Kickstart Your Summer with the Arts!

May 17, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Edsel and Eleanor Ford House and Daffodil Garden by Stephen J. Brown

WRCJ 90.9 FM and Edsel & Eleanor Ford House invite you to Kickstart Your Summer!

Don’t miss a fun filled event for families, students and arts and cultural organizations. You also can be part of a live radio broadcast on WRCJ 90.9 FM, hosted by Dave Wagner and Chris Felcyn.

Join us on the grounds of the historic Edsel & Eleanor Ford House on the shore of Lake St. Clair on Saturday, June 8, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Among the fun:

  • Free Admission and Free Parking
  • Live entertainment will be provided by musicians from the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Livonia Symphony, Macomb Symphony, Cantata Academy Chorale, The Detroit Children’s Choir, Grosse Pointe Community Chorus, Motor City Brass Band and many others
  • Over 40 Exhibitors – Arts, Music, Educational and Civic Organizations
  • Instrument “Petting Zoo” and other children’s activities
  • Tours of the historic Edsel & Eleanor Ford House will be available with an admission fee of $12 for adults, $11 for seniors, $5 for children ages 6 – 12 and free for children under 5.

Families will be able to sample tasty food from Ford House’s Cotswold Café, Dirty Dog Jazz Café and Fresh Farms Market.

Representatives from the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra, Cranbrook Academy of Art & Art Museum, Cranbrook Music Guild, Dearborn Symphony, Detroit Public TV, Grosse Pointe Symphony, Michigan Opera Theatre, Windsor Symphony, and many other arts and cultural organizations will be on hand with activities and information.

The Edsel & Eleanor Ford House is located at 1100 Lake Shore Road, Grosse Pointe Shores. For more information, visit us online at www.wrcjfm.org.

The image above of the Edsel and Eleanor Ford House and the Daffodil Garden is a detail from a photograph by Stephen J. Brown. Click here to see it and other photographs by Mr. Brown.

 

Filed Under: Architecture, Art & Design, Classical, Community, Culture, Dance, Detroit Inspires, Fun, History, Jazz, Music, News

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, History, News, Painting, Sculpture, Video, Who We Are, Words Tagged With: , , , ,

Dossin Great Lakes Museum readies new course

May 11, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Dossin-Great-Lakes-Museum-Miss-Pepsi

All hands, hear this! The Dossin Great Lakes Museum re-opens Saturday, May 18 at noon.

Be there and register to win a suite at Comerica Park for the Sunday, June 23 game as the Detroit Tigers host the Boston Red Sox, courtesy of PNC Bank. The suite includes 14 tickets for the game, a pair of parking passes and a food and beverage package.

A must-see destination for people interested in the Great Lakes and Michigan’s waterways, the Dossin Great Lakes Museum has been closed for six months undergoing renovation and restoration. Its non-profit parent organization, the Detroit Historical Society, also operates the Detroit Historical Museum and Historic Fort Wayne.

Robert Bury, executive director and CEO of the Detroit Historical Society, said one of the goals of the improvements was to make it easier for visitors to discover the stories of the men and women who made this region a place unlike any other in the world.

“Visitors can experience more than 500 years of Great Lakes history here and specifically the central role Detroit plays in the Great Lakes region,” Bury said. “This location is a unique place in the world. The museum’s new ‘Built by the River’ exhibit details how this location on the Detroit River gave rise to our special city. I especially enjoy the emphasis on the last 100 years.”

The last century represents a time in which Detroit and Southeast Michigan came to national prominence in terms of manufacturing, transportation and defense. The city and state attracted millions of new residents for the good jobs these industries provided.

“Built by the River” in the John A. and Marlene L. Boll Foundation Gallery is the Museum’s new permanent core exhibition that chronicles Detroit’s growth and development into one of the nation’s leading metropolitan regions. Through historic artifacts and interactive displays, the exhibit brings to life the ways Detroiters have used the state’s waters to build industries, engage neighbors and pursue sports and recreational passions.

