This morning, Knight announced more than $5 million in grants to spur new economic foundations for Detroit by boosting the city's Creative Corridor, increasing job training, and providing digital access to underserved communities.

Here are details on the six grants from the press release:

• $1.08 million to the Cranbook Educational Community to strengthen Detroit’s Creative Corridor by creating a partnership between the Cranbrook Educational Community and the Arts League of Michigan. Together they will host joint exhibits and programming.
• $1.025 million to the Detroit and Southeast Michigan Fund for Innovative Workforce Solutions to train workers for skilled jobs in the region’s health and green sectors by creating a new funder’s workforce collaborative, managed by the United Way of Southeastern Michigan.
• $1.01 million to the College for Creative Studies to help create an art and design campus at the new Taubman Center, a former General Motors design facility.
• $866,000 to the Detroit Public Library to help meet Detroit’s information needs by expanding free Internet access at the Parkman Branch library through a new technology and literacy center.
• $810,000 to the Detroit Connected Community Initiative to enhance residents’ ability to use the power of the Internet to improve their lives by providing high-speed Internet access to two low-income Detroit neighborhoods, Central-Woodward-Northend and Osborn-Northeast.
• $500,000 to the Detroit Symphony Orchestra to expand and diversify its audiences by launching a community concert series at places of worship, schools and malls.

You can read more about the initiatives in the press release, and in this article from Crain's Detroit Business.

A few years ago, Knight supported Detroit with a technology center at their downtown YMCA and youth programming. The YMCA centers developed the YArts program and have launched a refreshed Web site for the Detroit creative community: thedetroiter.com

The site is featuring artist Tristan Eaton, who contributes to the Detroit art scene and whose work has appeared on posters for the Obama campaign (below is his "gas pump" poster).

Eaton's work was part of the Manifest Hope: DC Gallery exhibit this week at 3333 M Street NW during the Inauguration festivities.

The full interview on the YArts site here with an image of an Obama mural by Eaton unveiled this week.

What do you think about the Obama campaign art? And how can we strength art communities in cities like Detroit?