DIA Inside/Out

May 18, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Self Portrait by Vincent Van Gogh - Detroit Institute of Arts

Check it out. Your Detroit Institute of Arts is opening up its treasure trove for viewing at a public place near you. Well, almost — the works on display are excellent reproductions of the masterpieces which residents of Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties are invited to see, gratis*, currently on display at the DIA. Even if you buy a ticket, it’s a small price to pay to see the real McGill and VanGoghs.

Details from DIA:

Inside|Out, now in its fourth year, brings nearly 80 reproductions of masterpieces from the DIA’s collection to the streets and parks of metro Detroit, pleasantly surprising and delighting residents of the participating communities. Where possible, the works are clustered within walking or biking distance of each other in a grand, open-air gallery.

The DIA is working with the communities to plan educational opportunities and other fun activities, such as bicycle and walking tours. Residents of participating communities will enjoy a designated weekend to visit the museum for free and see “their” works of art. Visitors will receive a 10-percent discount in Café DIA and the museum shop, $1 off Detroit Film Theatre (DFT) tickets and free admission to showings of the DFT 101 film series.

Stay tuned for updates on the Inside|Out photo contest and geocaching series.

Participating Communities and Community Weekend Dates:

  • Ann Arbor – April 20-21
  • Dearborn - Heights June 8-9
  • Fraser - June 1-2
  • Hazel Park - April 27-28
  • New Baltimore - May 4-5
  • Novi - May 18-19
  • Pontiac - April 27-28
  • Redford Township - June 22-23
  • Rochester Hills - May 4-5
  • Southwest Detroit - June 22-23
  • Utica - June 1-2
  • Walled Lake - May 18-19
  • Westland - June 8-9
  • Mackinac

Click here for details on Inside/Out. The DIA itself is open Tuesdays through Sundays.

* DIA admission is free for residents of Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties, where voters passed a millage to support the acclaimed institution, home to some of the most magnificent works of art in the world. Admission also is free to Members of the DIA. For residents of other Michigan counties, and for visitors from out of state, admission is $8 for adults ($6 for senior citizens), $4 for children (free for kids 5 and under), and $5 for college students with valid ID.

 

Filed Under: Art & Design, Community, Culture, Feature, Painting, Who We Are Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Ten Buildings That Changed America

May 16, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Cranbrook-Academy-of-Art

The always-colorful and interesting Reed Kroloff, architect, editor, educator, and Director of the Cranbrook Academy of Art, is featured tonight on “Ten Buildings That Changed American,” an upbeat DPTV program that also features the Ford Highland Park Plant.

“10 Buildings” is a one-hour dash through more than 200 years of the remarkably creative output of American architecture, and we hope you enjoy it. The program airs Thursday at 9 p.m. and again this Sunday at 4 p.m.

Details from PBS:

Ever wondered how your house got its plan? Or why you occupy your office the way you do? How would you have designed an airport if you didn’t know what a jet was?

These questions and more are addressed in the new PBS documentary “10 Buildings that Changed America,” airing this week on Detroit Public Television. As its title suggests, the program considers how 10 landmark buildings reshaped life as we know it in the United States.

Hosted by Geoffrey Baer, the program features interviews with leading architects, historians, and critics, including Reed Kroloff, Director of the Art Academy. Speaking from the living room of Saarinen house, Reed appears in a number of the show’s ten segments, which includes an analysis of Eero Saarinen’s Dulles Airport, the original model of which now resides in the Cranbrook Art Museum.

 

So, what are the most important buildings
and greatest architecture in Michigan? 

We asked The Michigan Architectural Foundation for an answer.

They recommended Great Architecture of Michigan by John Gallagher (author) and Balthazar Korab (photographer).

As Senator Carl Levin points out in the forward to the book, “The State of Michigan, almost entirely surrounded by the world’s greatest fresh waters, has one of the most distinctive and easily recognizable boundaries on the planet.  But the state’s geography is just one of the forms that has shaped Michigan’s story of growth and production.  Another enduring backdrop is the buildings that have housed some of Michigan’s finest moments, with architecture that is as diverse and eclectic as the people of Michigan.”

