Springfed Arts
From nationally recognized writers like Jeffery Eugenides and Elmore Leonard, to up and coming authors like Dorene O'Brien, Metro Detroit's literary scene is surprisingly strong. It's a scene fueled by the hard work of many individuals, striving to create opportunities to not only keep publishing and promoting the work of themselves and others, but to maintain a community that's free of the cliques and conflicts that stress the literary scenes of other big cities.
Springfed Arts make their home in the newly renovated Virgil H. Carr Cultural Arts Center in downtown Detroit. The group has been actively building up a local community among writers for years, by organizing readings, workshops, and conferences. Led by Detroit's iconic poet, performer, and professor, M.L. Leibler, Springfed's members include poets, novelists, lyricists, and anyone else who strives to put pen to page. On September 17 and 18 the group hosts the first annual Detroit Writers Retreat, opening with a night of readings by Thomas Lux, Patricia Smith, Quincy Troupe and Ed Hirsch.
M.L. Leibler performs at Buck Park in Detroit.
All summer long, the group held lunchtime readings at Buck Park in Paradise Valley, right across from the Carr Center. Last Wednesday was the final installment, featuring slam poet Jamaal May and Washington D.C. native Cliff Bernier.
Jamaal May. Hear him perform at the link near the top of this blog entry.
Springfed Arts Director, John D. Lamb
Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center
Interview about the BBAC on The Craig Fahle Show
With 53 years of classes, exhibits, and community involvement behind them, the BBAC is a great example of how a well-run, well-supported non-profit can grow in Metro Detroit. Located in the woodsy confines of suburban Birmingham, the center has expanded greatly from its inception. Originally housed in a residence in downtown Birmingham, the group moved into it's present day location in 1963. At the time, the facility was a mere 1,250 square feet. After 2 major renovation the current building now stands at 25,000 sq. ft. of brightly lit studios, offices, and gallery spaces. Addie Langford, the BBAC's newly hired director, says she was drawn to the job because of the center's mission to teach arts education to people from all over the spectrum of age, ethnicity, and wealth. "The cultural implication of arts in a community is incredible. It's both evident to see and impossible to see. I think the important part is what you can't see....it gives a sense of place and relationships between people", she says. It's clear that Langford believes wholeheartedly in the necessity of self-expression, and that the BBAC provides a much-needed space for it.
Addie Langford, BBAC Director
On this particular day, a group of middle-schoolers are taking advantage of the center's jewelry and metals studio to create handsome animal-themed ornaments to wear. Summer arts camp is one of the most popular programs at the BBAC, where kids ages pre-school through late teens practice painting, ceramics, metals, drawing, and other crafts.
Detroit Artists Market
For over 75 years, The Detroit Artists Market has been an outlet for local artists seeking to make a reputation for themselves. The gallery and shop in the city's midtown neighborhood attracts attention from all over the Metro area, holding exhibits, garden party, and holiday sales throughout the year.
Originally called Detroit Young Artists Market, the gallery was created to provide a source of income for artists under the age of 30. In 1936, the gallery’s name changed to Detroit Artists Market (DAM), which reflected the growth of the organization as it began to exhibit both emerging and established Detroit artists of all ages and stature.
Opening this Friday is a show dedicated to the interplay of images and the written word. Wordage, curated by Jack O. Summers, exhibits work in a variety of mediums from a hand-picked group of local artists. The reception begins at 6 at the DAM while the exhibit runs through July 24th. This Saturday, Wordage artist Randy Asplund will be on hand to discuss his creation of illuminated texts.
Plymouth Canton Symphony Orchestras
The Plymouth Canton Symphony Orchestras are out next STAR recipient. For 65 years the group, consisting of 3 performing ensembles, The Plymouth Symphony, Orchestra Canton and the Celebration Youth Orchestras, have been entertaining audiences in Metro Detroit. Currently the group, led by conductor Nan Washburn, is finding common ground between more traditional orchestral pieces and the music beloved by some of Oakland County's large Indian-American population, the songs of Bollywood.
On Saturday, June 5th the group presents the Fusion Fest, a collaboration with Geetmala radio show host Narendra Sheth. It's exactly what the name implies- a mix of East and West, traditional and modern. In an interview, Washburn told me that one of the biggest challenges her orchestra faced with the project was the method by which Indian musicians performed music. She says classical performers need each note laid out on sheet music, while their Indian counterparts played by ear.
A clip from a previous concert.
The Celebrate Bollywood Fusion Festival takes place June 5th at the Village Theatre at Cherry Hill in Canton.
Third Date Added to Local Theatre Mass-Auditions
Because of high demand, ten of Detroit's local theatre companies have now added a 3rd date to their joint general auditions. Appointments are required for all three auditions, made by emailing Frannie Shepard-Bates, Magenta Giraffe Theatre Company Artistic Director, frannie@magentagiraffe.org.
Those dates are:
June 22 and 23, 2010, at the Furniture Factory in Detroit.
June 29, 2010 at the Planet Ant Theatre in Hamtramck.
Here's some more info for potential auditioners:
Theatres attending auditions will be Abreact Performance Space (Detroit), Blackbird Theatre (Ann Arbor), Breathe Art Theatre Project (Detroit/Windsor), Magenta Giraffe Theatre Company (Detroit), Matrix Theatre Company (Detroit) Performance Network (Ann Arbor), Planet Ant Theatre (Hamtramck), Project Theatre (Detroit), Who Wants Cake? Theatre (Ferndale) and Williamston Theatre (Williamston).
