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]]>By Randiah Camille Green on Fri, Sep 8, 2023 at 12:29 pm
The cycle of life is creation, life, destruction, and rebirth. Designer and graffiti artist Mike Han is adding another layer to that: preservation through destruction. Rather than birthing something completely new, he prefers to continue the life cycle of objects by injecting them with new meaning for a true rebirth.
In his latest exhibition, United by Design at Playground Detroit, Han debuted two series of graffiti paintings called Modern Vandalism that use Albert Kahn and Minoru Yamasaki blueprints as a canvas. Informed by the idea of sustainability, Han’s creations are the result of destruction.
“It’s very problematic to make things because there’s a sacrifice that has to be made, and so I’m enamored with these because in this series I take things that are garbage or are no longer useful,” he tells Metro Times. “The building is made. They’re not plans anymore. So how do you then take this thing that no longer has any life, value, or purpose, and then change that? How can you make it so that you want to preserve or treasure it, and it becomes an heirloom?”
By painting Korean-inspired graffiti patterns on them, apparently, preserving instead of defacing, like graffiti is most commonly perceived as doing.
“That act of destruction becomes an act of preservation,” Han says. “To do that with architecture, with graffiti to me is very fun — the idea of destroying to preserve or enhance as a result of vandalism.”
The literal blue Albert Kahn blueprints Han uses for this exhibit are of a Sales and Service Building for Argonaut Realty Corp. at Alexandrine and Vermont in Detroit. In the corner, we can see it dated May of 1927, but Han says they’re actually reprints from the 1960s rather than the 1927 originals.
Blueprints in the Minoru Yamasaki series are from a building in San Francisco and were salvaged by Woodward Throwbacks and given to Han.
“When they go into abandoned buildings or projects they’re going to rehab, a lot of these things are just left behind,” he explains. “They’re saved, then they collect dust and get thrown out. Blueprints are not as rare as one might think, but finding an Albert Kahn or Yamasaki is pretty amazing.”
ORIGINAL ARTICLE: https://www.metrotimes.com/arts/mike-han-uses-destruction-as-a-means-of-creation-in-playground-detroit-exhibit-34085462
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]]>The post Top Ten Detroit Month of Design 2023 Events to Attend appeared first on PLAYGROUND DETROIT.
]]>Design Core Detroit is helping to move the city forward with the 13th Annual Detroit Month of Design Festival. What was once only a week-long event has evolved into a month-long celebration of collaboration, community, and creativity. If you need assistance curating your September event calendar, consult our list in ascending order.
Join an eclectic group of artists and designers including Sarah Wondrack, END Studio, Simon Anton, Craig Hejka, Tony Rave, Ellen Rutt, Meredith Walker, Sheedo Magneto, Patrick Ethen, Paul Karas, Jacob Park, Marshall Sass, ALL MOTION STUDIOS, and Emilia Nawrocki. Explore new art on the Northend of Detroit.
Event Details // Friday, September 15th, 4:30 pm – 10:00 pm
Location: 560 Custer Detroit, MI 48202
Join Playground Detroit and Detroit-based artist and designer Mike Han for his debut exhibition. This show details Korean techniques, graffiti, and modern design. Han’s work delves deeply into self-exploration, people, and the planet. Han’s collaborations with Gardner White, Leon Speakers, SEE Eyewear, Detroitissimi, and Mothfire Beer integrate consciousness and sustainability.
Event Details // Saturday, September 2 September 30
The Gallery is open Thursday – Saturday 12 pm-5 pm
Monday – Wednesday: Available by request
Location: 2845 Gratiot Avenue, Detroit MI 4820
Join Gucci and Design Core for the unveiling of their new mural in collaboration with Detroit artist Onzie Deandre Norman. Botanical City celebrates Gucci’s one-year anniversary in Detroit.
Event Details // Mural on view beginning Friday, September 1st
Location: 1509 Broadway Street Detroit MI, 48226
Join Ted x Detroit for their annual gathering of thinkers, designers, entrepreneurs, educators, scientists, and artists. This day-long conference will help you discover the necessary tools to feel inspired. Ted x Detroit is the perfect place to develop new connections and collaborations.
Event Details // Thursday, September 28th, 8 am – 6 pm
Location: 2901 Grandriver Ave, Detroit, MI 48201
Join Design Core and Bedrock Detroit for a month of shopping. Each installation is in collaboration with local businesses and makers. Visits take place during regular shop hours.
2. Natalie Pryor – The Lip Bar
4. Laura Jamies – Good Neighbor
6. Taylor Childs – Throwback Home
9. Sherrie Savage – Busted Bra
9. Joe Reilley – Eastern Market After Dark
Event Details // Friday, September 1 – Saturday, September 30
Trashion show is a two-day avante-garde upcycling design challenge. This event focuses on sustainability and creativity. Designers will assemble garments out of discarded materials. Each designer will be filmed and judged by a panel of local business owners. Enjoy this entertaining re-imagining of old fabrics and plastics.
Event Details // DAY ONE: Sunday, September 3rd, 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Location: 1411 Holden St, Detroit, MI 48208
DAY TWO: Thursday, September 21st, 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Location: Winder Street, Eastern Market District
BLKOUT Walls Block Party is a bi-annual event offering live paintings, panel discussions, pop-up art exhibitions, artist talks, DJs, and food vendors. Detroit-based artist Sydney G. James is the mastermind behind this family-friendly event.
Event Details // Saturday, September 16th 11:00 am – 5:00 pm
Interwoven is making an impactful statement about what it means to come to terms with our current state of living, experiences, and emotions. Detroit-based models, artists, floral designers, fashion designers, farmers, and musicians are all coming together to discuss climate change. Viewers will enjoy live music as they learn about what it means to come together to create meaningful change through art and design.
Event Details // Saturday, September 23
Two shows on one night: 4 pm – 6 pm and 7 pm – 9 pm
Location: 611 West Philidelphia Street, Detroit, MI 48202
Join the Consulate of Italy in collaboration with Downtown Detroit Partnership to kick off this month-long series. This evening celebrates local designers and creative projects.
Event Details // Friday, September 1st 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Locations:
1). LoveITDetroit | 1001 Woodward
2). Space Lab Detroit | 607 Shelby St, Suite 700
3). Rossetti |160 West Fort Street, Suite 400
Eastern Market After Dark has become a deeply cherished staple during the Month of Design. This year the Gilbert Family Foundation is hosting the event. Visitors can look forward to food, live music, retailers, galleries, open studios, and brand activations.
Event Details // Thursday, September 21st 6:00 pm – 11:00 pm
Location: Eastern Market Detroit | Shed 2 | 2518 Market Street, Detroit, MI, 48207
PANEL DISCUSSION @ NEWLAB DETROIT
Radical Collaboration is a panel discussion led by Design Core Executive Director, Kiana Wenzell, with featured artist, Mike Han alongside various collaborators in celebration of his solo exhibition, Mike Han: United By Design.
Detroit as a community represents strong collaborative efforts due to necessity and need. In comparison to a dense market and creative hub such as New York City, which is extremely competitive, Detroit’s collaborative spirit may be our very own superpower. While access to resources and funding may be a challenge, the city and various regional partners already hold the key to future success.
This panel will explore how designers can best serve various collaborators and partners to align the vision of the future in order to work together to achieve radical transformation in design and position Detroit and Michigan to have a global competitive advantage. The goal of the discussion is to affect the future positively, help designers develop a point of view, and encourage the audience to focus on the ‘why?’ in addition to the how. RSVP TO ATTEND
Event Details // Wednesday, September 13, 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Location: Newlab, 2050 15th Street Detroit, MI 48216
This exhibition celebrates the 10th anniversary of the design studio, presenting Form&Seek’s latest exploration of objects that blur the lines between craft and technology. Through its long-time research and experimentation, the design studio continues to investigate the meaning and broaden the conversation around contemporary craft.
The new collection presented in the solo exhibition includes a wide range of crafted pieces, from conventional forms prototyped with new technologies to pieces that play with natural formations and uses of the material. Each thought-provoking, poetic design object has a strong character and personality that displays the personal mark of the designer, whether through digital tools or hand tools.
Event Details // Opening Reception: Saturday, September 9th, 5pm – 7pm
Exhibition on view Wednesdays through Saturdays from 12 noon to 5 pm beginning September 13th – Saturday, October 7, 2023
Location: Simone DeSousa Gallery (Core City Location) 4725 16th Street Unit 3 Detroit, MI 48208
Newlab x Michigan Central are opening their doors to the community for a showcase of Innovation, Technology, and Art. Attendees will view original artwork from local artists as well as prototypes from our member companies throughout the historic Book Depository building and the new Bagley Mobility Hub.
This exhibition will also highlight displays by Design Connect and Google Code Next. Tour our state-of-the-art shop spaces, have engaging conversation with entrepreneurs, inventors and artists, and listen to Stoop Lee as you enjoy the Newlab x Michigan Central experience. Refreshments will be provided.
Event Details // Tuesday, September 26, 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Location: 2050 15th Street Detroit MI 48216
Celebrate the release of Clearline Issue 005 at Convent Detroit! Clearline is an annual sustainable fashion magazine that addresses environmental concerns and their connection to fashion through submissions and interviews. This upcoming issue focuses on LAND: Farm to Fashion.
For the eyes: wander the space and discover featured 005 artists alongside local fiber artists on display as part of Detroit Fiber Club*’s inaugural exhibition, “Mending the Net.” Keep your eyes peeled for information on our upcoming short experimental documentary featuring Celeste Malvar-Stewart, alpacas, and couture biodegradable garments, directed by Isabelle Tavares in collaboration with Niki Williams.
For the ears: literary editor, Elijah Sparkman, introducing the readers of the afternoon; creative director and co-founder, Carolyn Ridella, discussing the process of formatting the magazine and realizing its signature style; and editor-in-chief and co-founder, Sarah Sparkman, sharing the magazine’s mission.
Copies of the new issue will be on sale, along with a limited number of previous copies. A majority of profits will be donated to a non-profit whose mission aligns with the themes of LAND: farm to fashion. Enjoy a reception with food and drinks, and new connections.