Robert Sadler, commumications director of the Detroit Historical Society, said he personally enjoys the Dossin’s collection of watersports history. The exhibits will make visitors’ hearts race, preserving the stories of famous drivers and teams, including Roy Dossin, Bill Muncey, J. Lee Schoenith, Chuck Thompson and the historic vessels they drove. One example is Miss Pepsi, a 36-foot unlimited hydroplane created by Roy, Walter and Russell Dossin. The racer is carefully preserved in its own facility at the museum where guests can walk around and inspect the marvel of ingenuity and bravery.

 After inspecting the new facility personally, Detroit Performs can report the changes do not detract in any way from the special character of the Dossin, an institution renown for putting visitors right into the middle of the story, whether the magnificent smoking room of the Great Lakes sidewheel steamer SS City of Detroit III or inside the wheelhouse of the giant ore carrier SS William Clay Ford.

 

Special Re-Opening weekend hours:
noon – 6 p.m. Saturday, May 18
11 a.m. – 6 p.m. Sunday, May 19

Regular hours of operation resume May 25:
Saturdays and Sundays 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.

The Museum will be closed during the Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix, June 1 -2, and the Orion Music Festival, June 8 – 9, 2013.

Directions
The Dossin Great Lakes Museum is located on the shores of Detroit’s historic Belle Isle, just east of downtown Detroit.
The island is accessible via I-75, I-375, Grand Boulevard and Jefferson Avenue.
The museum is located at:
100 Strand Drive, Belle Isle
Detroit, MI 48207
313.833.5538

Until Saturday, May 18, visit online.

Filed Under: Community, Feature, Fun, History, Who We Are Tagged With: , , ,

The Mountaintop

May 10, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Performance Network presents The Mountaintop

Performance Network Theatre presents a series of community discussions regarding “The Mountaintop,” by Katori Hall – the current Performance Network production that is an imagined portrayal of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s last night on earth.

The discussions will be held on Monday, May 13 at 6 p.m.; Sunday, May 19 at 4:30 p.m.; and Sunday, June 2 at 4:30 p.m. The programs are open to the public to facilitate dialogue about the play’s innovative take on Dr. King’s final hours.

“The Mountaintop” runs on select dates through June 2.

 

The Baton Passes On: Community Discussion;  6 p.m. on Monday, May 13 at Performance Network Theatre – FREE

Performance Network Theatre invites the acclaimed Civil Rights historian Matthew Countryman and Associate Professor of Theatre and writer-in-residence at the University of Michigan OyamO (a.k.a. Charles F. Gordon) to lead a comprehensive discussion regarding the themes of “The Mountaintop”. Due to the complexity of “The Mountaintop”, Performance Network Theatre offers perspectives from both historical and theatrical sources. This event is perfect for the historic and/or theatre enthusiast who is interested in discussing and analyzing Katori Hall’s unique depiction of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s last night on earth and the tools she used to create the story. It is not a requirement to see the production of “The Mountaintop” before attending the discussion as it may serve as a useful guide during an audience member’s viewing of the show. This event is first come, first serve: General admission.

 About the Panel:

Matthew Countryman is faculty director of the University of Michigan’s Arts of Citizenship program and is an associate professor of History and American Culture, where he teaches modern U.S. and African-American history and comparative race relations. Countryman is the author of “Up South: Civil Rights and Black Power in Philadelphia”, which won the 2006 Liberty Legacy Foundation Award from the Organization of American Historians for the best book on the subject of civil rights history. His research interests include African American social and political movements, comparative race and ethnicity, and United States politics.

