Everett and I first started our project with a pretty simple goal in mind: how do we spend the summer of months outside? Don’t get eitther of us wrong – we love a good community focused challenge. Yet, both of us being more inclined to get our hands dirty than sit at a desk, we wanted to find a way to do what we were good at (for both of us, that’s something creative, spontaneous, and inevitably fun) in a place that we were comfortable in (i.e. outside as much as possible). So began our Impact Project: Humans of Belle Isle.

Working in tandem with a contact from Belle Isle Conservancy, we identified a need for an increase in BIC’s social media photography presence. But in the modern social media age, a convincing photo isn’t always enough. People want a story – a space, place, and background that help understand context and, well, why they should care. Modeled off of the now famous Humans of New York photojournalism project, Everett and I got to work with the primary goal being to find the nooks and cranies of Belle Isle that have made the park a cherished summer bastion for generations of Detroiters.

Here’s the thing. Detroit’s a lot like Belle Isle. There are a lot of superficially beautiful spots that are easily accessible and result in an undeniably great experience. You can explore your standard sunsets, fountains, and aquariums, all of which are phenomenal opportunities – just as you can easily and accessibly access the downtown, midtown, and Corktown areas of Detroit and feel comfortable and confident navigating. However, on Belle Isle, you do yourself a disservice if you don’t equally explore its rich heritage, both in the eyes of history and those who have inhabited it. Imagine a snow laden Belle Isle in the 60’s. Detroiters eagerly ice skate up and down the Island’s canals. Kids build snow men in the park’s meticulously kept parks, chasing each other through the fields and playing hide and seek in the forest on the Island’s east side. In the summers, families gather for barbeques just as they do now. Belle Isle, like Detroit, is a place of endurance – a place that remembers its colorful past and has begun to, after a period of relapse and subsequent reflection, emerge reinvigorated with an eye towards a bigger, brighter, and wholesome future.

While we urge you to visit the Conservancy’s social media pages to check out our photos and associated stories, below you’ll find some shots from our venturings around the island – a combination of drafts, bloopers, and exploration that we hope will inspire you to go on your own Belle Isle adventure. We hope you too can discover the unique amalgamation of people, places, and ideas that make Detroit’s own island getaway special.