Event Details // Saturday, September 23, 3:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Location: The Convent | 13301 Mound Road Detroit, MI 48212
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]]>The post Axios Detroit // Mike Han leaves his mark on local design appeared first on PLAYGROUND DETROIT.
]]>Collaboration, sustainability and vandalism are main themes in local artist and designer Mike Han’s upcoming gallery exhibition at Playground Detroit.
Details: “Mike Han: United by Design” includes rugs made with Gardner White, wall-mounted art playing audio created with Leon Speakers as well as a new painting series on salvaged Albert Kahn and Minoru Yamasaki blueprints, per Playground.
Of note: Han’s work and his brand, the House of Han, are influenced by graffiti and his Korean heritage. Past pieces have been shown from Seoul to Miami and purchased by the likes of Dan Gilbert and Paramount Pictures.
If you go: The exhibition runs from an opening reception Sept. 2, 6-9pm, to Sept. 30 at Playground Detroit, 2845 Gratiot Ave.
Image credit: CJ Benninger.
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]]>The post NICK SPEED LIMITED EDITION Nix Electronix, HH-50 CELEBRATES HIP-HOP’S 50TH YEAR ANNIVERSARY appeared first on PLAYGROUND DETROIT.
]]>Each customized record player, a series of 50 Limited Edition hand-numbered and autographed units, represents a year of Hip-Hop between 1973 and 2023. Each record player is a unique, one-of-one item. This will be a historic release as this is a first; no Hip-Hop artist in the last 50 years of the genre has independently started their own record player company.
The debut series was released on Friday, August 11, 2023, on the official 50th Anniversary of Hip-Hop in Detroit, Michigan at Ash — Bar in The Siren Hotel.
It was on that very day in 1973, that DJ Kool Herc threw the first documented Hip-Hop party in The Bronx, New York. For the first time, Herc debuted his “merry-go-round” DJ technique, where he focused on playing the drum break section of all of the songs in his playlist for the night, marking the night that Hip-Hop culture was born.
Following in the success of Beats By Dre, Speed is the next platinum Hip-Hop producer taking music enjoyment to another level. Nick Speed has worked with the most influential artists ranging from 50 Cent, Pusha T, Snoop Dogg, Big Sean, Quavo, B-Real, Juan Atkins, and Danny Brown, among others.
Inspired to make it easier for his fans and supporters to enjoy and listen to his independent vinyl record-only releases, he has created a custom, coffee table-size record player, so anyone can enjoy collecting and playing records. This record player allows listeners to enjoy the sounds of vinyl records anywhere. His lightweight portable record player, ‘HH-50,’ frees the listener to not only be limited to being at home to enjoy vinyl. It allows vinyl records to be enjoyed anywhere; take your favorites with you on the go- camping, on beaches or rooftops, and even coffee shops.
This innovative record player also can even digitize your vinyl on USB flash drives or SD cards without a computer.
Hip-Hop is currently the most popular music genre in the world. Vinyl records are more popular than ever: a new report found that vinyl record sales continued their more than decade-long growth in 2022, and for the first time in more than three decades, outsold CD sales. In 2022, 41 million vinyl units were sold- compared to 33 million CDs, highlighting a “remarkable resurgence” of the physical music format. Per the most recent report, vinyl records make up a total of 70% of all physical music sales in 2022, bringing in $1.2 billion in revenue, according to RIAA.
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]]>The post Detroit Month of Design 2023: United By Design Happening September 1-30th appeared first on PLAYGROUND DETROIT.
]]>The 13th Annual Detroit Month of Design Festival is a citywide celebration of creativity that gathers designers and the greater community to celebrate Detroit’s role as a national and global design capital. Last year the festival featured 175+ creatives, 80+ events, and engaged 50,000 attendees in various Detroit neighborhoods throughout the month. View the Full Schedule.
As the steward of Detroit’s UNESCO City of Design designation, Design Core tells Detroit’s design story locally and globally. Design Core champions the transformative power of design in Detroit by supporting the creative problem-solvers using design solutions to improve our city’s economy.
As a UNESCO City of Design, Detroit is part of a network of 43 cities around the world using design to improve the lives of everyday people. This designation puts Detroit’s design assets to work, ensuring a more sustainable and equitable future for all Detroit residents. As a member of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN), our goal is to establish Detroit’s unique role as a global leader in inclusive design through collaborative action.
To kick off the 13th annual Detroit Month of Design Festival, please join us for a Downtown Detroit Design Crawl to celebrate the designers, products, and projects that showcase our city’s creative talent and treasured small businesses.Presented by the Consulate of Italy with additional support from Downtown Detroit Partnership, start your journey at LoveIT Detroit, Space Lab Detroit, or Rossetti, then set out along the city streets.
LoveIT Detroit will host live painting by six Detroit designers in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the legendary Cartel ghost chair.
Participating Artists: Hubert Massey, Enna Di Dio, Mike Han, Elton Monrov Duran, Adnan Charara & Sydney James
Event Details
Friday, September 1st | 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
LoveIT Detroit | 1001 WoodwardSpace Lab Detroit | 607 Shelby St, Suite 700Rossetti |160 West Fort Street, Suite 400
Thursday, September 21st 6:00 pm – 11:00 pm
This year’s Eastern Market After Dark (EMAD) is presented by the Gilbert Family Foundation and is the signature event of the annual Detroit Month of Design. EMAD showcases an array of talented artists, businesses and musicians. Visitors will be treated to a district-wide night market and open-studio featuring: galleries, retailers, brand activations, and live music.
Established in 2012, EMAD has grown to be a highly anticipated part of yearly programming, drawing over 30,000 attendees in 2022 and highlighting a range of emerging and established designers.
The Shop and See partnership pairs local designers and brands with downtown retail shops to exhibit their work for the duration of the festival. This initiative drives traffic to the stores, and gives people a chance to take in art while supporting Detroit businesses.
Saturday Sept. 23 the Shop and Sip is a two hour design influencer meetup at the LoveITDetroit exhibition at 1001 Woodard Avenue. Mingle with creative trendsetters and sip on your bev of choice.
Shop & See is presented in partnership with Bedrock Detroit.
Presented by Shinola
Friday, September 29th – Saturday, September 30th.
Festivities begin on Friday, 9/29 from 6:30pm – 9pm at the Shinola Detroit store at 441 W Canfield St.
The event will include the launch of a Shinola x Design Core video campaign, sidewalk sale, pop-up displays, music and more.Activities continue on Saturday, September 30th at Spot Lite Detroit from 1pm until 8pm.
Saturday’s events will include the Murals in Islandview festival, a makers market, live performances and more.
Event Details
Shinola Detroit Store: Friday, September 29th 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Spot Lite Detroit: Saturday, September 30th 1:00 pm – 8:00 pm
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]]>The post Detroit MetroTimes // Nick Speed to release limited-edition turntables on hip-hop’s 50th anniversary appeared first on PLAYGROUND DETROIT.
]]>August is a busy month for the producer and DJ, with a Charivari afterparty and Ice Cube gig
Aug. 11, 1973 marks the first documented hip-hop party in the Bronx, New York, thrown by DJ Kool Herc. This is largely considered to be the birth of the genre.
On the 50th anniversary of this date in hip-hop history, Detroit DJ and producer Nick Speed will launch his own turntable brand with limited-edition record players.
The Nix Electronix HH-50 is a portable record player limited to 50 one-of-a-kind, hand-numbered, and autographed units. Each will represent a different year of hip-hop between 1973 and 2023.
“We’re celebrating the day that hip-hop turned the turntable into an instrument,” Speed tells Metro Times. “This genre has changed my life. I feel like I’m one of the first generations of babies that came out the womb hearing rap music. And I’m celebrating not only hip-hop but all genres of music, because hip-hop is all genres of music mixed in a gumbo pot. Snoop Dogg’s Doggy Style introduced me to Curtis Mayfield’s Super Fly. Dr. Dre’s Chronic introduced me to George Clinton music. I was introduced to all of that through hip-hop.”
The Nix Electronix HH-50 sells for $125. Unlike some of the pricier record players made for audiophiles, Speed says this portable turntable was made for picnics at Belle Isle, hanging out on a rooftop, or wherever else you’d want to listen to music.
Speed sees the record players as “art pieces.” And yes, like many musicians and record purists, he believes music sounds better on vinyl because you can hear everything as the music gods intended.
“There used to be a lot more mystery to music,” he says about collecting records. “When you have digital files of music, you can’t see it, you can’t touch it. One of the things that I enjoy about vinyl records is that you can look at the cover, read the lyrics, and they have all these names that you’ve never seen before. It kind of allows you to put the puzzle together by just reading the information that’s on the record. I’ve been a record collector for a long time for that reason.”
Speed credits Detroit’s Jack White for helping to usher in a revival in interest in vinyl records. The slogan of White’s record label Third Man Records is “Your turntable’s not dead,” and White’s 2014 record Lazaretto sold 87,000 copies that year, at the time becoming the top-selling vinyl record since SoundScan began tracking sales.
When Speed released his first vinyl record Speed of Sound on Detroit-based label Underground Resistance in 2010, he says he wasn’t sure that people would actually buy it, but “Mad” Mike Banks persuaded him.
“I knew I liked records, but everything was on some digital stuff and I was surprised that it did incredibly well,” Speed says. “Mad Mike Banks was like, ‘Hey, look, let me show you. I’m telling you putting out records is gonna be cool, man. Watch.’ Then I released a record with Moodymann on his label and Mad Mike told me, ‘“Yo, I’m gonna put out your record, but Moodymann is gone make you a star.’ And my record actually became number one off Moody’s label.”
Speed has worked with influential artists like Snoop Dogg, Big Sean, 50 Cent, Juan Atkins, Pusha T, Quavo, and Danny Brown, among others.
This month is a busy one for Speed as he releases his record players on Friday, Aug. 11, and plays a Charivari afterparty at Spot Lite with De’Sean Jones and the Nick Speed Orchestra on Sunday, Aug. 13.
