalism, and community on a global level.

Genres: Picture Books, Art, Biography, Nonfiction, African American, Childrens, History

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2011

Reviews

[Kristine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a Wonderful Book that I just got from the Free Library Exchange. It’s about the life of Tyree Guyton and how he started his project to make Art. It starts and he is living in a home with 10 other children on the East Side of Detroit. His Grandpa tells him to “Paint The World”. So, he continues to Slosh, Slap, and Splash Magic Trash.

This book is Incredible and Tyree is so talented, but often this is overlooked. He is an Adult Now and Wants to Use Art so Others can See Detroits Crumpling History. Amazing what one person can do. The Illustrations by Vanessa Brantley-Newton are Beautiful and Bring the Book to Life.

This is the Kind of Book Black Children need to Read and See Potential Everywhere. Great for All People and Children. Love this One, going to look up more on his website! Thanks Free Library 💕📚

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tyree grew up in a poor Detroit neighborhood, messing around with trash, creating his own toys and fun. His Grandpa Sam, a house painter, taught him to use paint for fun, and Tyree didn't stop even when he grew up. When he returned from the service, he found the neighborhood even more rundown, so began what is called the Heidelberg Project, cleaning up and using trash to make things beautiful again. He is known, has spoken throughout the world about the project, even when the city tried to bulldoze some of the "treasures" down, like abandoned, "polka-dot" houses. When those houses, previously used by drug dealers, were painted, the dealers hid in the shadows, and then disappeared. Tyree was "painting the world" just as his Grandpa told him to. The illustrations are collage based, interspersed with, paint! They've clever and creative, splashy and something to enjoy at again and again.

[Pam · Rating 2 out of 5]

First off, I love art made of castoff junk! It is a wonderful way to reuse, and it provides raw materials for many creative minds. But while this book has many good attributes, at the end I failed to understand Tyree Guyton's art! I wondered what I missed and returned to the text yet again, but I could only find a house painted with polka dots, a group of vacuum cleaners, and paintings of faces. This is a common problem with children's books on artists where they do not gain permission to show actual photographs. Without the art, you can not describe the artist! Yes, the Tyree Guyton's story and commitment to his neighborhood is compelling but I needed to see the art and I think the children do too!

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Elementary level biography of Tyree Guyton.
Takes readers through his childhood in Detroit and later artwork in the Heidelberg Project. Simple to read language that shares his breadth as an artist who uses trash to create.

[Random Scholar · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like that there was plenty of background info in this book to explain how and why Tyree Guyton got started. Most of the other children's stories I read about famous artists just focuses on how they always loved art. Yet here, this book does a great job of showing some of the social problems that influenced Tyree Guyton's art (like the violence and garbage in his neighborhood).

I also think that some of the content is very contemporary and speaks directly to our times. For example, even though this book was published in 2011, the issue of rioting mentioned here is still an issue to this day in 2020. I would read this to students in third grade when we are learning about biographies because it can also be tied into science through the lens of innovation and social studies through the broader lens of poverty and political oppression.

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magic Trash
At first glance of the book Magic Trash, I was intrigued by the creations on the front and immediately asked myself, “how could these creations be considered trash?” Well, that’s exactly what Tyree Guyton called his master pieces, Magic Trash. Throughout this biography, the readers gets a glimpse of Tyree’s love of art and creating at a very young age. With the help of his grandpa, he continued to create artwork that is still featured in many places in Detroit, Michigan. Tyree faced many challenges throughout this lifetime due to people not understanding or valuing his “magic trash” art. However, with a community of people behind him, his artwork remains there today.

The genre for this book would be a biography. The story was written about Tyree Guyton’s life. When reading throughout the story, it starts with explaining Tyree’s passion for art and building things at a young age. It also highlights his inspirations for his magic trash. As you continue to read, you watch Tyree grow up but keep his love of art near to his heart. This timeline continues to illuminate his successes and struggles as an artist. I would read this story aloud to my first graders so that we as a group could track his accomplishments throughout his life. I would have 2nd-3rd graders read it on their own and track the timeline of events themselves.

Some ideas that teachers could use for this book could be to introduce timelines during social studies. This book could be a teacher model since there are clear examples of the year and ages of Tyree throughout the book. Students could also use this for independent practice for timelines after the teacher has read aloud the book. Another example for teachers would be to emphasize the Maker Space movement. Since Tyree takes “trash” and creates artwork, makers could do the same. Students could recycle and reuse objects in their community or house to create something new. Lastly, this book could be great for Social and Emotional learning because of the way community helps Tyree at the end of the story. They work together to get the trash off the streets of Detroit.