Looking for more information about Michigan’s architecture? 

The Michigan Architectural Foundation is an excellent resource to connect people with architecture in Michigan, through a variety of tools, including the library that is under development.

The Michigan Architectural Foundation serves as a resource to connect people with architecture in Michigan through a comprehensive collection of resources published on MichiganArchitecturalFoundation.org – from grants to facilitate historic preservation to scholarships to support the profession and perpetuation of architecture.  Educational resources also are available through the Michigan Architectural Foundation, including a curriculum for elementary grades, an architectural handbook for high school students and summer camps held across the state.  The Foundation has just begun efforts to assemble a Library of Architecture that will be housed in existing libraries.

Want to stay connected to Michigan architecture?  Join the Foundation on Facebook, Twitter or Linked in, or sign up to receive their blog or e-newsletter.

Michigan Architectural Foundation is dedicated to the promotion, perpetuation and preservation of architecture as a fine art. By serving as a visible resource for funding, information and educational programs, we increase the public’s appreciation for architecture, which encourages cohesive, sustainable communities, increasing economic value, enriching experiences and adding beauty.

 

 


 

Filed Under: Architecture, Art & Design, Culture, Detroit Inspires, Feature, History, Painting, Sculpture, Video, Who We Are, Words Tagged With: , , , ,

Visions of 44

April 15, 2013 By Leave a Comment

CHWMAAH presents Visions of Our 44th President

The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History premieres the Visions of Our 44th President, a sculptural art exhibition on display through August 2013. Portraying a present-day historical achievement in African American history through contemporary art, including works by Tyree Guyton, Gale Fulton Ross, Faith Ringgold and Kadir Nelson, this groundbreaking exhibit will become The Wright Museum’s first national traveling exhibition.

Visions of Our 44th President was created to honor and celebrate the historical significance of the first African American President of the United States, Barack Obama. Forty-four busts were created from a model that served as a blank canvas, giving forty-four contemporary artists from across the country free reign to creatively interpret this milestone in American history.

“After close study of each of the artists’ work, one experiences so many different emotions, understanding the artists’ talent, inspiration and creativity,” said Peter Kaplan of Our World, LLC, who collaborated with the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History on the exhibit. He continued, “Some of the painted busts are thought provoking, serious and strong, some simply lovely and sweet; all are unique and revealing.”

In 2008, Kaplan represented an artist that created one of the official posters for the Obama campaign. Through that association of creativity and purpose, Visions became Kaplan’s dream. It took four years for the exhibition to come to fruition, and Kaplan says the exhibition’s “integration of art, culture and promise are my passion.”

PLEASE NOTE: Visions of Our 44th President is not a political exhibit, and is not funded or endorsed by, or affiliated with, the reelection campaign of President Barack Obama, the Democratic Party, or any associated political action committees or efforts.