“We’re gonna have a live orchestra straight from Detroit with a couple special guest DJs. Nobody’s seen this show before,” he says. “I came up with Nick Speed Orchestra because I wanted to escape the boundaries of just being a hip-hop artist and do something where the music could be respected on a collegiate or symphonic level. I’ve always been a fan of the Super Fly soundtrack where it had these ill strings in the back, or even Kanye West where he got the string section on [The] College Dropout. And I’m like, ‘Wow, what if we did that live?’”
Speed will also be performing at Pontiac’s Roadkill Nights where Ice Cube is headlining on Aug. 12 — Speed’s birthday.
For more info on the Nix Electronix HH-50 turntables, see playgrounddetroit.com.
Read the original article: https://www.metrotimes.com/music/nick-speed-to-release-limited-edition-turntables-on-hip-hops-50th-anniversary-33827209
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]]>The post Detroit Metro Times // Meredith Morrison weaves memories into beads at Playground Detroit appeared first on PLAYGROUND DETROIT.
]]>By Randiah Camille Green on Fri, Jul 28, 2023 at 10:36 am
Meredith Morrison’s “meditation cloths” aren’t made of fabric. They’re a mass of tiny beads strung together in a pattern resembling a mycelium network. They certainly look like some type of futuristic cloth, however, as they hang on the walls of Playground Detroit.
“They’re something that’s in between that you can’t quite place your finger on,” Morrison tells Metro Times. “Maybe you can’t say that’s a cloth, or a sculpture, or something of a craft origin, but these really liminal spaces and things without firm delineations are exciting to embrace.”
The small-scale seed beads hold Morrison’s memories as they’re adorned with iridescent cutouts of things that give her nostalgia. The blueprints of her childhood home are scattered about a piece in her “Nostalgia” series along with monarch butterflies and other things that remind her of summer. Those little stick-on earrings most women who grew up in the 1990s remember wearing as girls shimmer on another piece, “Missing Earring.” Her “Obsession” pieces are embedded with images of her cats and other hyper-fixations. Another cloth represents anxieties that have crept into her dreams, like getting tested for COVID-19.
And yet, the transparent beads also reflect how our memories fade as images appear fleeting in the mind.
“As you get closer to the cloths you see more of the detail, but they do appear as sort of ghostly figures,” Morrison says. “And sometimes it’s hard to tell where they start and where they end. So it feels very akin to the way memory works sometimes where you might not be able to fully remember where something came from, where the genesis point of it was, or where it ended.”
Making the beaded webs is a meditative process for Morrison, as she sits with a needle, thread, and seed beads musing over specific memories or dreams. It can take up to a month to complete each one, depending on its size.
The experimental fiber artist says she often finds herself stopping mid-bead to journal her thoughts and memories that come to her during the process.
“It’s a way for me to process the world around me and to recenter, so I build these cloths with this ongoing intentional revisiting of a memory landscape,” she says.
Morrison is one of Playground Detroit’s 2022 Emerging Artist Fellows. She is originally from North Carolina and moved to metro Detroit for her Masters of Fine Art in Fiber at Cranbrook Academy of Art, which she obtained in 2021. She previously worked doing commercial design and manufacturing for home furnishings but decided to focus on handcrafts like beading at Cranbrook.
“I use hand processes, specifically beadwork, as a way to slow down,” she says. “There’s something about the rhythmic quality and intentionality of performing an action over and over again, that provides a generous space for me to be proactively engaging with my memory network… but also be reflecting and be grateful or be processing events of the past and thinking about how to utilize them.”
Inspecting the meditation cloths and finding all the embedded objects will take gallery-goers some time, which is intentional on Morrison’s part.
“I really want people to think about these meditation cloths as being active investments, and hopefully, think about their own memory landscapes and ways of slowing down in order to look towards the future,” she says. “It’s important to not just be so demanding of what’s next, but to be really cognizant and give care to how things become.”
Where to see her work: Dreamwork is on display until Saturday, Aug. 12 at Playground Detroit; 2845 Gratiot Ave., Detroit. Viewing hours are by appointment only. An artist talk is slated for Thursday, Aug. 3 from 6-8 p.m. and there is a yoga class at the gallery to coincide with the exhibit on Sunday, Aug. 13.
Original article: https://www.metrotimes.com/arts/meredith-morrison-weaves-memories-into-beads-in-at-playground-detroit-33734415
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]]>The post Artsy // 10 Small Galleries That Are Spotting Emerging Talent appeared first on PLAYGROUND DETROIT.
]]>Foundations is Artsy’s new online fair spotlighting fresh works from galleries known for picking exciting rising artists. Here, Artsy Editorial selects 10 standout galleries with programs filled with fresh rising talent.
The Paris-based Bim Bam Gallery is building a name for its emerging program. The gallery has a particular focus on giving solo shows to artists based in the United States who have not yet had shows in France.
The gallery opened in 2019 in the Marais and has since shown rising artists such as Kevin Sabo, who makes fantastical figurative paintings of queer individuals pushing the limits of gender expression. Sabo is one of the featured artists for its Foundations selection, alongside Rachel Hayden.
Some of the artists who have been exhibited by Bim Bam include Heather Benjamin, Jeffrey Cheung, Richard Colman, and Devra Fox.
Since opening in 2013, Seoul-based G Gallery has made a notable impact in the art world with an impressive program of Korean artists, specifically those working with abstraction. This is evident with its Foundations selection that includes the vibrant geometric abstract sculptures of Jungpyo Hong in dialogue with earth-tone works on paper and sculpture by Suyon Huh.
G Gallery is a must-visit for anyone interested in contemporary art in Seoul and is emblematic of the fast-growing Seoul art market. The gallery’s recent exhibitions and fair presentation of abstract textile artist Hannah Woo, who won the inaugural artists award at Frieze Seoul, is evidence of the gallery’s tastemaking status and support for rising talent.
The Minneapolis-based HAIRandNAILS was founded in 2015 by artists and curators Ryan Fontaine and Kristin Van Loon. The gallery is known for its small, intimate exhibitions that are often experimental, spanning photography, media, sculpture, painting, and performance. Its rich selection for Foundations is no exception, featuring moody, cinematic paintings by Emma Beatrez alongside the candy-colored palette of abstract painter Rachel Collier, among other artists.
The gallery’s most recent exhibitions featured conceptual artist Cameron Patricia Downey’s “Lord Split Me Open,” which closed last month, and figurative painter Gregory Rick’s “Coming Home,” which is on view through July 23rd. Both exhibitions portray Black American life through radically different mediums and practices.
One of the youngest galleries on this list is New York–based Someday Gallery, which opened in Tribeca in 2021. Founder Rosie Motley has an impressive track record as an arts writer and curator in New York, and has used those skills to develop a program of compelling artists. The gallery has featured many New York–based female contemporary artists including sculptor Ivana Bašić; Rachel Rossin, best known for her virtual reality and multimedia works; and performance multimedia artist Justin Sterling.
Someday Gallery’s selection for Foundations—which includes paintings by Alex Gibson, Brittany Shepherd, and Peter Brock—demonstrates its eye for identifying rising talent. Shepherd’s paintings are particularly compelling, evoking cropped screen stills from film noir, zooming in on moments in an anonymous criminal affair.
Everyday Gallery, founded by Boris Devis in 2019, shows work by a selection of artists who tend to be drawn to nature and the fantastical. Located in Antwerp, the gallery has worked with rising painters emerging from Europe, including Elsa Rouy, Marria Pratts, and Dittmar Viane. Viane showed with the gallery at Future Fair.
For its Foundations selection, the gallery is spotlighting haunting suburban scenes and abstract paintings by Bram Kinsbergen; tantalizing nature-inspired sculptures by Tom Volkaert; and the pastel still lifes of Erik Chiafele. A regular fixture on the city’s art circuit, Everyday Gallery is quickly becoming known for its ability to introduce new artists to an international art audience.
SEPTIEME Gallery was founded just months before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019. Its directors Julie Banâtre and Léa Perier Loko have a sharp eye for selecting emerging artists with a modernist flair. Always in search of artists who are working in innovative and interesting ways, the gallery’s fresh approach involves showing artists from the Black diaspora in Paris and Cotonou.
The gallery’s Foundations presentation is exemplary of its program, featuring Didier Viodé’s naive, acrylic portraits, alongside mixed-media collages by kwaku yaro. Along with Aplerh-Doku Borlabi’s bright paintings featuring coconut sheaths, the selection of works offers an exciting new perspective on Black portraiture.
Meanwhile, the gallery’s current exhibition “What’s Your Gray Zone?,” on view through July 29th, features the work of rising figurative painter Rebecca Brodskis.
LATITUDE Gallery New York is a contemporary art gallery located in New York, founded in 2020 by artist and entrepreneur Shihui Zhou, dedicated to showcasing cutting-edge works of art by emerging artists of the Asian diaspora. The gallery has recently shown promising emerging artists such as Jess Xiaoyi Han, Yuan Fang, and Kyong Kim—artists making work with a bold visual impact. Take for example Han’s dynamic yellow-and-pink hued painterly abstractions, or Fang’s swirling, immersive magenta-hued abstract paintings, both of which have captivated collectors in recent years.
The gallery is showing a wide variety of artists and mediums for its Foundations presentation. Some standouts include the pastel abstract paintings of Ye Cheng; the earth-toned, nature-inspired abstract paintings of Raymond Hwang; and the surreal, figurative paintings of Jessica Wee.
SMAC was first established in 2007 in Stellenbosch, South Africa, with its Cape Town location opening in 2011. The gallery is dedicated to discovering and promoting new and emerging artists from Africa and the African diaspora and has garnered a strong reputation for picking new artists with great potential. For example, it represents conceptual textile artist Wallen Mapondera, who was featured in The Artsy Vanguard 2021, and later exhibited in Zimbabwe’s pavilion for the 59th Venice Biennale.
In SMAC’s selection for Foundations, Mapondera’s work is curated alongside Simphiwe Buthelezi and Bonolo Kavula, complementary artists working in textiles and mixed materials. Whereas Mapondera’s conceptual use of mixed media lends itself to more sculptural forms, Buthelezi opts to create sculptures that are akin to paintings. Kavula, meanwhile, creates woven tapestries that play with the history of South African textiles and patterns. Reflecting, though not limited to, the South African art scene, SMAC has steadily connected to an international art scene through its thoughtful curation.