OyamO’s plays have been performed in theatres across the country, including the Yale Repertory Theatre, the Manhattan Theatre Club, the Working Theatre, the Public Theatre, Negro Ensemble Company, the Arena Stage Theatre, the Goodman Theatre of Chicago, the Kennedy Center in D.C., and many more. He is also a past member of the NEA Professional Nonprofit Theatre Panel and was a 1998 panelist for the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund of San Francisco. He has received fellowships from the Berrilla Kerr, Guggenheim, Rockefeller and McKnight Foundations, as well as grants from the Ohio and New York State Arts Councils and three NEA fellowships. OyamO received his MFA in playwriting from the Yale School of Drama and is a member of PEN, Dramatistis Guild, New Dramatists (alumni), the Ensemble Studio Theatre, Writers Guild East, the O’Neill Playwrights Center, and the Black Theatre Network. With HBO, he has written an episode for the “Famous Black American Anthology” and a TV adaptation of “I Am a Man”. He was a site monitor for the NEA and is a former vice president of the board of directors of The Theatre Communications Group. He wrote a musical based on the history of Detroit, the research funds for which were provided by UM’s OVPR through its Arts For Citizenship program. The Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit commissioned him to write two plays, one on the Civil Rights Movement in Detroit, “City in a Strait”, produced May 2007, the other on the Fisk Jubilee Singers, “Sing Jubilee”, for a May 2008 production at the Detroit Institute for the Arts. Join Performance Network Theatre to explore “The Mountaintop” with these fascinating individuals.

 

Backstage Cafe: Where Artists Share Their Creative Caffeine; 4:30pm on Sunday, May 19 at Performance Network Theatre – $10/$5 for students and seniors

Join us in the Performance Network Theatre’s lobby for an in-depth conversation exploring the nuances of making theatre from the artist’s perspective while sipping complimentary coffee from Mighty Good Coffee and Roastery. Associate Artistic Director Carla Milarch interviews Brian Marable on portraying the historical icon, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. “Brian Marable does not imitate Martin Luther King, and thereby creates a solid, real character. In a final speech we hear the fiery skills that marked the career of, arguably, the greatest orator of the 20th century, but Marable has made it all his own,” John Quinn of Encore Michigan. Backstage Cafe is the perfect event for cultural gurus and aspiring theatre professionals. Only 20 seats! Reservations suggested.

 About the Artist

A native Detroiter, born and raised, Brian Marable is a graduate of Cass Technical High School’s Performing Arts Department, and attended Wayne State University as a theater major. Marable has appeared in productions such as “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and “Old Settler” with Plowshares Theatre Company, “Take Me Out” and “Piano Lesson” at Performance Network Theatre, “Superior Donuts” at the Purple Rose Theatre, and the award-winning Best Play of the Year (2003) “Jesus Hopped the A Train” with African Renaissance Theatre Company. Join Milarch and Marable to discover the genius behind his original portrayal of one of the greatest figures in American history.

 

 The Baton Passes On: Community Discussion; 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, June 2 (after the final performance of “The Mountaintop”) at Performance Network Theatre – FREE

Join diversity-centric children’s theatre personality, LaRon Williams, for the final community discussion for “The Mountaintop” at Performance Network Theatre. Williams will offer his extensive experience as a nationally acclaimed African American theatre professional to examine the play’s unusual plot devices and complex characters and how they affect the depiction of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s last night on earth. This event is first come, first serve: General admission.

 About the Speaker:

LaRon Williams is a nationally acclaimed, award winning storyteller who has toured the country with his highly participatory music-spiced program of traditional and original tales crafted to improve literacy, foster cooperation, build self-esteem, and deepen our understanding of the ideal of American democratic inclusion.

Reservations are not necessary for the Baton Passes On: Community Discussions on May 13 and June 2. Backstage Cafe reservations can be made at the Performance Network Box Office at 734-663-0681, by email at boxoffice@performancenetwork.org, or at Performance Network Theatre (120 East Huron St., Ann Arbor, 48104) Monday – Friday 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., and Saturday 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.