This book was a Wow book for me for several reasons. First, I am very interested in having my students become makers and have their own Maker Space in our classroom. I have many creative students and I want them to have the freedom to create anything out of nothing. This book shows them how to make those things and they are beautiful. Also, this book would show them that they help make the world a better place by cleaning up and using the trash to make something. Another reason this was a Wow book for me was the fact that Tyree was from Detroit, Michigan. My family is from Michigan and they have heard of his work. Since I didn’t know about his work when I have visited in the past, I will be going to see his work. I think that reading about his work is one thing, but I want to experience his work. Lastly, the trash that he picked up off the streets to use to make artwork turned out amazing. He is a very creative person and seeing real life pictures at the end wowed me.

[Brad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can an artist be a hero to his community without fame or riches? Do trash and paint have the power to make a community safer? Does this power make them magic?

In addition to these imaginative questions, this children's book is a short biography of the founder/principle artist of Detroit's famed community artwork, the Heidelberg Project. Illustrated with mixed medium coloring and collage, the presentation matches the subject perfectly, like Lane Smith meets School House Rock.

I am reading as a curious adult, but I'd be curious how much of the message of the prevailing power of artistic expression transfers to the young people reading the book (or having it read to them). May have to try it out on my niece when she is a little older.


Detailed summary:
"His mama didn't earn enough money sewing and cleaning to buy new shoes, much less bikes and balls. So he zapped fun into amazing junk that others tossed away."

"When his report card arrived, his aunt said, 'Is Tyree dumb?'
"'Maybe crazy?' his mama whispered.
'Then one sunny day when Tyree was nine, his grandpa Sam, a house painter, plopped a brush into his hands. 'Paint the world,' Grandpa said."

He went out, held a few different jobs before enrolling in art school as an adult. Upon returning to his street, he saw shuttered homes covered in trash and troublemakers. He (along with his grandpa) started digging through the trash and painting the area and trouble started leaving.

"When trouble still sizzled in one discarded home, Tyree coated it in dots and squares of pink, blue, yellow, and purple, then perched a magenta watchdog on the porch...dopey dealing thieves hustled from its view, chased away by bright paint and barking trash."

Though some did not like these developments, others did.

"[Tyree] wasn't alone for long, though.
"'We can help,' neighbors called.
"'Your colors and dots chased away those thieves.'
"Together they shoveled, swept, and hauled in new trash."

Eight years later, the court agreed with the citizens that Heidelberg was art, not the garbage dump the city thought.
"The next day Tyree and his neighbors began anew, aiming their brushes like magic wands. Children sang as they hammered and spattered designs. Even former troublemakers returned, ready to rake, sweep, and build. United by trash, they cast a spell on the street, brightening their home for good."

[Lyndsey Pheister · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a great intro for elementary students on working with recycled materials. It's kind of long and drags in the story telling, I had to skip pages to keep the classes attention. It did serve as great inspiration in terms of art making, but was a little sad that his actual story was a little lost on them. In the end, the students took away that anything can be repurposed as art, but less kids understood that art can bring hope to and revive a community. They did get into repeating the line about magic trash, which reddemed it as a read aloud. And then we had a fun time exploring his virtual gallery. If you need an alternate book for int'l dot day, I recommend this one.

[Luke Pacifico · Rating 5 out of 5]

1) No awards given.
2) K-3
3) A biography about Tyree Guyton and his Heidelberg project. His relationship with his grandfather propelled him to be the artist he is today.
4) For a book about an incredible artist, it's pleasing to see that the illustrations are so vibrant and colorful that kids and adults alike will be instantly drawn to them. The idea of Guyton's project to paint and decorate his hometown with art is so cool and will really resonate with kids' imaginations.
5) Ask the kids how they can decorate their hometown and ask them to draw pictures of it.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tyree Guyton creates art in a neighborhood in Detroit, one that had been in decline until he intervened. His art, despite being torn down by the city a couple of times, eventually gains international acclaim. It's an interesting book. Though I was hoping that it would turn out to be more maker space oriented, it still made me aware of another great artist and positive role model that is deserving of our children's attention.

[Historic Hummingbird · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tryree doesn’t give up. I know that because when the other kids laughed at him when he painted he ignored them. He just kept painting, doing something he loves. Another reason why I know that is when Tryree says he wants to be an artist and his Mama says that not a job he doesn’t lose hope. Another reason why is when the mayor started breaking up all his art, he let it be and started working on fixing it.

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting true story about a man who revived his community through his art. This picture book has a good message that art can be anything (even other people's trash). My child was disappointing in a lack of actual photographs of the art and she was left with several questions (the book wasn't very specifc on how the art scared away drug dealers and squatters) but overall she enjoyed the read.

[Tam Newell · Rating 3 out of 5]

50 States book for Michigan. Story of artist Tyree Guyton, who grew up in Detroit. As his neighborhood was falling apart and becoming seedy, he transformed it by painting trash into art to deter thieves and others from taking over. His art inspired the Heidelberg project for similar neighborhood art installations.

[Ellice · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book about Tyree Guyton might be a bit complicated for kids to fully understand, but is still a great tribute to a great artist who wants to “paint the world.” The illustrations capture the joy of Guyton’s style without being a literal copy of it.