The artists featured in Visions of our 44th President are (in alphabetical order): Najjar Abdul-Musawwir, (Carbondale, Illinois), Nina Chanel Abney (New York, New York), Mason Archie (Indianapolis, Indiana), Arthur Bacon (Talladega, Alabama), Phoebe Beasley (Los Angeles, California), Charles Bibbs (Riverside, California), Hebru Brantley (Chicago, Illinois), Larry Poncho Brown (Baltimore, Maryland), Barbara Bullock (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), Nanette Carter (New York, New York), Melvin Clark (Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania), Kevin Cole (Atlanta, Georgia), D. DelReverda-Jennings (Indianapolis, Indiana), Louis Delsarte (Atlanta, Georgia), Najee Dorsey (Atlanta, Georgia), Ted Ellis (Houston, Texas), Tatyana Fazlaizadeh (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), Gale Fulton Ross (Sarasota, Florida), Tyrone Geter (Elgin, South Carolina), Paul Goodnight (Boston, Massachusetts), Tyree Guyton (Detroit, Michigan), Barkley L. Hendricks (New London, Connecticut), Mildred Howard (San Francisco, California), Preston Jackson (Chicago, Illinois), Dayo Laoye (Chicago, Illinois), Tamara Natalie Madden (Atlanta, Georgia), Allie McGhee (Detroit, Michigan), Angelbert Metoyer (New Orleans, Louisiana), Wangechi Mutu (New York, New York), Kadir Nelson (Los Angeles, California), Joyce Owens (Chicago, Illinois), Charly Palmer (Atlanta, Georgia), Howardena Pindell (New York, New York), Faith Ringgold (Englewood, New Jersey), Cory Saint Clair (Richmond, Virginia), Preston Sampson (Baltimore, Maryland), Joyce J. Scott (Baltimore, Maryland), Gilda Snowden (Detroit, Michigan), Felandus Thames (New York, New York), Carrie Mae Weems (Upstate New York), Pheoris West (Columbus, Ohio), Philemona Williamson (Montclair, New Jersey), Mamie Yanu Willis (Albuquerque, New Mexico), and Shirley Woodson (Detroit, Michigan).

Visions of Our 44th President premieres at The Wright Museum before becoming its first national traveling exhibit, visiting museums, libraries, universities and galleries across the country. At the conclusion of the tour, the exhibit will become a part of The Wright Museum’s permanent collection. Visions of Our 44th President is guest curated by Ashley Whitfield.

The Wright Museum, located at 315 East Warren Avenue in Midtown Detroit’s Cultural Center, is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m., and on Sundays from 1 until 5 p.m. Visions of Our 44th President is on display through August 4, 2013, and is free with museum admission, which is $8 for adults (ages 13-61), and $5 for seniors (62+) and youth (3-12). Admission is free for Museum members and children under 3.

Founded in 1965, the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History is the world’s largest institution dedicated to the African American experience. For more information, please visit www.TheWright.org.

 

Filed Under: Art & Design, Culture, History, Painting, Reviews, Sculpture, Who We Are Tagged With: , , , , ,

Art X Detroit

April 6, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Art X Detroit mural by artist Hubert Massey

Get set for a five-day multidisciplinary celebration that presents works created by the 2011-2012 Kresge Eminent Artists and Artist Fellows. Free and open to the public, Art X Detroit is filled with dance and musical performances, literary readings, workshops and panel discussions that are distinguished in depth and quality.

Artists include Detroit Poet Laureate Naomi Long Madgett and playwright Bill Harris, as well as a host of visual and performing artists who represent established and cutting edge parts of the spectrum. For the complete Who’s Who, What’s What and the schedule, click here.

From Art X Detroit:

Art X Detroit: Kresge Arts Experience is a five-day multidisciplinary celebration, from April 10-14, 2013, that will exclusively present works created by the 2011-2012 Kresge Eminent Artists and Artist Fellows, along with a special visual arts exhibition at MOCAD that runs through April 28, 2013.

An exciting program of dance and musical performances, literary readings, workshops, panel discussions, public art and special exhibitions, Art X Detroit will be hosted at more than a dozen venues located throughout Midtown Detroit’s Cultural Center and is free to the public. Art X Detroit is supported by The Kresge Foundation.

———————–

Midway

I’ve come this far to freedom and I won’t turn back

I’m climbing to the highway from my old dirt track

I’m coming and I’m going

And I’m stretching and I’m growing

And I’ll reap what I’ve been sowing or my skin’s not black

I’ve prayed and slaved and waited and I’ve sung my song

You’ve bled me and you’ve starved me but I’ve still grown strong

You’ve lashed me and you’ve treed me

And you’ve everything but freed me

But in time you’ll know you need me and it won’t be long.

I’ve seen the daylight breaking high above the bough

I’ve found my destination and I’ve made my vow;

So whether you abhor me

Or deride me or ignore me

Mighty mountains loom before me and I won’t stop now.