 

Founded in 1981, Performance Network Theatre has grown from a fledgling company to Ann Arbor’s resident professional theatre. The Network reaches 40,000 theatre patrons and children each year through the year-round Professional Series and the Children’s Theatre Network. Performance Network also presents the Fireside New Play Festival and a series of classes on theatre-related topics. The Network provides uncompromising artistic leadership in the region and produces works that engage, challenge and inspire audiences and artists.

Filed Under: Community, Culture, History, News, Theatre, Who We Are, Words Tagged With: , , ,

33 Variations

May 7, 2013 By Leave a Comment

PRTC presents 33 Variations i2

First off: Full Disclosure. I am a Beethovenophile, which is a pseudo-intellectually fancy way of saying I’m crazy about all things having to do with the German composer Ludwig van Beethoven: His music. His words. His story.

So, I met with great interest news that Purple Rose Theatre was going to present “33 Variations” by Moisés Kaufman. The drama will be performed on select dates through June 1 at the Purple Rose in Chelsea.

If you have the opportunity: Go! It is an outstanding play that explores important questions almost all of us present in the world may one day face. Even if you don’t care about the Ninth Symphony or the Moonlight Sonata, go! You will experience theater at its finest.

Personally, “33 Variations” represents a transformative experience that left me a better person. Why? I witnessed many of the ideas expressed through Beethoven’s music and life brought to life through the stage. In the process, I also learned new lessons that I will never forget.

Playwright Kaufman may be best known as a co-writer of The Laramie Project, a dramatization of a community’s real-life responses to the brutal murder of Matthew Shepard, a young University of Wyoming student. Kaufman and his colleagues at the Tectonic Theater Project interviewed hundreds of people in the town of Laramie to create characters for the stage. Through a series of sketches, the community reveals a complicated tragedy and details its own unique response to hate.

The idea, perhaps, is to use the important lessons remembered by the people who knew Mr. Shepard and his attackers in order to create a better world for all. Similarly, we find lessons for us all in 33 Variations. The work illustrates how the very passions that threaten to overwhelm us can also save us. It is a rare theatrical treat, filled with surprises for the heart and mind.

33 Variations centers on an acclaimed fictional musicologist, Katherine Brandt, and the object of her professional passion: Ludwig van Beethoven. The story is set in two times: 19th century Vienna, where we experience scenes from the city where Beethoven lived most of his professional life; and 21st century Bonn, the city of Beethoven’s birth and home to one of the world’s great archives — the original manuscripts and sketch pads on which Beethoven composed and we today can discern “the Master’s” thoughts.

The lives of the great composer and an obscure music publisher come into our world as Katherine discovers the story behind some of the most sublime music ever created, the Diabelli Variations. After achieving fame as a composer, Beethoven in the story and in real-life wrestled for years with a commission he could not immediately complete: a variation on a simple waltz created by his music publisher and friend, Anton Diabelli, whom Beethoven, according to his biographer and secretary Anton Schindler, on occassion called “Diabolus.”

In the present day, Katherine struggles to unlock the mystery behind Beethoven’s obsession with the simple waltz. Unlike Mozart who composed in his imagination and transcribed his thoughts almost directly to paper, Beethoven committed his ideas to paper, writing and re-writing the musical ideas that often came to him in the natural splendor of Austria.

Using Beethoven’s own writings — the compositions he created, the quotes recorded by his friends and family, and the “Conversation Books” he used to communicate after he became deaf — Katherine explores the drive of the creative genius. The written record serves as a map that preserves his complicated music. What’s more, the documents reveal his thinking and his intentions.

It all sounds complicated. And it is complicated, as revealed in one remarkable scene where several characters speak simultaneously across time and space. Yet, we in the audience understand, hearing the signal emerge from the noise.

As she races against time and her failing health, Katherine discovers the true nature of Beethoven’s genius and gains insight into the other great mystery in her life: her daughter.

33 Variations premiered at Washington D.C.’s Arena Stage and later opened on Broadway in March 2009. The Broadway production featured Jane Fonda in the leading role and received five Tony Award nominations.