Male and female actors over the age of 18 from all racial and ethnic backgrounds are encouraged to attend. Appointments are required; walk-ins are welcome but are not guaranteed a slot. Actors must make appointments by e-mailing frannie@magentagiraffe.org, including in the body of the e-mail full name, desired appointment time and phone number. Headshots and résumés should not be attached to the e-mail. No appointments will be made by phone. There will be a first-come, first-served waiting list at the theatre each night of auditions; we will do our best to see everyone. Actors should also bear in mind that several theatres will be holding additional general auditions, and all theatres will hold callbacks for individual productions.
Actors should prepare two contrasting contemporary monologues no longer than three minutes total. Actors should bring ten sets of headshot/résumé and all schedule conflicts for the season (one set for each attending company).
Cranbrook Welcomes Artist Christopher Ho
The school has just announced that artist, curator, and critic Christopher Ho will be their Critical Studies Teaching Fellow for the 2010-2011 year.
Since 2000, he has taught at the Rhode Island School of Design in the departments of History of Art and Visual Culture, Painting, and Graduate Studies. His many reviews and articles have appeared in Modern Painters, Flash Art, PAJ, and Arco Magazine. Recent curatorial projects include El Museo del Ghetto: Jefferson Pinder and José Ruiz at G Fine Art, Washington, D.C.; JamaicaFlux at JCAL, New York; The Shallow Curator at Winkleman Gallery, New York; Points of View at DAC, New York; Dynasty at Gallery MC, New York; and Jack, at Cuchifritos, New York.
His collaboratively produced art has been featured at the Queens Museum, the Delaware Center for Contemporary Art, the Dallas Contemporary Art Center, as well as internationally at the Freies Museum, Berlin; the Museum of Contemporary Art, Srpska; the Incheon Biennial, Korea; the Busan Biennale, Korea; and the Chinese Biennial, Beijing.
Ho will give 2 lectures at the school, both next fall.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010 at 6 pm
“Curating”
Cranbrook Institute of Science Auditorium
Tuesday, October 26, 2010 at 6 pm
“Collaboration”
Cranbrook Institute of Science Auditorium
A still from Ho's 2008 work, 'Lesbian Mountains in Love'
Living Arts
Living Arts in Southwest Detroit believes that when individuals become involved in creating art, they can not only strengthen their community but possibly even save it. While many of their programs focus on at-risk kids and young adults ages 3-17, they also try to engage people of all ages through events like the upcoming Community Arts Day on Sunday, April 25th.
Detroit Flyhouse, a yoga space in Eastern Market, has been working with Living Arts' girls dance ensemble on a aerial dance piece called A Friend Indeed. Dance Collage will premiere it later this month during Community Arts Day.
The Detroit Children’s Choir
Coleman A. Young students Kennedy and Doria sing acapella in the school's gym after choir practice.
Beginning just a few years ago in the mid-2000s, the Detroit Children's Choir is already filling a huge void in arts education within the Detroit Public Schools. Founder and Director Carol Schoch is still involved in the hands-on choral training of the kids. We went to visit a choir practice at the Coleman A. Young Elementary School on the city's westside and got a chance to talk with 2 young choral members, Kennedy and Doria. Hear their impromptu min-performance through the link above.
The Choir extends their reach into the community with neighborhood choirs, which any 8-14 year old can join. Schoch says there's also a touring choir who performs at events throughout the region. The Choir is also looking for volunteers to help with day-to-day operations, schools who are interested in starting a choir program, and sponsors who will 'adopt-a-school' and help the bring the program to schools that can not afford it. Qualified Choral instructors are also encouraged to join and carry out the Choir's mission. More information can be found here.
Det. Children's Choir
Next month, on Saturday April 24th, the Choir presents a collaboration with the renowned Mosaic Youth Theatre for thier 4th Annual Spring Concert.
VSA Arts in Detroit
VSA was created as a national organization 35 years ago by Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith. The group aims to help people of all ages with disabilities learn through the arts. The local chapter in Detroit operates out of The Children's Center on on West Alexandrine, just a few blocks south of Wayne State University.
Among other things, VSA offers after-school programs in dance, visual arts, and music for teens from local high schools who might not otherwise have a chance to experience the arts. When I visited last week, about 7 teens were in the midst of a performance with African drums, led by an older, experienced musician. They've been chosen to perform in Washington D.C. this June at the 2010 VSA Arts International Festival.
Southwest Detroit’s Matrix Theatre Company
Jose Varela, Laura Perez and Matt Dooley were three of the main writers for “Vanished,” although many were involved in the collective playwriting process.
Since the early 90s, The Matrix Theatre Company has been reaching out to members of the Detroit community who may have little or no experience in traditional theatre. Founder Shaun Nethercott came to the city via Dallas, nearly 20 years ago, to work on a production about the strike of thousands of auto workers in Flint. Shawn and her husband fell in love with the freedom that Detroit offered to the arts and founded Matrix to engage the community in the empowerment of spirit that live theatre offers.
On March 12th, the group opens up a long-awaited, locally written production called Vanished. The play follows an struggling immigrant family in Detroit and the effect that unforeseen deportation raids can have on a family and a community.
Clockwise from top: Actors Tim Seneca, Megan Smith and Benito Cruz, depict a home invasion where an I.C.E. officer tries to detain an undocumented father working and living in Detroit.