Established in 2012 by Samantha Bankle Schefman and Paulina Petkoski, PLAYGROUND DETROIT is a contemporary art gallery and creative talent agency based in Detroit, Michigan. The gallery specializes in curating a diverse lineup of artists across culture and artistic mediums.
The gallery’s Foundations selection demonstrates its keen interest and curation of surrealistic styles across both painting and photography with the work of Lo Braden and Ivan Montoya. For example, Braden’s vivid color photographic portraits cast Black individuals into fantastical settings heightened by their use of glamour in hair, makeup, clothing, and set design. Braden’s profile is on the rise this year: they were recently spotlighted on Photo Vogue, Condé Nast’s editorial blog championing new photographic talent across its networks.
JO-HS is a multifunctional studio, exhibition space, and home located in San Miguel Chapultepec, Mexico City, founded by Danish curator Elisabeth Johs. The gallery has a strong focus on artists working across abstract and conceptual practices, including rising textile-based painters like Cassandra Mayela, and Monica Rezman.
For its Foundations selection, JO-HS is presenting Rezman and Mayela’s geometric woven tapestries alongside a stellar lineup of women artists including Melissa Rios, Rose Electra Harris, Frankie Tobin, and Mia Vallance. Tobin’s large-scale abstract oil pastel on canvas works are quickly making an impact with collectors since the artist’s residency at JO-HS earlier this spring.
Artsy Editorial
Read the original article: https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-10-small-galleries-spotting-emerging-talent
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]]>Until recently, her work has been firmly rooted in memory, archiving, or the preservation of materials she finds significant. Her latest series deviates from this by focusing on the meditation and process of slowly building these meditation cloths, rather than the manipulation of significant materials. The use of transparent beads references the loss of information within her memory landscape, as they simultaneously crystallize the information reflected upon.
Her large-scale cloth sculptures serve as markers or shrines, fleeting phantoms of time and space— unresolved fractured figments that while missing information, still hold energy that is poured into them through her rumination. As objects, they are unable to communicate the memory that has been reflected over, but through the investment in the ritual action of beading and meditation, they themselves become vessels, phantoms, and testaments to what cannot be outwardly expressed.
Morrison’s work is informed by her love for craft and the development of processes, however, she also utilizes design-thinking strategies to create the hardware and fasteners to display these beaded cloths.
“My time spent as a designer in the home furnishings industry heavily influences the way I approach object-making. It is because of this background that I oscillate between fast and slow methods of building, using handcraft, manufacturing, and production technologies.” For example, she utilizes both hand-beaded work and machine embroidery work, as well as metal and resin mold fabrication, in addition to laser-cutting and hand-printing. Her memory landscapes are supported with furniture forms and fixtures that reference home and domesticity to enhance the presentation of sites of intimacy and vulnerability.
“By creating sculptures that approach liminality, I rely on composite assemblage methods that seek to generate an object that feels both familiar and foreign. Existing somewhere between the archive and preservation, these sculptures acknowledge the fleeting nature of time and utilize reflection as a space to generate future relics. The objects work together to create an affective space of memory markers or metaphorical portals that honor the transient nature of life and embrace the romance of non fixity.”
When did you know you wanted to be an artist?
I can’t remember a specific point that I identified myself as an artist, but I’ve always invested in creative pursuits. When I was younger, ballet and dance were passions of mine. I also had a really wild and enveloping imagination; I had lots of imaginary friends and enjoyed building stories and universes for them.
Art and creating always have had active roles in my life. Since I can remember, my hands were constantly moving- making friendship bracelets, journaling, choreographing dance routines, painting, drawing or otherwise.
I was constantly surrounded by other modes of creativity through my Father, an architect, and my Grandmother, a gardener and hobbyist painter, who both encouraged me to find beauty in ‘the everyday,’ and to actively contribute to that beauty. It wasn’t until I was in high school and I took an art history class, that I really understood the way that art and culture work hand-in-hand, and that really excited me.
What concept or medium are you most interested in currently?
For the past few years, I’ve been interested in themes around memory, the memory archives, and the way that information alters over time. This interest has grown and shifted into other spaces. I spend a lot of time thinking about memory markers, semiotics, and the way that nostalgia not only calls us back into memory, but can also play into dream-making and the dreamscape.
I find dreams to be this really interesting and invigorating collision space, often confusing, where memories functionally archive, and new ideas can emerge.
I’ve also been really interested in the concept of Saudadde- feelings of intense longing and fond reflection over something that likely won’t exist again. What kind of power that can hold and how to harness it to produce something that towards the future.
What is it about using beading that is of most interest to you?
I’ve always been drawn to the meticulousness of embellishment. Over time, that became more focused on beadwork. I tend to narrow in on the details, and enjoy breaking things down to the smallest component. Repetition is also some thing I value with beading – this could likely come from my background and dance, and the comfort and familiarity that comes with performing an action over and over again with great intention.
I remember growing up watching my mom embellish rhinestones onto all of my dance costumes before competitions. It was always my favorite component of the outfits and what made them stand out to me.
I’m attracted to taking something that can be perceived as small and seemingly insignificant when viewed in isolation and seeing how it can transform into something special when amassed.
What is the biggest challenge?
In regards to beadwork, the biggest challenge is often how to essentially, embellish the embellishment. The cloths I make require me to think through how to approach combining narrative aspects of personal experiences into fragments in thoughtful, intentional ways.
Sometimes this means manipulating materials to produce a bead or sequin that gets attached to the cloth, and more recently it has required attention to images and photos, which is something I haven’t utilized much in the past.
Though I tend to have a pretty definitive and developed visual language, incorporating imagery into the work as well as becoming more thoughtful about the ways that structural fixtures and hardwares interact with the cloths to frame them have been exciting challenges.
How does the process begin, and how long do your large cloths take to create from concept to execution?
The process of building these meditation cloths is pretty simple and straightforward. You don’t need a lot of materials. It’s simply a needle, thread and seed beads. I tend to meditate over specific memories, experiences, or dreams that I feel are significant. I’ll often simultaneously log thoughts in a journal that I keep next to me as I bead- reflecting on specific memory points, materials, visual icons etc.
The cloths are built using an off loom beading technique where I rely on a rhizome pattern of ongoing circles to organically build structure to the cloths. The larger pieces can sometimes take a month to build out. Some of the larger pieces hold around 300 x 15 inches of beadwork which isn’t always apparent due to the way they fold and overlap when draped. I’m drawn to this method of display for this specific reason though. The way that the cloth collapses on itself feels akin to the way memories overlap and intertwine in such ways that beginning and endpoints are sometimes unknown.
In creating these cloths, repetitive actions of beadwork provide a rhythm and a generative space to reinforce meditation and activate memory archiving. It’s in this space that I also consider how to treat the cloth— how it’s presented, how it hangs, what materials or visual components to use in association with it— and sometimes how to both frame and embellish the cloths.
How does your background in design and textiles influence your artistic practice?
My background in design is definitely influential to my practice. There was a time that I felt burdened by being identified as a designer and was seeking to somewhat shed that aspect within my work. Now, I very actively embrace its role within my practice. I see it as an asset that informs the methodology of my making and the intuitive ways that I build objects and problem solve. I love inhabiting a space that works against firm delineations. Existing at the center point of design, craft, and art, is really exciting to me.
Prior to my shift into fine art, I was a product designer for a home furnishings company for several years. Especially as I become more focused on creating these meditation cloths, I am thinking through different ways to approach the hardware’s and supportive structures used to present them. And in doing this, I’m always engaging with my design sensibilities, which are often informed by the world of home furnishings and the layered development of fabrication processes I utilized while in that space.
Textiles specifically have always held significance in my life. Not only do I come from a state with a deep history in textile manufacturing, but I’ve grown up seeing generations of women in my family invested in handwork— smocking, crochet, cross-stitch, tailoring among other techniques— often used to produce a sentimental item that’s held onto and treasured. Being surrounded by this kind of making instilled a deep appreciation for the laborious nature of these crafts, their history, and the care that it takes to employ them.
Do you have a favorite technique?
Beadwork will always be at the center point of my practice, but I am forever interested in layering different techniques and developing a process. I am often oscillating between fast and slow methods of building though to accommodate my own personal states of change. I’m constantly producing beaded cloths which require slow building handwork, but also exercise quicker modes of execution such as machine embroidery, sublimation printing, laser-cutting, and so on to satisfy my need for variety and curiosity around materials and processes.
What about your creative process have you found to be the most successful for you?
My creative process tends to be a cyclical push and pull. While beadwork is always constant, my impulsivity leans into spiraling into other modes of working, sometimes haphazardly to curiously investigate new ways to build forms or combine materials and methods.
Sometimes these investments generate really interesting and successful results to move forward with, while other times they don’t work out. In either case, the exercise and investigation into process and developing ideas and processes fulfills a really critical need that I have to simply direct my energy towards the production of something new.
My practice has always served as an important way for me to process the world around me and engage with my emotions in a way that connects me to others, while also challenging me to embrace the vulnerability that comes with pursuing questions that have no definitive answers.
What are you working on and looking forward to in the near future?
I’m looking forward to continuing to build and push my memory cloth pieces. I’m interested to concentrate on color, considering the significance of color, and different techniques for its application.
Translucence has always felt like a very important component to the work— translucent seed beads have become significant in their symbolic reference to memories or information that is lost over time, or allusion to time. Now, I’m thinking through ways I can add/use color intentionally to build visual and conceptual depth to work.
How long have you lived in Detroit?
I moved to Detroit almost four years ago from Chicago to pursue grad school. I did not have intentions initially to stick around after the program ended, but I really felt a connection with the city and being here has provided a generous space for me to thoughtfully invest in my practice.
I’ve really enjoyed the artist community here and find that it feels more like home every day.
Meredith Morrison (b. 1989) is a multi-disciplinary artist whose practice seeks to negotiate and sustain memory-material relationships. Morrison’s work is process-based and experimental, embedding itself in traditional fiber and craft techniques. She often calls upon intuition, meditative labor, and repetition to collect and build beaded cloths and designed objects in a systematic composition.