The Purple Rose Theatre is, itself, one of the world’s artistic treasures. The house is an intimate experience, by which I mean every seat is outstandingly close to the action on stage. Seats surround an outcropping, a Yooper or Troll might say “a penninsula,” on three sides. A traditional stage connects along the back wall.The Purple Rose staff know how to treat the public, from Box Office Bob III to the kind intern thanking by name before the show each of the sponsors and supporters who help make modern, professional theater possible. Every one there treated guests better than gold – like human beings.

Let me add a word about the audience: They were world-class, too. During the 95-minute production, there was not one cough. No cell phones beeped. No one talked or even whispered. They were there for the performance.

Directed by Guy Sanville, the cast includes David Bendena (Chelsea, MI), Daniel C. Britt (Hamilton, OH), Lauren Knox (Macomb, MI), Richard McWillams (Dayton, OH), Michelle Mountain (Grass Lake, MI), Michael Brian Ogden (Berkley, MI), and Rhiannon Ragland (Flint, MI).

Tickets and reservations can be made by calling The Purple Rose Theatre Company Box Office at (734) 433-7673 or online at www.purplerosetheatre.org. Please know: This play contains adult language and content. Regular performances for the duration of the run are Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m. with Wednesday and Saturday matinees at 3 p.m. and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m.
The Purple Rose Theatre
Founded in 1991 by actor and Chelsea native, Jeff Daniels, The Purple Rose Theatre Company is a leading American theatre dedicated to producing the new American play and creating opportunities for Midwest theatre professionals. The PRTC is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit professional theatre operating under a Small Professional Theatre agreement with the Actors’ Equity Association. The PRTC promotes the development of new American theatre and its practitioners, provides valuable educational opportunities for young artists, and, through consistently high quality production values, has earned the respect of both local and national theatre communities.

The photo above includes Richard McWilliams, Michelle Mountain, David Bendena and Daniel C. Britt who will perform in the Purple Rose Theatre Company production, “33 Variations.” The image is a detail from a photograph by Sean Carter Photography.

If I believed in subjective rating scales, I’d give “33 Variations” at the Purple Rose Five Stars out of Five Stars. In memory of the great Siskel and Ebert, who I believe in for their appreciation of cinema and the narrative arts, I’d say: “Two thumbs up.”

 

Beethoven in Michigan
The stars of Beethoven have aligned in 2013 over Southeast Michigan.
This weekend, the Chamber Music Detroit presents two of the world’s most eminent classical musicians, cellist Lynn Harrell and pianist Anne-Marie McDermott. They will perform three Beethoven cello sonatas in concert on Saturday, May 18 at the Seligman Performing Arts Center. The music begins at 8 p.m. A pre-concert conversation begins at 6:45 p.m.
We have been treated to the Michigan Opera Theatre production of Fidelio. Beethoven’s only opera, the work is considered a masterpiece for both its music and the themes of democratic justice and true love told through its story.
The Detroit Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Maestro Leonard Slatkin, hosted a Beethoven Festival which included performances of the complete series of nine symphonies, the 32 piano sonatas and many other outstanding works. Unparalleled piano virtuoso Emanuel Ax performed a special one-night engagement with the DSO Civic Orchestra at The Max M. Fisher Music Center.
The Warren Symphony Orchestra performed Ta-Ta-Ta-Tum, the magnificent Fifth Symphony. Beethoven said the work evokes the Hand of Fate, knocking on one’s door.
Pro Musica Detroit presented Dr. Richard Kogan, M.D. and “Inside the Mind and Music of Beethoven,” in which the Juilliard trained virtuoso pianist and Harvard-trained psychiatrist performed three sonatas representing three creative periods in Beethoven’s life.
The Tuesday Musicale of Detroit is proud to present pianist Maria Meirelles. The world reknown artist performed “The Hammerklavier,” considered one of the most difficult pieces to perform in all music, as part of her recent program.
The good people who present Palmer Woods Music in Homes presented “Beethoven & Beyond,” a concert featuring pianist Pauline Martinand violinist Yehonatan Berick.
More stars and constellations are ahead. Please let me know of Beethoven and the others in the classic and jazz firmament you sight at dperforms@dptv.org. I’ll share them through Detroit Performs.
– Frank J. Bunker, editor, Detroit Performs
Filed Under: Classical, Culture, History, Music, Reviews, Theatre, Words Tagged With: , ,

