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Photofilms by Roy Feldman Produced for Detroit Performs

the Actress

the Drawer

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the Writer

the Poet

Roy’s Latest Video

the Poet – Billione, Victor Walker

Created by Roy Feldman — “Undercurrent” is the latest of poems by Victor “Billione” Walker, a native Detroit writer and activist who uses poetry as a method to share his cultural experiences. He is the founder and editor of Detroit Poetry Blog detroitpoetry.blogspot.com a source of information about poetry related events and venues in the Detroit Area. “Billione” will be releasing a collection of poetry entitled “Grand River” later this year. PRODUCER NOTE: In an effort to remain true to the poet’s vision the location of each image was suggested by Mr. Walker. ZOO WATER TOWER PICTURE: by William Archie used with the kind permission of the Detroit Free Press. All other images by Roy Feldman.

Echoes of War

On Saturday, June 22, the River Raisin Centre for the Arts will present Echoes of War. An evening of history and beauty, the multimedia event celebrates the rich history of Monroe and the region’s pivotal role in the history of the United States of America. The conflict will be remembered with exhilarating performances by dance companies, musicians, choral groups, poetry and spoken word.

“Dance and the performing arts have the power to not only encode memory, but also evoke it.” — Lora Wilson Mau

Random Act of Culture at Compuware Detroit

On Friday, August 10, the lobby of Compuware Headquarters in downtown Detroit was host to a “Random Act of Culture,” courstesy of The Knight Foundation.

Those there witnessed a “pop up cultural performance” with more than 150 singers, musicians, dancers, and children from the Detroit Children’s Choir as they sang Beethoven’s Ode to Joy in the lobby of Compuware World Headquarters in downtown Detroit. Watch the performance now.

This 8-minute performance marked the 1,000th performance of Knight Foundation’s Random Acts of Culture program. In the last two years, the Knight Foundation has worked with eight cities across America to rethink how the arts were presented in their local communities. The Detroit event was produced by The Sphinx Organization.

Knight invested in local community cultural groups and their performers to produce events that bring classical performers out of the symphony halls, into the streets and into everyday lives. Past performance venues include airports, lobbies, department stores, farmers’ markets and trains, surprising people as they go about everyday living.

The mission of the Knight Foundation’s Random Acts of Culture is to weave art and culture into everyday life. You can’t help but be moved by one of these surprise performances.

During these performances, people going along in their everyday lives are part of a shared experience. The audience takes pictures and videos, shares them, and for just a few minutes is a part of an exciting, collective experience that also makes their community a more vibrant place to live.

Dennis Scholl, VP/Arts and creator of the Knight Foundation’s Random Acts of Culture tells more about the program in his blog.

Made in Detroit: Opportunity

You may have noticed a landmark commercial that ran on the Fox National TV during Sunday’s broadcast of the Tigers/Giants World Series game.

“Opportunity: Made in Detroit” (or “Opportunity Detroit” for short) was just launched on the national stage with the 60-second spot featuring the voice and music of Detroit’s own Kid Rock.

This is just the start of our major campaign to show the world what is being created in Detroit – “an explosive high-tech corridor located at the intersection of muscle and brains.”

It doesn’t get any more honest and authentic than that.

Here are the full words to the commercial:

__________________________________________________

Opportunity.

It doesn’t stare you in the face.

It’s not going to yell at you to come ‘n get it.

It doesn’t knock.

So what does opportunity look like?

Not what you might think.

You see, opportunity is not a right. It’s definitely not equal.

And it doesn’t come with an instruction manual. That’s because opportunity isn’t found.

It’s molded. It’s built. It’s created.

It’s as much about grit as it is intellect.

An explosive high-tech corridor located at the intersection of muscle and brains?

You bet.

Because opportunity only comes to those already in the game.

What does opportunity look like?

It looks like Detroit.

And opportunity is made in Detroit.

Your Vote and the DIA

The Detroit Institute of Arts is one of the world’s great treasures, a beacon of culture for the region. Next month, tri-county voters will decide on whether to pass a new millage in support of the DIA.

American Black Journal and Detroit Public Television examine the issue as Stephen Henderson of The Detroit Free Press interviews Nettie Seabrooks and Annemarie Erickson of the DIA.

We don’t want to tell you how to vote, just why it’s important. Award-winning Michigan journalist Tim Kiska of MiVote.org provides perspective:

What Does $15 a Year Get You? How About A Better Art Museum?

