Renowned Detroit Artist J.R. Strozier Brings Community and Service to Life Through Art

By Jermaine Lytle, Contributing Writer

Over the last decade, Detroit natives have had a front row seat to economic development that has transformed everything from pockets of real estate in the area to its buzzing art community.

Among its natives are creative movers and shakers who are committed to playing an integral role in Detroit’s continued development, understanding the need for reciprocity and service to a place that has given so much to them.

JeRon “J.R.” Strozier is one of those creatives.

The Detroit-born father of four has built a multi-faceted career as an artist who paints, sculpts, and continues to push the limits of his artistic expression. On first impression, Strozier immediately comes across as a humble, laidback, yet self-actualized man.

At 45 years old, he admits that even as early as kindergarten he was more focused on artwork than schoolwork, and was often scolded for drawing inside his books.

“I never had a moment where I wasn’t connected to art in some way,” Strozier said. “I thank God to have that clarity and purpose. I always knew who I was and I only had one dream and it came true”.

With future plans of doing live, immersive art experiences, Strozier sees his community involvement as the vehicle for fulfilling a promise – one he believes Detroit offers all its residents: community.

He was one of the esteemed honorees of the city council’s Spirit of Detroit award in 2025 – an accomplishment that he acknowledges with immense gratitude. He admits that he has a “hard time putting it into words because it’s beyond anything I could’ve ever imagined…I love Detroit with all my heart, and I felt like in that moment Detroit said, ‘I love you’ back.”

Strozier’s portraits are impactful, emotive, and vulnerable. They have a way of speaking to the artist behind the piece, as well as enticing observers to feel for a subject they have not met. This is the work of an artist who does not see his subjects as just a subject or simply an outlet for his artistic ability, but rather as something more personal and open to interpretation.

Strozier would call this “the bless you effect” – the gift of recognizing something about yourself through art. For Strozier “it’s more important to tell the story than show the image.”

Service and giving back to the community is important to Strozier, who volunteers with the Detroit Boys Mentoring Club, where he teaches young men how to explore various art forms. His desire to be of service to the community is just one example of how Strozier uses his strengths to pay it forward to a new generation of potential artists.

Whether Strozier is spending 80 hours sculpting the ballet phenom Misty Copeland or lending his services to the youth of Detroit, the one thing that remains constant is that he uses his artistic talent to progress and bring awareness to the Detroit community.

As the great Muhammad Ali once said: “Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.” Isn’t it refreshing that one of Detroit’s finest feels like the rent is always due?