– Naomi Long Madgett (1959)

 

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Madgett’s note:

(“Midway was first published in Freedomways in 1959, but I think I wrote it in 1958. The poem grew out of a discussion with a friend that acknowledged that the Supreme Court desegregation ruling, which legalized racial justice for the first time, led to the determination of Black people to move forward and never again accept the status quo.”)

SOURCE

————————-

The image above:

“A People’s Vision” is a work of public art located at Warren and Woodward Avenues in Detroit Michigan. Created by Hubert Massey, a Kresge Fellow and visual artist whose work is featured in Art X Detroit, the mural reflects images of Detroit’s past and future, including historic events, cultural traditions and symbolic figures associated with the city. The work is a result of collaborative feedback between the artist and community. Learn more here.

 

 

Filed Under: Architecture, Art & Design, Community, Culture, Jazz, Music, Painting, Photography, Popular, Sculpture, Who We Are, Words

Honored Guest: Vincent van Gogh

March 30, 2013 By Leave a Comment

DIA presents Bedroom at Arles by Vincent van Gogh

The Detroit Institute of Arts has brought one of Vincent van Gogh’s most famous paintings from the Musée d’Orsay in Paris to its gallery walls, Bedroom in Arles. The work will be on view as “Guest of Honor” through May 28, displayed in the Dutch galleries, where visitors saw the Vermeer painting last August, and will be installed along with three other Van Gogh paintings owned by the DIA.

The display is supported by Talmer Bank and Trust. DIA is open Wednesdays through Sundays. For details on the DIAand the exhibit, click here.

 Image – detail: Gogh, Vincent van (1853-1890). The Bedroom at Arles. 1889. Oil on canvas, 57.5 x 74.0 cm. Inv. RFI959-2. Photo: Herve Lewandowski. Musee d’Orsay, Paris, France © RMN-Grand Palais I Art Resource, NY

For more information on the van Gogh’s Bedroom in Arles from the Van Gogh Gallery, click here.

Filed Under: Art & Design, Culture, Painting, Reviews Tagged With: , , ,

You Can Make History – Thanks to Kroger

February 7, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Cadet Henry Ossian Flipper, United States Military Academy

Help Kroger celebrate Black History Month with the annual “I Can Make History” contest. The program is open to 4th through 12th grade Michigan students.

Kroger will award more than $67,000 in prizes in four categories – art, essay, music and poetry. All entries must be received by 5 p.m., Thursday, February 28, 2013. Winners will be invited to an awards luncheon held Saturday, April 13, 2013.

New this year, Kroger will honor one school with the School Leadership Award and $5,000 and the student that receives the highest score among all four categories will receive the $3,000 Best in Show Scholarship.

All entries should tie into the contests themes. Artwork entries must be original drawings, paintings, paper collages, and/or photographs. Essay entries must be the student’s own work and at least 500 words in length. Music entries must be an original work and a minimum of one minute (not exceeding four minutes). Poetry entries must be the student’s original work and no longer than 30 lines in length.

All entries must be received by 5 p.m. Friday, February 28, 2013. Learn more at http://www.icanmakehistory.com.

The image above is a photograph of Cadet Henry Ossian Flipper. Born a slave, he was the first African American to graduate from the United States Military Academy at West Point. He served as a commissioned officer in the United States Army, where he encountered racism, bigotry and hypocrisy on the parts of his superiors, subordinates and fellow officers. After being drummed out of the Army, he continued his career as an engineer, land surveyor and land use scholar. Click here to learn more.

Filed Under: Art & Design, Community, Detroit Public Schools, For Students, History, Music, News, Painting, Photography, Sculpture, Words Tagged With: , ,

Art Endures at PCCA

February 3, 2013 By Leave a Comment

PCCA William Sadovsky image detail

This January, in celebration of their thirtieth anniversary, Paint Creek Center for the Arts presents a new exhibition: 1982-2012 Art Endures – Thirty Years and Counting.