In 2013, she received her Bachelor of Art in Art and Design concentrating in Fiber, and a Bachelor of Science in Textile Technology from North Carolina State University. Influenced by the economy of her home state of North Carolina, and the complicated overlapping of agriculture and textile labor she moved to Chicago, Illinois in 2013 to pursue liaison building between art, craft, and the textile industry.
After honing design skills in home furnishings and textile product design she traded the efficiency and scale of manufacturing to consider the slow, hand-building techniques of embellishment.
In 2021, she completed her Master of Fine Art in Fiber at Cranbrook Academy of Art, focusing in beadwork and object building. She has since rooted her studio in Detroit, Michigan where she continues to collect and respond to the material attachments of the Midwest. In 2022, Morrison was selected to be a PLAYGROUND DETROIT Emerging Artist Fellow.
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]]>Jasmine Graham Art 06/07/2023
Detroit is a city that is rich in art and art history. Detroit captures viewers with eye-catching murals like the Stevie Wonder Mural on the Music Hall building in downtown Detroit. Or it’s timeless architecture and paintings that fill the Fisher Building. It is home to one of the largest and most notable art collections in the U.S. at the Detroit Institute of Arts. The city also gives space to hidden gem galleries like MBAD African Bead Museum, a gallery, and outdoor art installations. Each summer the Movement Music Festival invites guests to Detroit’s underground art scene. The Detroit art community is a melting pot filled with conventional and unconventional works of art. It is constantly expanding and PLAYGROUND DETROIT is contributing to the legacy by providing space, programming, network, and creative expansion.
In an effort to bridge the gap between Detroit’s art community and the likes of New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago, Detroit natives, Paulina Petkoski and Samantha Banks Schefman founded the Detroit-based art organization in 2012.
Working with emerging artists is really inspiring.” Petkoski went on, “It’s an important time in the artist’s career where they need that extra support. I think that there’s just so much opportunity to guide them in the direction that they wanna go.
The PLAYGROUND DETROIT gallery space opened in November 2017. The Detroit-based brown brick building was constructed in 1877 in the Mcdougall-Hunt neighborhood, an area next to Eastern Market, off of the freeway, easy for art lovers from around the world to access.
The commitment to art and the art community is at the forefront of PLAYGROUND’s mission. Being a creative herself, Petkoski often looks back on her own journey with more understanding of how the artistic path is not always linear. She works to be an advocate for black and brown artists in the commercial business space. She says, “I enjoy finding myself in rooms where I am usually representing a larger group of people that typically wouldn’t be in those rooms. I constantly make sure that my voice and everybody else that I hope to speak on behalf of is heard.”
Having worked with hundreds of artists, PLAYGROUND DETROIT artists are advised on artist organizational strategy and execution. The artists receive brand direction, social media management, special events planning, advertisement, and marketing. PLAYGROUND also helps with seemingly basic, but critical things like where to find good framing and how to price your art. They also foster relationships between creatives in Detroit and beyond by inviting like-minded people into the gallery space to share ideas, thoughts, and art. Petkoski says, “The artists say it’s nice to have someone do the heavy lifting.”
In 2019, PLAYGROUND launched its 20/20 Emerging Artist Fellowship. The two-year juried art development program works with 20 selected artists. The selected artists receive a stipend of $2,000, a professional development strategy, and a solo exhibition at the PLAYGROUND gallery space.
The two artists formed the arts organization after Petkoski graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City and Schefman moved to NYC after graduating from the College of Creative Studies in Detroit. With the desire to cross-promote and expose emerging artists and performers, the two created pop-up exhibitions, and concerts, between Detroit and New York. They orchestrated this connection for two years before Petkoski returned to Detroit in 2014, and Schefman moved back the following year.
Once back in Detroit, they applied for a grant through the Motor City Match Program with the goal to continue programming and have a gallery space for their artists. The Motor City Match Program was founded in 2015 with the goal to help start and expand established businesses in Detroit. The program does this through one-on-one consulting, group classes, seminars, and through financial grants. With a dream to own a space, PLAYGROUND organized a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign at the end of November 2016 with the goal of raising $75,000 to make the PLAYGROUND DETROIT space a reality.
But, Petkoski and Schefman did not wait to rely on random acts of donation kindness to raise funds. Petkoski and Schefman offered strategic art programming, art experiences, and art products for supporters to purchase. They sold artwork from established, local, and emerging artists like Ouizi, Ellen Rutt, and Marlo Broughton. Supporters of PLAYGROUND could also buy private tours through art studios, tickets could be purchased to concerts featuring live music from emerging and established, local and national artists at Detroit-based sound and recording studio Assemble Sound. After more than a month of fundraising, they exceeded the Kickstarter goal with a total of $75,630 and 547 backers.
PLAYGROUND DETROIT is still providing new and innovative ways to support local artists. It’s important for the community to support its mission to continue the synergistic art ecosystem. While in meetings representing marginalized groups Petkoski says she explains, “Why it’s important to provide not just community-based initiatives like public mural projects or beautification initiatives, but hiring artists for their services and work and creating viable career paths that really enable them to be retained.” She says that the goal is to support and retain our Detroit talent so we don’t lose them to the hustle and bustle of another city.
“I think everybody’s story reflects in their artwork and it’s interesting to see so many different perspectives and personalities that really shine brightly, especially from a city that is often seen as kind of an underdog.” Petkoski goes on to say,
I certainly think that there are very talented people here who just keep their heads down and work hard. Unlike New York or other cities that are a bit more flashy or competitive, I think people here are really just doing their own thing and deserve to have that recognition and spotlight put on them.
PLAYGROUND DETROIT knows that partnerships are key to continuing growth in the arts community. Partnership initiatives with organizations like Cranbrook, and the McArthur Binion Residency push black and emerging artists forward. Such as the 20/20 Emerging Artist, Keto Green, exhibiting now in the gallery. Green is a contemporary artist from Detroit that creates abstract artwork from found objects. He uses his art to escape the troubles of pain, heartbreak, and suffering he has experienced through being unhoused. Next up in the gallery is Mike Han who is premiering his designs for his first solo gallery art show for Detroit’s month of design, September 2023.
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]]>The post Metro Times // How Detroit artist Keto Green found purpose in discarded objects appeared first on PLAYGROUND DETROIT.
]]>Keto Green will paint on anything he can find. Doors from abandoned houses, pieces of plywood, and broken windows become canvases for his brightly colored paintings.
“I find stuff that you would never think would be a piece of art,” the Detroit artist tells Metro Times. “You’d be like, oh that’s just a stick on the ground. Or that’s half of a plate. That’s a bag that got messed up or a jacket somebody didn’t want. I maximize that beauty because it’s always beauty within every aspect of life.”
Green’s ingenuity is on display at his solo show Against It All at Playground Detroit. Though some of his work is painted on traditional canvases, meshing discarded materials into art is a large part of his practice born through a string of misfortune.
His father went missing in 2013 and still hasn’t been found. Nine months later his youngest brother hung himself in the basement of the family home where they lived. He then became homeless after Green’s uncle, who owned the house, evicted him.
Sleeping in abandoned houses gave him the idea to use doors as a canvas.
“It was like, man I don’t have no money. I don’t know what a canvas is,” he says. “So I started using paint that people had that they didn’t want. When my uncle evicted me out the house, I took a broken door. In abandoned houses the doors was knocked off already, so I took them. I started seeing the frames people threw out of their houses when they’d fix them so I took those and made my own canvas. You’re never without. I tried to figure out how could I maximize not having anything.”
Despite everything he’s experienced, Green’s work is overwhelmingly positive with titles like “Universal Love,” “Mind Over Matter,” and “Sun Balanced.”
Michael Christie Photography/Courtesy photo
Work in Green’s studio. His piece “Mind Over Matter” (left) was made from broken banisters, wire, and paint cans.
“The art I do is not based on a particular person, it’s more of an energy,” he says. “I don’t have intentions of surfaces that I want it to be on, it’s just going through that challenge of not knowing what it’s going to be. I bring in different objects to represent unity. We all are humans. We’re light. We’re unified.”
“Mind Over Matter” is a chaotic mess of broken banisters, canvases, gallon paint cans, twine, and wires.
Green made the piece as he was recovering from a neck injury after a car accident. Frustrated with his lack of mobility, he began collecting random objects, throwing them into a corner in his studio until they culminated into a work of art.
“I don’t know, this is all like God’s work, honestly,” Green says about the piece. “I didn’t know if I could even pick it up after I created it. Everything can be chaotic, and you might not have the strength, but if you believe and you act on it, I think you will get there. That’s what made me create that piece. I was just like, no matter what’s going on, I’m gonna still make it happen.”
Green is one of Playground Detroit’s 2022 Emerging Artist Fellows. He applied for the fellowship during what he says was the lowest point in his life when he was sleeping in his car. After the vehicle broke down during a thunderstorm, he parked it under a tree. With his phone on its last 20% of juice, he applied for the Playground Detroit and other art fellowships, as a last beacon of hope.
“It was a two-door car and the seats couldn’t even recline,” he recalls. “I was getting rained on. I had to stuff my clothes in the window because the window went all the way down. It was very toxic and I’m like, oh my God. I’m crying to myself like, I’m out here in the hood sleeping in my car, there are dogs barking and crackheads hanging around. I was getting hopeless. What am I doing? I gotta do something about this. I can’t give up on myself.”
He adds, noting that he still struggles with homelessness, “I feel like God gave me a gift to uplift people… I want people to understand life can be how it is and people have to go through things underneath the surface to get where they are but that’s the beauty in it.”
Where to see his work: Against It All is up at Playground Detroit until June 17; 2845 Gratiot Ave., Detroit; playgrounddetroit.com.
2845 Gratiot Ave., Detroit
Original article: https://www.metrotimes.com/arts/how-detroit-artist-keto-green-found-purpose-in-discarded-objects-33213572
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]]>His unique perspective seeks to showcase different minds to bring forth his shared reality, through the lens of love. All of his work is created with his whole soul and heart, each representing a time and place in each other’s lives that can share emotions ranging from struggle and sadness, to love and happiness. He attended Lawrence Tech University in Southfield, Michigan and has participated in programs at the Detroit Institute of the Arts, Inside Out and has received recognition from Brad Pitt’s “Make it Right Foundation.”