Detroit Trivia Night

April 30, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Hank Greenberg homers for the Tigers at Comiskey Park 1938 opening day

Hey, Smarty Pants! Here’s your chance to really knock one out of the park.

The Detroit Historical Society is hosting Detroit pop culture trivia nights at the Hard Rock Cafe Detroit.

The contests and program are open to students and adults. Check out the action Wednesday, June 5, from 6-8 p.m.

Proceeds benefit the Detroit Historical Society’s Past>Forward fundraising campaign.

Participants in Detroit Trivia may choose to register as a team of three to five people, or register solo and be matched with a team of players. The games will feature three rounds of trivia with a total of 50 questions.

The team that takes first place in the competition will receive Hard Rock Cafe gift cards and additional prizes from the Detroit Historical Society. Second and third place team members will also take home prizes.

All Detroit Trivia players will enjoy drink and appetizer specials at Hard Rock Cafe Detroit.

Participants can register online or at the door for a suggested $10 donation per person. To register in advance, call (313) 833-1262 or email: novaz@detroithistorical.org.

Click here for details.

Filed Under: Community, Culture, Fun, History, Reviews, Who We Are, Words Tagged With: , ,

Oakaloosa Takes Historic Fort Wayne

April 30, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Historic Fort Wayne

It’s a music festival with a great message and a good cause. The region’s first fully philanthropic music festival, Oakaloosa will take place at Historic Fort Wayne in Detroit July 27.

A percentage of every dollar raised will be put towards the restoration of Historic Fort Wayne in order to help return the Fort to its previous glory and preserve it for future generations to admire and enjoy.

Headlining the festival are national artists Girl Talk and Bone Thugs-n-Harmony. Local stars include Royce da 5’9’’, Jessica Hernandez, Trick Trick, Kaleido and Robert James, AKA Robert Ritchie Jr., the 19-year-old son of Kid Rock. Also performing are DJ A.M.F., Ro Spit, Hir-O, Freddy Todd and Paulina Jayne.

Tickets are $45 for general admission. They are available online at www.oakaloosa.com. The first 313 buyers will get a $10 discount.

Oakaloosa is organized and supported by Detroit Sports Zone, Inc., a non-profit group committed to exposing people of all ages to sports, cultural arts, mentoring, life-skill development and character building activities. Additional proceeds from the festival will be used to support the youth sports and mentoring programs provided through Detroit Sports Zone, Inc.

 Detroit Sports Zone Inc.

Founded in 2011, based on the vision of former Harlem Globetrotter Ernest “Wag” Wagner, Detroit Sports Zone, Inc. is committed to exposing youth, adults and older adults to sports, cultural arts, mentoring, life-skill development and character building activities. Detroit Sports Zone, Inc. is a State of Michigan 501c3 non-profit organization and is a pending IRS/501c3 non-profit organization.

Filed Under: Architecture, Fun, History, Music, News, Popular, Who We Are Tagged With: , ,

Fly to the Moon

April 21, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Jack Lousma NASA Astronaut EVA Skylab

The Yankee Air Museum has launched its first-ever traveling exhibit and NASA Fly Me to the Moon is out of this world in every way. The opening starred Jack Lousma, former NASA astronaut and always a Michigan hero.

NASA Fly Me to the Moon  includes interactive exhibits, historic artifacts, incredible models and will be on display through May 10, 2013. Yankee Air Museum is located at Willow Run Airport in Ypsilanti and open Tuesdays through Saturdays. For more information: yankeeairmuseum.org.