With over 70 artists, this exhibition features stimulating and groundbreaking work in all media from across Michigan and beyond. This fascinating exhibition will run through February 15.

Preparation for this show began with a thorough search of PCCA archives that allowed them to assemble a list of artists spanning their entire thirty year history. A number of the exhibiting artists began their careers with an exhibition at PCCA back when the organization was just getting started itself. Others are just now beginning to exhibit their work, and have exhibited with PCCA in more recent years.

Don’t miss out on seeing the Main and First Floor Galleries packed with paintings, drawings, prints, photography, mixed media, ceramics and sculpture from this fantastic representation of PCCA’s past, present and future.

 Participating Artists:

  • Kyohei Abe
  • Suzanne Andersen
  • Hartmut Austen
  • Madeleine Barkey
  • Veronica Bel Schaden
  • Mark Beltchenko
  • Pi Benio
  • Robert Bielat
  • Jeanne Bieri
  • Jef Bourgeau
  • Matthew Breneau
  • Sandra Cardew
  • Tom Carey
  • Israel Davis
  • Darcel Deneau
  • Sergio DeGiusti
  • Gary Eleinko
  • Anne Fracassa
  • Lynn Galbreath
  • Margaret Glinke
  • Mary Ann Grauf
  • Bruce Grauf
  • Dennis Guastella
  • Christine Hagedorn
  • Janet Hamrick
  • Matthew Hanna
  • Craig Hinshaw
  • Thomas Humes
  • Brian Iler
  • Rob Kangas
  • Marla Karimipour
  • Ray Katz
  • Dawnice Kerchaert
  • Andrew Krieger
  • Richard Lewis
  • John Leyland
  • Jim Lutomski
  • Linda Lutomski
  • Stephen Magsig
  • Julie S. Mahoney
  • Valerie Mann
  • Mark Mardirosian
  • Margo McCafferty Rudd
  • James Milostan
  • Todd Mitchell
  • Jim Nawara
  • Lucille Nawara
  • Brian Nelson
  • Scott Northrup
  • Shirley Parish
  • James Parker
  • Catherine Peet
  • Teresa Petersen
  • Tom Phardel
  • Carol Piligian
  • Jo Powers
  • Andrei Rabodzienko
  • Kathy Rashid
  • John Richardson
  • Stanley Rosenthal
  • Julie Russell Smith
  • Tom Rudd
  • Amy Sacksteder
  • William Sadovsky
  • Helena Sadowski
  • Darcy Scott
  • Claudia Shepard
  • Gilda Snowden
  • Ryan Standfest
  • Jack O. Summers
  • Sally Shluter Tardella
  • Bruce Thayer
  • Robert Tucker
  • Maureen Vachon
  • Rick Vian
  • Sue Carman Vian
  • Norwood Viviano
  • Christine Welch
  • John Woodward
  • Paul Young
  • S. Kay Young
  • Carole Zak
  • Nancy Zito

This exhibit is supported by the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Kresge Foundation.

Filed Under: Art & Design, Painting, Reviews, Sculpture Tagged With: ,

The Murals Dance

January 25, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Detroit-Industry-by-Diego-Rivera

Famed around the world for their depictions of the people of Southeast Michigan in action in their work and lives, Detroit Industry by Diego Rivera will come to life Sunday at the Detroit Institute of Arts.

Eastern Michigan University Dance Majors, under the direction of professor Joanna McNamara, will perform in the Diego Rivera Detroit Industry Murals Court at the Detroit Institute of Arts on Sunday, April 28, from 2-4 p.m.

Free with paid admission and open to the public, the event consists of an open rehearsal followed by a presentation by professor McNamara and her colleagues on the multiple processes involved in making a video dance.

McNamara’s new dance, to music by Paul Dreshner, will be filmed in the Rivera Court later in the week. EMU faculty lecturer Laura Zimmerman, director of photography for the dance, will also participate in the Sunday presentation.