When did you know you were an artist?
When I was in third grade, I got a ten dollar check from my elementary school that made me feel like art is my true passion. I knew I was an artist when I used whatever I had to create things that I didn’t know I wanted to create, pushing me to embrace creativity on another level.
Art gives me an out-of-world experience while being on Earth. Art is a part of my life because it’s a tool I use to overcome traumatic living conditions and experiences. I confide in my art as I grow in life.
What concept or medium are you most interested in?
I am interested in the concept of unity. Using whatever you have to create whatever you feel is key. I was raised in a broken household, everybody seemed to fend for themself. It gave me a survival look on life. Since it was difficult to actually fix a person, I decided to use symbolism instead.
I use found objects that have been abandoned and reconstructing them to embrace natural beauty and balance. Unity is key no matter what. Self love is key. I like to use this method of making because it pushes me to think outside of the box and not let things that I cannot control traumatize me.
What is it about using bold or contrasting color is of most interest to you?
Color speaks volumes. For me, bold colors have tones in them that give a setting for the art, they tend to set a tone for a masterpiece. I decide to use warm colors versus cool colors to start the initial feeling. After I figure out the color theme I use complimentary colors to magnify the art.
The biggest challenge in using bold colors is having the right balance. Not having too many colors that overpower the other colors is important to balance the colors so the overall configuration works.
How does your process begin, and how long do your large canvases take to create?
My process begins with assemblage of found objects collected in a box. After I have my material, I prime the design with an opposite background color. I use light tones to do the outline and start using colors to compliment every color on the masterpiece. After layers of different colors, I then start creating a depth in the art by adding more found objects to align the main focus in the masterpiece, to create balanced depth. My large canvases usually take 3-5 days to complete. I aim for completing art pieces as soon as I can the ideal because I want to get the feeling I’ve created documented in a timely manner.
What inspires you?
Life inspires me. To be able to use what I have to make a positive impact in the world is key. Self love is key in a world so full of drive and talent.
Unity inspires me. To use whatever I can find and beautify the objects is amazing. Fixing the broken pieces pushes me to help more and more people. It’s symbolic to let people know they are not alone and they are great. Art inspires me to create generational wealth showing the drive and dedication teach and have been taught since centuries ago intrigues me.
Has the concept or theme that your work revolves around evolved over time?
Yes, the concept behind my work revolves and has evolved over time. When I started painting, I used to paint small objects and things because I didn’t have a lot of material. As I got older and my father came up missing, and my youngest brother committed suicide, I started to use many more things. From cardboard to doors to windows to pieces of assembly wood. Now, I assemble things using scraps and broken object to symbolize unity in a creative way.
Do you have a favorite technique?
My favorite thing to do is something I have never done before in my art-making. I never like to know what I’m going to create. I usually close my eyes when creating and never think about judging myself while painting.
What is meant to be will be meant to be.
What about your creative process have you found to be the most successful for you?
Assemblage has helped me to be most successful by using broken found objects. By doing so, it has given me an edge to create things of the unknowing. It gives me more insight about myself, working with what I feel in my heart and want to do with my mind without trying to judge myself or be like anybody else. It’s made me so successful because I can find trash and create treasure. I love you- I can use it while broken and fix it. I can re-construct my future and I feel that people in life can also do the same. My style gives me more symbolism to embrace my current change in mindset.
What inspired the concept behind the show you are installing?
Togetherness has inspired me for “Against It All.” I have been raised in a broken household and did not know how to get out of it but kept believing in my talent and having faith in God. From that, I started to use objects like doors, windows, and things that sort to give me a background of strength in order to go through the change in transition appoint. I guess it all is what I have been.
I’m doing going against the negative and the brainwashed things in the neighborhood. Giving people idea that they matter and no matter if someone endured struggle, and that there are also different ways to live a beautiful lifestyle.
If I can’t fix the world, maybe I can create things with broken pieces and United colors to help change the world.
Keto Green
What are you working on and looking forward to in the near future?
I am currently working on masterful installation assemblage projects. I am looking to become an international, well-known contemporary artist.
I aim to mentor and uplift community through change and drive. I also aim to work on unity and self love. To be able to talk to those who have indoor struggle, pain, sadness, and confusion while growing up a life. Giving people hope is keys to me. I would love to do that and have more productive way so people will know that they are worthy and they are cared about.
How long have you lived in Detroit?
I have lived in Detroit my whole life. I am 33 years old. I was born at Hutzel hospital in Detroit. I went to so many different schools from white elementary to Sampson elementary into Cass tech high school and Northwestern High School. I even went to Lawrence Tech University and Wayne County Community College.
Detroit, Michigan is my peace of mind, place, no matter the difficult time. I’m dedicated to making positive change.
How does living in Detroit influence your work?
Living in Detroit has an influence on my work, subject matter, style and approach because it gives me an edge. Detroit has been abandoned, broke-down and reconstructed for so many years now, and I had to grow up in that environment. Not knowing what I was going to be when I was younger, or even knowing if I was going to be alive, gave me a question for everything. I had to start realizing that my environment will not be the key to my downfall, and that I will go beyond the measures in order to create a successful lifestyle in the future for myself and my family.
So I started using found objects because a lot of things are broken and abandoned in Detroit. It’s realizing that just because you’ve been broken doesn’t mean that you only have the capacity to keep living the lifestyle- that you are worthy of better. So I started using whatever I had around me in order to change that mental state of not knowing and frustration.
Detroit gives me the drive, determination, strength, and guidance in order to build myself and learn from past trauma. Using found objects has given me a perspective that unity is the number one thing. So I will paint things with bright colors and symbolism to unite us all.
I’ve stayed in many abandoned homes and have felt abandoned areas also have a story, and why not express the story of the lost.
Anything you would like to add?
Art is a gifted tool that God has given me to help people find self love on this physical land. My story is Not what art has done to keep me alive. My story is to strengthen; never give up, embrace change and have faith even in the midst of destruction.
I aim for inner change. Self love is the key to success regardless the poverty and oppressive living conditions one has endured.
Keto Green
Join us for the Opening Reception of “Against It All,” Keto Green’s Solo Exhibition on Saturday, May 20th from 6-9pm. Exhibition will be on view from May 20th through June 17th.
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]]>The post Interview with Brian Lacey AKA detroit baklava appeared first on PLAYGROUND DETROIT.
]]>His studio work and practice allows for exploration in the development of new techniques and tools, allowing the space and attention to focus on the role of nuance and detail. For him, this leads to new innovation and exploration in his large-scale mural work. This reiterative process helps to inform, influence and strengthen his public artwork. Stylistic influences he is currently exploring in his mural work are a direct result of methods, techniques, and materials explored within this body of work.
The series of work presented in Studio Visit: Brian Lacey examines the relationships we have with our environments, and the coinciding implications of these experiences. Some works can be viewed as preludes to others. Within the facets of his practice, reuse and material appropriation are intended as a transformation to strengthen dimensionality through layered documentation. Combined with his personal history, this creates a metamorphism from one state to another that defines the resilience and adaptability of human identity within the context of both individual and societal change.
Learn more about the series of artwork now available by Brian Lacey on Artsy. This exclusive Viewing Room will close to the public on Saturday, May 31st.
What are some of the themes this series of work explores?
While painting “Father Figure,” I was presented with examining the precursors and contributing factors of trauma, and in turn, the outcome trauma plays later in our lives. This leading into the exploration of the disease of addiction as presented in the piece “Se Agit Et Scortum Ducat Ad Mortem”, and the prevalent theme found in pieces such as “Charming By Contrast” and “Still Lifespan” that examine conflict through unhealthy, interpersonal relationships.
In full, the body of works serves as a concise timeline illustrating cause and effect.
What inspires you about Detroit?
The material resources! Immense inspiration is found in the coinciding ingenuity and wealth of material resources at our disposal. Seeing the drive to create through adversity itself is a huge inspiration. Also, having a “small feel” in a major city is refreshing, humbling, and always keeps me down to earth and community-oriented in my approach.
What’s your favorite part of your process?
The flow state while working is both therapeutic and priceless. I love working with aerosol, in conjunction with traditional painting techniques, and the unintentional outcomes that are presented through experimentation and mistakes are outcomes that I live to discover.
How is your studio work different than your mural or commercial work?
Between studio painting and murals, the scale of work is the most notable difference. My studio work allows for exploration in furtherance in the development of new techniques and tools while allowing the space and attention to focus on the role of nuance and detail. This leads to new innovation and exploration in my large scale, public, and commercial work.
While there are distinct differences between the two, they go hand in hand serving to inform and influence and strengthen one another. Stylistic influences I am now exploring in my mural work are a direct product of the methods, techniques, and materials I explored within this body of work.
Brian Lacey (b. 1988) alias detroit baklava, is an artist and muralist, born in Pontiac, Michigan, that resides in Detroit, Michigan. He has his Bachelor of Fine Art in Illustration from the College for Creative Studies. Lacey has held Residencies at Red Bull Arts Detroit, and Fortress Studios and was selected as an Artist representing the United States, at Imago Mundi at the 2013 Venice Biennale, in Venice, Italy. Group exhibitions include: “A Piece In Time” at SPACEWOMb in New York City (2014); “Triage: Brian Lacey” at #Hashtag in Toronto (2015), and “Detroit Abstraction, curated By Rick Vian” at Janice Charach in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan (2016) and exhibited with Superchief at Aqua Art Miami Art Fair, Miami Beach (2018).
His practice focuses on large-scale public murals for clients which include Amazon, LifeWtr, TIDAL, Sierra Mist, and PassionHouse Coffee Roasters. His work has been shown alongside established artists such as Charles McGee, Nancy Mitchnick, Peter Williams, Kenny Scharf, and Swoon and has been featured in Mass Appeal, Huffington Post, Vanity Fair UK, and Vice Canada.