By Tim Kiska
MiVote
July 17, 2012

The Detroit Institute of Arts is asking voters for a little help: A millage that would support the DIA for another decade.

Voters in the tri-county area will have a chance to turn thumbs up (or down) on a millage that would bring in a total of $23 million annually from Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties.

The DIA gets no public money from anybody — city, state or federal authorities. The new millage would cost the owner of a $150,00 home about $15 a year.

SOURCE.

Detroit: Home to a World Class Cultural Scene

Watch Where Detroit Industry Has Floundered, Art Scene Flourishes on PBS. See more from PBS NewsHour.

Last night, the PBS Newshour featured Detroit’s incredible artists and thriving cultural scene on the national broadcast. The report is a rich, interesting and very-Detroit look at some of the world-class people who create art in Detroit and take Detroit to the world.

From PBS:

In Detroit, where the population has dropped by 2 million, abandoned and neglected buildings are a normal sight. But look more closely, and beautiful murals and graffiti appear everywhere. Correspondent Spencer Michels reports on how artists, flocking to the city, are helping to spark the ailing economy.

Click here to see: Where Detroit Industry Has Floundered, World-Class Art Scene Flourishes.

From DetroitPerforms:

Please watch and share with your community. Take this story to our entire community…and to anyone in the world who should know it.

Thanks to Linda Winslow, Bo Jones and reporter Spencer Michels for their great work from DetroitPerforms, WRCJ 90.9 FM, and Detroit Public Television.

Peg Upmeyer and Arts & Scraps – Detroit Pocket of Cool

Peg Upmeyer creates imagination through odds and ends. As the founder of Arts & Scraps, Ms. Upmeyer makes sure that all of our children are exposed to art, guiding her students to think without boundaries, offering the freedom to see the world in their own unique way.

She will collect leftover EVERYTHING which she magically turns into kits that make cars, martians, and even dolls. Her building on the east side of Detroit is like nothing you have ever seen before. If children come to her for parties or for classes, they are treated to a kingdom of fun, where art, math and science collide and nothing but high-octane activities are in full gear.

If you can’t get to her workshop on Harper, Peg takes the scrap mobile on the road. Having your child’s imagination stretched by Peg Upmeyer is a rare and wonderful way to see the world expand.

Detroit Pockets of Cool learned about Ms. Upmeyer and Arts & Scraps. Click here or on the image above to see the video.

With her imagination, dedication and complete commitment to her community Peg Upmeyer and her scrap mobile are definitely a pocket of Detroit Cool! Check out Arts & Scraps online.

Eisenhower Dance Ensemble: The Rite of Spring

Audiences who appreciate dance and music are in for something truly special this weekend.

As part of the 2012 Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival, the Eisenhower Dance Ensemble will perform “The Rite of Spring” on Saturday, June 16 and Sunday, June 17 at the Seligman Performing Arts Center.

This fully-staged version of Igor Stravinksy’s famous work will include two pianists, three percussionists, and will be performed by Eisenhower Dance Ensemble. The program also includes Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Trio Élégiaque No. 2 in D minor for Violin, Cello and Piano, Op. 9.

Tickets are $40 each. For reservations and details, click here.

For an interview with EDE founder and artistic director Laurie Eisenhower, click here. She discusses the upcoming performance in an online intervew with DancePanorama.com.

Cranbrook Institute of Science: Detroit Pocket of Cool

Mike Stafford hosts a brief introduction to Cranbrook Institute of Science, one of our planet’s outstanding institutions. Learn how Mike travels the state to share Cranbrook’s treasures with all Michigan residents. Having extraordinary citizens is an asset. Having citizens who share their gifts as broadly as possible are valuable leaders in our community.

Thank you Mike Stafford for tirelessly sharing with all of Michigan, your love of science.

Mr. Stafford’s interview was filmed for Pockets of Cool

Cranbrook Institute of Science is renown around the world. While the Observatory will be closed for a modernization that will make its remarkable work accessible around the world via the Internet, the Museum, Acheson Planetarium and other parts of the Institute will remain open to the public. The Observatory is scheduled to re-open in mid-September.

The Cranbrook Educational Community is one of the many arts and cultural institutions that are presenting special programs and summer camps for young people in the weeks ahead. Click here for details and links.

Women, War & Peace – The Passport

The words of Dunya Mikhail, Iraqi-American poet and a resident of Michigan.

Women, War & Peace is a bold new five-part PBS television series challenging the conventional wisdom that war and peace are men’s domain.

Women, War & Peace – I Was in a Hurry