A Michigan native, Mr. Lousma is pictured above, high above Earth, on an Extra-Vehicular Activity while a member of the second manned crew on the Sklyab Space Station. He later served as commander of the third Space Shuttle mission, the test flight STS-3.

Skylab space station

Mr. Lousma also served on the astronaut support crews of the Apollo 9, 10, and 13 missions. The line made famous in the movie “Apollo 13″ — “Houston, we have a problem” — was received at NASA Mission Control in Houston by Jack Lousma.

The NASA Fly Me to the Moon exhibition represents the first ever travelling exhibition hosted by the Yankee Air Museum. The exhibit is made possible through the services of the Kalamazoo Air Zoo and NASA.

The exhibition features one-third scale models of the Apollo Command/Service Module and Lunar (Excursion) Module. Visitors will learn about science gained though manned space exploration, including America’s first manned space observatory aboard Sklylab, which provided groundbreaking information about solar physics.

Exhibits and activities also include:

  • Interactive Science Experiments
  • Shuttle Repair Station
  • Astronomy Observation Station
  • Moonwalk
  • Velcro Wall
  • Bungee Run
  • The chance to fly an education simulator in a NASA F-18 over Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral

 

Apollo 17 Commander Eugene Cernan salutes the flag of the United States of America

Apollo 17 Commander Eugene Cernan salutes the flag of the United States of America during the mission’s first of two lunar EVA. In the background are the Lunar (Excursion) Module and the General Motors-built Lunar Rover. Cernan and astronaut-geologist Harrison Schmitt stayed on the surface of the moon in the Taurus-Littrow lunar valley for three days while astronaut Ronald Evans piloted the Command Module overhead.

Filed Under: Fun, History, Reviews, Science, Who We Are Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Marat/Sade

April 16, 2013 By Leave a Comment

The Hilberry Theatre presents Marat Sade

The 50th Hilberry Season concludes with The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton Under the Direction of the Marquis de Sade, or simply, Marat/Sade by Peter Weiss. The drama opens Friday at the Hilberry Theatre, located on the campus of Wayne State University. The drama runs on select dates through May 11.

From the Hilberry Theatre Company:

While an inmate at France’s infamous insane asylum, Charenton, the libertine and seductive author the Marquis de Sade directs fellow inmates in an intense re-creation of the breathtaking murder of Jean-Paul Marat. This fact-based play-within-a-play is total theatre. Philosophically problematic, it engages the eye, the ear and the mind with every imaginable dramatic device, technique and stage picture.

For tickets, call (313) 577-2972 or visit the Wayne State University Theatre Box Office at 4743 Cass Avenue on the corner of Hancock. Click here for tickets online.

About the Hilberry Theatre Company

The Hilberry Company is unique in that it is the nation’s only graduate theatre company staffed by young up-and-coming professionals that also runs on a rotating repertory schedule. About forty graduate students are selected in national competition to receive fellowships to work in this theatre and study for advanced degrees. The company performs an annual season of six plays, including high school matinees for nearly 6,000 students. Through the years four Hilberry productions have been selected to appear at the American College Theatre Festival.

Performance Times:

  • Friday, April 19 at 8 p.m.
  • Saturday, April 20 at 8 p.m.
  • Wednesday, April 24 at 2 p.m.
  • Thursday, April 25 at 8 p.m.
  • Friday, April 26 at 8 p.m.
  • Saturday, April 27 at 8 p.m.
  • Thursday, May 2 at 8 p.m.
  • Friday, May 3 at 8 p.m.
  • Saturday, May 4 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.
  • Thursday, May 9 at 8 p.m.
  • Friday, May 10 at 8 p.m.
  • Saturday, May 11 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.

 

 

 

Filed Under: Fun, History, Spotlight, Theatre, 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: , , , , ,
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