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]]>The post Call for Artists: Sidewalk Festival Returns in July- August in Two New Neighborhoods appeared first on PLAYGROUND DETROIT.
]]>Sidewalk Festival 2023 is coming to two Detroit neighborhoods this summer, Joy Southfield and Canfield Consortium. We’d love to spotlight your new creative work! Starting today, and through May 14 at 11:55 pm, is an open #CallforArtists to submit applications of work and varied mediums, to be showcased in the two-weekend #SidewalkFestival.
This year, artists are invited to explore concepts related to LUSH/SANCTUARY. Artists may explore this topic as it relates to them personally, their community, the environment, societal systems, and any number of other topics.
Image: [Above, Women of the Water II by Penny Godboldo at the 7th Annual Sidewalk Festival.
Photo by Trilogy Beats]
From Sidewalk Detroit: We are imagining a Detroit in which we can create sanctuary within ourselves and within our communities. We are dreaming of a world in which a #softlife, a #lushlife is possible even as we work and labor together. We are investing in elevating and honoring the cultural and social wealth that thrives in our communities.
How can one experience a lush life in the midst of economic insecurity and systemic injustice? Can living a lush life be an act of resistance? Can we provide lush lives, or “soft” lives for ourselves and community with limited resources?
What does sanctuary feel and look like in Detroit? What does it mean to build a sanctuary in communities? Does your artwork build upon existing sanctuaries? How can greenspace provide sanctuary for Detroiters?
Sidewalk Detroit is looking for unique ideas that are created for outdoor spaces, with a focus on engaging community members in an intimate way. These works will occur on a neighborhood street level, there are no elevated stages, artists are encouraged to interact with community members.
Sidewalk Festival is considered a playground for experimentation. Share your wildest ideas and get help to bring them to life.
PROJECT SUPPORT AVAILABLE FOR APPROXIMATELY 20 PROJECTS TO SEED EXPERIMENTATION AND NEW IDEAS
Project Support for Performances and Workshops: Project support will range per project from $350 (for example short, 1-2 person experiments) to $1,500 (for example large ensemble, new experiment) and is further determined by the complexity of the project, number of performers, stage of project’s development, premiere status, etc. 10-15 performance, and workshop proposals will be selected for project support.
Project support for Installations, Murals, and Sculpture: Project support will range per project from $1,000 – $3,000 and is determined by the scale and complexity of the project, material expenses, construction and build-out costs, etc. 2-5 projects will be selected for project support in this range.
CALL FOR PROPOSALS OPENS THURSDAY, APRIL 13, 2023, AND WILL CLOSE ON SUNDAY, MAY 7, 2023, AT 11:59 PM. PLEASE READ ALL OF THE INFORMATION BELOW BEFORE SUBMITTING YOUR WORK.
MISSION: SIDEWALK DETROIT EXISTS TO ADVANCE PUBLIC LIFE AND STRONG SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE THROUGH THE LENS OF ARTS, CULTURE, COLLABORATIVE DESIGN AND DEEP ENGAGEMENT WITH RESIDENTS
For further info, FAQ, and Application please visit: https://www.sidewalkdetroit.com/sidewalk-festival-info-2023
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]]>The post Metro Times // Zoe Beaudry wants to open your chakras in latest exhibit ‘And And And And’ appeared first on PLAYGROUND DETROIT.
]]>By Randiah Camille Green on Fri, Mar 31, 2023
Zoe Beaudry is deeply dissatisfied with the lack of connection between human beings in our conscious state.
“On every level — an interpersonal level but also a systemic level — the way that our society works reinforces separation,” she says. “The way that our lives are structured is very much ego-driven and I feel deeply sad about that and the way that it harms people.”
The young painter’s solution to fostering the interrelatedness she finds the world lacking is through her photorealistic figurative work of naked subjects. By centering their vulnerability, she hopes to draw a visceral response from the viewer that roots them in their energetic bodies.
The paintings in her latest exhibit And And And And at Playground Detroit are an invitation for openness as her subjects personify the seven chakras and what it might look like when those energy centers are aligned.
In one piece, a woman crosses her arms across her chest as a halo radiates behind her head. A blue light Beaudry installed behind the painting glows at the subject’s third eye. Her stance is protective but her eyes are warm and loving. It’s appropriately titled, “To Be Seen.”
“It’s about being in your own body and feeling more embodied… or not, you know?” Beaudry explains. “One really good way to feel more connected to your life is grounding in the body because if you aren’t able to do that in the present moment, the natural state of the world is going to cause you to put up a lot of armor. Being able to at least have moments or spaces where those defenses can come down is what allows for opening up.”
Zoe Beaudry’s “To Be Safe.” Courtesy of the artist and Playground Detroit
Two versions of a young man face each other surrounded by an ethereal yellow aura in Beaudry’s “To Be Safe” painting. His eyes are closed on one side and open with an-all knowing smile on the other. This is solar plexus energy, the third chakra.
“I wanted to make something that felt a bit more overt about being present with oneself,” she says about the piece. “I think of the solar plexus as the center of self-regard, self-esteem, and trusting intuitive guidance. It’s the egoic self and then the higher self smirking at them a little like a ‘don’t worry, you’re fine’ kinda thing.”
And then there’s the painting of a dead bird, who looks oddly peaceful despite having had its heart ripped from its chest.
“It’s a metaphor for the violence that is imposed on or done to people by some sort of unseen or unknowable force,” Beaudry says.
The Lansing-born, Detroit-based artist obtained her Masters of Fine Art from the Glasgow School of Art in 2018 and has shown work throughout the Midwest and internationally in Israel, the UK, Australia, London, and Chicago. She has facilitated youth workshops in Tulkarem, Palestine, Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and Kalamazoo, and has done residencies at Kriti Gallery in Varanasi, India, and The Forge in Detroit.
She’s one of Playground Detroit’s 2022 Emerging Artist Fellows.
Where to see her work: And And And And is on display at Playground Detroit until April 29. 2845 Gratiot Ave., Detroit; playgrounddetroit.com She will also be participating in a group show at Highland Park’s 333 Midland Gallery in July.
Original article: https://www.metrotimes.com/arts/zoe-beaudry-wants-to-open-your-chakras-in-latest-exhibit-and-and-and-and-32743828
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]]>The post Huey Mnemonic takes over City Club along with a Stellar Detroit Lineup on March 24 appeared first on PLAYGROUND DETROIT.
]]>This Friday, on March 24th Mnemonic will take over Leland City Club courtesy of MeanRed Productions with support from Father Dukes, 2Lanes, Dretraxx, and an opening set from CoveLove b2b DJ Good Evening. The night will be a proper showcase of up and coming Detroit talent, on below and be sure to grab your discounted tickets while supplies last!
Tickets are available via www.mean.red
What have you been working on lately?
Lately, I’ve been working in the studio trying to push myself to make new sounds. The process has been buying and selling gear, exploring ideas I’ve journaled, and intentional listening to new music. I’m ready to move on from what’s been conventional for me and step into something different.
I’m still using all the music and moments that have inspired me to this point, but I’m digging deep and trying to pull out what best represents me through the music. Thankfully talking out ideas and asking, “what if?” with friends, collaborators, and my Submerge and Underground Resistance family; I’m getting closer every day.
What makes you excited for the show? How does it to feel to share the stage with friends and collaborators at City Club?
Honestly, I’m excited to play on that massive sound system.
Being on the bill with friends is the cherry on top for sure. Father Dukes, Dretraxx, & 2Lanes have been doing their thing for years. All three are recognized talent inside and outside of Detroit. Playing alongside them, you couldn’t ask for a better lineup.
Why should people come support the show? What should we expect from your set and the night as a whole?
What to expect? Shit to actually make you wanna dance. Each of us has our own bag with the roots of Techno being the focal point.
My sets lately have been about showing what was, what is, and what could be by fusing the old and new. If you want to hear what the future sounds like this is the place to be.
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]]>The post Interview: Zoe Beaudry on her upcoming exhibit, “And And And And” appeared first on PLAYGROUND DETROIT.
]]>Her series of photorealistic figurative paintings contain sculptural elements which emit light, which presents a material divergence from traditional oil painting. The exhibition will be on view from Friday, March 24th through April 29th at 2845 Gratiot Avenue.
“Rejecting the male-dominated history of the classical nude and passive subject, the subjects in my paintings are agents of their own self-actualization. I see this as an important shift for figurative art and traditional oil painting and view the act of breaking the surface of the canvas as a part of this rejection as well,” explains Beaudry.
The word “and” is a metaphor for the connective forces that we rely on but don’t often notice, like gravity, the Internet, or divine forces (or the word “and”). While the world can appear to be an “or” place with rigid definitions of what it means to be good or bad, the messiness of being human makes all such binaries impossible. Seeing ourselves reflected in others is essential for authentic interdependence. The light portals are meant to interrupt a sense of separateness from our environment. Noticing our own permeability is noticing the “And” – and its connective force of shared consciousness.
Zoe Beaudry (b. 1991) is a figurative painter living and working in Detroit, Michigan. She completed her Bachelors of Fine Art at Kalamazoo College in 2014 and obtained her Masters of Fine Art from the Glasgow School of Art in 2018.
Her work has been included in exhibitions throughout the Midwest and internationally in the UK, Israel, and Australia, at venues including The Zhou B Art Center (Chicago), Chicago City Hall, Mall Galleries (London), and The Glue Factory (Glasgow). She has traveled extensively and held workshops for youth in Tulkarem, Palestine, Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and Kalamazoo, Michigan. She has been featured on Sky Portrait Artist of the Year reality show, filmed in London.
Most recently, Zoe has undertaken residencies at Kriti Gallery in Varanasi, India and The Forge in Detroit. In 2022, Beaudry was selected as an Emerging Artist Fellow, and presented a solo exhibition in Chicago at ARC Gallery.
When did you know you wanted to be an artist?
I was encouraged from a young age to experiment with artistic creativity. I always enjoyed drawing and painting as a kid and that interest carried over into my high school years. As an angsty teen, making things was an indispensable coping skill for me.