The dance, which draws from the juxtaposed natural and human-made dynamics and relationships of the Detroit Industry murals, explores ways in which the immense court can be activated through movement.

“I think of the dance not so much as a representation of the murals, but as a dialogue between the dancers’ embodied action and Rivera’s frescoes,” says McNamara.

The dancers, who were instrumental in creating the work, are Jermaine Dickerson, Jennifer Flanagan, Chloe Gray, Amber Lawson, Morgan Hertz, Anthony Milian, Mariah Robinette, and Rebecca Zahm.

“I usually choreograph a dance with minimal input from my dancers,” says McNamara. “But I couldn’t ignore Rivera’s emphasis on the significance of the voice of the workers depicted in the Detroit Industry murals. It’s a reoccurring theme. So I gave my dancers structured improvisations then developed much of what evolved out of these improvs into the final piece. The dancers thus have a very strong voice in the choreographed dance.”

In addition to the above dancers, Dance Major Lauren Mudry serves as production manager for this project and graduate student David Koltunchik as camera operator.

For more information visit the DIA online.

Filed Under: Architecture, Art & Design, Community, Culture, Dance, Detroit Inspires, Jazz, Music, Painting, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Northville Art House 2013 Art Fair

January 2, 2013 By Leave a Comment

NAH Blue Omega detail

You can still be a pART of things. The Northville Art House 7th Annual Member Exhibition runs through Feb. 23.

From NAH:

The Northville Art House is proud to present the 7th annual member exhibition showcasing a variety of mediums and subject matter in this all-media, non-juried members show. This exhibition was developed to showcase local talent and to say “thank you” to everyone who is supporting the growth and creativity of the arts in our community. New and experienced artists come together and show off some of their favorite works of art in this highly anticipated exhibition.

The show will open with an artist reception Friday, February 1, from 6-9 p.m. The show will continue through February 23 during the Art House Gallery hours (Wed-Sat, 1-5 p.m.) For additional information, call (248) 344-0497 or visit www.northvillearts.org.

The Art House is located at 215 W. Cady Street and is a facility of the Northville Arts Commission. Admission to Art House exhibits are always free and open to the public.

The image above is a detail from “Blue Omega,” a work by Mary York Gentry on exhibit at the Northville Art House.

Filed Under: Art & Design, Community, Culture, Painting, Reviews, Sculpture, Who We Are Tagged With: , ,

Timothy Orikri: Urban Oasis

December 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Timothy Orikri

The Boll Family YMCA presents “Urban Oasis,” an exhibition of paintings by Timothy Orikri.

The exhibition opens tonight (Friday, Dec. 21)  with a special reception at 7 p.m. The show runs through Jan. 3, 2013.

A native of Nigeria who came to the United States in 1995, Mr. Orikri now calls Michigan “home.” Many of his works featured the people, arts, industries and landscapes of Detroit. He has gained recognition for his strong use of colors and forms, has been widely exhibited in several prominent museums, colleges, churches, and public buildings.

Boll Family YMCA is located at 1401 Broadway, Detroit. The telephone is (313) 309-9622. Click here to visit online.

Hours of Operation

Monday – Friday 5:30 am–10:00 pm
Saturday 7:00 am–5:00 pm
Sunday 10:00 am–5:00 pm
Wellness Center, pool and gym close 15 minutes before building closes.

Holiday Hours
Our Y has shortened hours and closures on select holidays.

New Year’s Eve 5:30 am-4:00 pm
New Year’s Day Closed
Easter Sunday Closed
Memorial Day 8:00 am-12:00 pm
4th of July 8:00 am-12:00 pm
Labor Day 8:00 am-12:00 pm
Thanksgiving Day 8:00 am-12:00 pm
Christmas Eve 5:30 am-4:00 pm
Christmas Day Closed

 

Filed Under: Art & Design, Community, Painting, Spotlight Tagged With: ,
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