[Gabriel Weaver · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know how I had never heard of Tyree Guyton and his work!!!!

I do a silly tradition with my middle school students before Winter Break every year where we have the "12 Days of Trashmas" where I collect the trash left at the end of each day and make it into a collage to inspire poems and songs. I will certainly incorporate Guyton's story into this activity!

[Sue Mosher · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd never heard of Tyree Guyton, but this was an interesting book. I felt a little left in the dark as the descriptions of events leave out a lot of detail, but you get the gist of what happened in his life. The illustrations are fun and very colourful.

[Jolynne Dougherty · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story is compelling and the illustrations are colorful, but I didn't really get the feeling that I understood what Tyree Guyton's art is about. What was it about his artwork that made the neighborhood bond together. This book did give me the desire to learn more about him and his art.

[Geri chesner · Rating 3 out of 5]

The art is amazing and I love the images and photos that are interspersed within the art . I didn't feel that I got a good enough sense of who Tyree Guyton is as a person and creative though his use of found materials and trash, even with the short author's note.

[Margaret Gerberding · Rating 4 out of 5]

A colorful picture book about the Heidelberg Project and the artist behind it that saved a neighborhood in Detroit, Michigan.

[Shaeley Santiago · Rating 4 out of 5]

How artist Tyree Guyton helped save his community (Heidelberg Street, Detroit, MI) by turning trash into art.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting! A story of a man who used his art to save and change his neighborhood.

[Gwen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story with a good message!

[Limeminearia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Would rate higher for older readers but my bad for not previewing this before attempting to read it to a recently turned 5yo.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story, definitely makes you want to learn more about him

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to go see his artwork!!

[Marcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A terrific picture book of Tyree Guyton and his passion for turning junk, and ugly urban spaces into art.

[Roma · Rating 3 out of 5]

there has to be a more concise way to explain this artist to kids!

[Gayle Swift · Rating 5 out of 5]

tells the story of an artist raised in poverty in urban Detroit. Traditional art supplies cost too much, so he cast his eye on found objects which he repainted and reconfigured into “art.” Encouraged by his grandfather, a house painter, he followed his dream to become a painter–of art.

After the 1967 riots, Tyree’s family moved away from Heidelberg Street but Tyree never forgot his roots. After he graduated from art school, he returned to his roots only to find destruction, violence and devastation. Galvanized by a desire to bring beauty, he began transforming the neighborhood one slosh of color, one creation at a time. Initially, Tyree met resistance. eventually he won people over. Cheered by his colorful creations, neighbors began to beautify their community, remove trash and come together to improve their neighborhood. Art sparked a movement of hope, change and improvement!

Adoption-attuned Lens Tyree confronted the judgment of kids and adults who thought he was weird, even crazy for aspiring to be an artist. We can explore conversations with adoptees about the ways in which people look at them as odd, crazy and not “real.” This feeling of being “other” is one which many adoptees experience. Opening the conversation can offer a relief valve for this pressure-cooker emotion. --Gayle H. Swift, "ABC, Adoption & Me"

[Sierra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Summary
Magic Trash tells the story of Tyree Guyton, a young artist who turned the trash in his neighborhood into art. Through the support of his grandfather and a love for his street, he tries to turn his neighborhood around and make it the bright, sparkling art that he sees. The illustrations are a patchwork of “trash”- newspaper clippings, baby doll heads, all appearing to be randomly cut and pasted together on the page, with realistic drawings of Tyree and his family in the foreground.

Response
This book features an ordinary person doing extraordinary things- a factor that is included in contemporary biographies. It is a story of optimism and triumph, accented by the bright and playful drawings. The message that the book holds is to always pursue what you believe, and the world can be better for it. In an educational context, children may be encouraged to see beauty in “trash” or things that aren’t typically considered beautiful.

[Tasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the life story of Tyree Guyton. Tyree grew up in Detroit in a large family. He was always picking up stray objects and creating things with them. At age nine, Tyree decided he wanted to be an artist. But as the years passed, he worked many jobs, none of them artistic. When he returned back home, his street has changed from a bustling neighborhood into a stretch of dilapidated houses. So Tyree went to work, painting everything he could find. Houses got polka dots, bright colors were everywhere, found objects were incorporated. But not everyone loved Tyree’s work, they considered it garbage. Houses were knocked down by the city, until finally after years, Tyree’s art was safe. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Heidelberg Project, certainly something to celebrate!

Shapiro has written this book with a sparkle and jazz that suits the subject. Her storytelling is impressive as she creates moods that change from one page to the next as the story progresses. She weaves in rhyming lines at times, adding to the distinctive feel of her words.

Brantley-Newton’s art is done in mixed media, incorporating found objects, torn pages filled with words, painting, pattern and texture. Her art is bright, beautiful and vibrant. Against the distinctive backgrounds, her characters stand out with great charm.

A look at street art that is part of the street, this book will be enjoyed by art teachers and budding young artists alike. Appropriate for ages 6-9.