In college I began to regard fine art through a more critical lens. I learned that art can have a much greater impact than personal therapeutic potential for the artist. I saw that fine art actively participates in political, philosophical, spiritual, and scientific conversations – in a way that is less structured and has less inherent limitations than any other discipline.
This exciting paradigm shift, plus a newfound love of oil painting, led me to consider pursuing painting professionally.
What concept or theme and medium are you most interested in currently?
I’m interested in finding ways to visually represent the blurry boundaries between people and their environments. The light paintings use actual light to highlight energy centers in the “subtle body” – the energetic system of the human body, which extends beyond the physical body. This system is also sometimes referred to as the “body of light.”
In contrast with the individualism associated with conventional mind-body dualism, viewing the individual as nebulous and changing rather than as a fixed entity allows us to see ourselves more as a part of the world around us, which can help us act from a more compassionate place.
What is it about using bold or contrasting color is of most interest to you?
Color is very powerful to me and I tend to use it very intuitively. The biggest challenge that comes with intuitive color choices is that with no pre-planning, sometimes clashes happen. But I’d rather live with the clash than abandon the intuitive process.
How does the process begin, and how long do your large canvases take to create from concept to execution?
Usually my paintings will begin when I think of a simple visual concept to represent an idea or a feeling. I’ll find a way to capture a photo or two of the idea, then draw inspiration from the photo references for composition and color. Sometimes I also draw from traditional religious or spiritual imagery.
It will typically take me at least a month to complete a large painting from start to finish.
What inspires you?
I think ultimately, I’m always inspired more by feelings than thoughts. And the things I feel most deeply about are the existential aspects of the human experience.
Questions about existence or consciousness always bring me back to the body, particularly the places where the body becomes an imperfect container for the self, such as; sex, conception, birth, energetic aspects of the body, transcendent experiences, digital avatars, or interruptions to the body‘s surface like injury or surgery. These are moments that interrupt the idea that you are one being in one body, separate from your environment.
I’m often inspired by words, usually from fiction, poetry, and music with lyrics. Often I will hear a sentence, phrase, or single word that I feel a strong resonance with. I’ll write it down and let it live in my head for a while, where it will hopefully germinate into something that can become a painting.
Has the theme of your work revolve or evolved over time?
While my central fascinations remain the same, the function of my practice has evolved over time. I began making art as a way to escape and provide comfort myself. Later, it became a way to understand myself and the rest of the world. These days the communication feels more two-way, as if by making art I’m communicating with life and it’s communicating back.
Do you have a favorite technique?
I love making tiny dots using a paint dotting tool. I love this technique because it doesn’t require a lot of planning or thinking, and allows me to zone out while working. The action feels singular and repetitive but the result is cumulative, and ends up looking like a network of little nodes. I also love this technique because I learned it from my mom.
What about your creative process have you found to be the most successful for you?
The most successful aspect of my creative process has got to be simply showing up. Most of the time, my studio practice just feels like hard work. I’m an incredibly slow painter and it takes me hours and hours to make what can feel like very little “progress.”
While I love feeling inspired, I take the famous Chuck Close quote to heart: “Inspiration is for amateurs. The rest of us just show up and get to work.”
What inspired the concept behind the show you are installing?
The concept for And And And And was actually inspired by a dream. Three or four years ago I dreamed I had created a painting show where there was light emanating from the canvases. Based on my interests, it made sense to me to try to work this light into the body in my figurative work.
What else are you working on or looking forward to in the near future?
I’m looking forward to participating in a group show at the Annex Gallery at 333 Midland in July and a solo show at the Lansing Art Gallery in September. I’m not sure if I will continue to add light elements into my work, but excited to brainstorm how else that could work.
How long have you lived in Detroit? What drew you to the city living and working in the city?
I’ve lived in Detroit for about two and half years. Growing up in Michigan and living on and off in the Midwest as an adult meant I heard a lot of discussion about Detroit prior to moving here. While I heard a full range of five star and one star reviews, I never heard anyone describe it as a boring or typical city. Detroit is undeniably unique, and yet also quintessentially American. It was sheer curiosity, combined with interest in Detroit’s role in art and music history, that drew me here.
View “And And And And” and artwork by Zoe Beaudry on Artsy. The exhibition is on view through April 29, 2023.
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]]>The post Interview with Stoop Lee: Keeping Motown’s Underground Soulful appeared first on PLAYGROUND DETROIT.
]]>A lot of people will try to go to New York, LA, or even Atlanta to pursue their music career. What about Detroit has kept you here?
I really believe in what’s happening in the city. I think there’s a cool scene that’s really brewing and I just wanna be a part of helping that grow.
Could you describe the indie music scene in Detroit right now?
I think it’s pretty exciting. I think there’s a really interesting mix of artists and sounds.
I always say to people, I feel like we’re gonna have our Chicago moment very soon, in terms of like, the alternative scene is gonna get its shine, you know? Of course the street side [of Detroit music] is pretty popular. People know about that. But I think as far as what’s happening in terms of more soulful music, I think Detroit’s gonna have a sound very soon and people are gonna take notice.
Your music is kind of like this dreamy neo-soul that’s hard to describe. What made you go in that direction creatively? Is it a conscious decision or just something you started doing naturally?
I just make the music that I love. My attempt at it, you know… my music is just like a combination of people that inspired me and I just made stuff that kind of reminds me of them really. And it just kind of turned into what it is.
I love people to feel nostalgic when hearing my stuff. Whether it’s something that I’m mentioning, or the sounds that they’re hearing. I definitely want my stuff to be an emotional experience for any new listener.
Are you influenced by 90’s and early 2000’s?
Yeah, I would say probably late 90’s or 2000’s. That’s where most of my references come from. And people who grew up during that time period are probably the ones feeling the most nostalgic by some of the things that I mention or the sound that they’re hearing in my music.
You mention in another interview that you don’t like chasing that Spotify algorithm and you prefer radio. When you make your songs and come out with singles, are you trying to chase radio hits, or do you still kind of begrudgingly want to get on that Spotify playlist?
In that interview, I did say I didn’t like playlists, but the main thing I was really speaking on is that I didn’t like the kind of power that they have. I feel like at this point now, a few years removed from that interview, it’s kind of unavoidable. It seems like the best way to reach new fans.
When I’m making stuff, I just make something that’s true to me. Of course, I want any playlist to pick up what I’m doing. That way, I could reach a wider audience. But for now, I just make things that I love and then see what playlist would want to feature me.
As an artist, where do you see yourself headed? Are you trying to be a superstar like Kendrick Lamar or J Cole, or do you see yourself being like an underground legend, like MF DOOM or RA the Rugged Man?
I mean, I’d say somewhere in between. More towards Kendrick and Cole’s status, is what I’m aiming for. I do love the size of someone like a Tyler the Creator, where he’s huge but still he seems to be in his own world. I feel like he can still go out to places in public without being mobbed, depending on what city he’s in.
You dropped the “Yellow Version” EP around this time last year in March. Many of your fans are wondering if there’s a new project on horizon..
Yeah, I’m working on the “Blue Version.” My goal is to release it in the Spring, so I’m looking at dropping that around the time I have my show. around late March, or early April 2023.
Is there anything you want people to know about your upcoming music or your upcoming show at El Club on March 24th?
If you’re really interested in the new sound coming outta the alternative scene in Detroit, if you wanna know what’s going on, if you feel like the scene’s been lacking, or just been quiet recently, then come to the show to see what’s been bubbling.
Fri, Mar 24, 7:00 PM
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]]>The post Movement Festival 2023 Reveals Line-up ft. Underworld, Charlotte de Witte + Caribou, Kash Doll + More appeared first on PLAYGROUND DETROIT.
]]>This year’s line-up includes Caribou, Huey Mnemonic, Kash Doll, Moodymann, Masters at Work, Robert Hood (Live) Fjaak, DJ Minx, DJ Seinfeld, Shigeto, TSHA, Dom Dolla B2B JOHN SUMMIT, LSDXOXO, and SO many more…
3-Day and 1-Day Passes for both GA and VIP are Now On Sale at www.movementfestival.com
Paxahau, the producers of the Movement Music Festival, have shared the 2023 lineup, including the highly anticipated festival debut and headline slot from electronic music legends Underworld. Since its inception, Movement has been deeply dedicated to bringing a completely original experience to Detroit, with a focus on showcasing authentic and diverse lineups that provide an experience that is purely about the music and culture.
This year’s lineup features Movement Stage headliners, including Belgian Techno star Charlotte de Witte; and legendary British electronic music duo Underworld, and features an inspired selection of dance music’s most in-demand artists, underground mainstays, and notable first-time performers; a potent cross section of seasoned vets and future generations of electronic music.
Notable first-time performers include: Detroit’s own Father Dukes; Swedish-born producer DJ Seinfeld; UK’s breakout dance music producer TSHA; Brooklyn-based electronic music producer and vocalist Ela Minus; Italian Techno live artist Giorgia Angiuli; Philadelphia-born, Berlin-based producer LSDXOXO; as well as Berlin-based Techno producer and DJ SPFDJ.
The complete performances in alphabetical order by day are as follows:
2LANES
AK
AKUA
AL ESTER
AUX88 (LIVE)
BASEMENT JAXX (DJ SET)
BMG
CARL CRAIG FT. JON DIXON (LIVE)
DERRICK CARTER B2B MARK FARINA
DJ GODFATHER
DJ HOLOGRAPHIC
DJ MINX
ERIKA
FUSEGRADE
IDA ENGBERG
J HOUSE & MÁSQUENADA (HOUSEPARTY)
KASH DOLL
KYLE HALL B2B BYRON THE AQUARIUS
LADYLIKE
MACEO PLEX
MAGDA B2B MIKE SERVITO
MARK BROOM
MASTERS AT WORK
MILAN ATKINS
MISTER JOSHOOA
MJ NEBREDA
MOODYMANN
NIKS
OCTAVE ONE (LIVE)
ONYVAA
SHAUN J. WRIGHT
SHEEFY MCFLY
SHIGETO FT. DEZ ANDRÈS (LIVE)
SILLYGIRLCARMEN
SOUL CLAP
STACEY HOTWAXX HALE
STACEY PULLEN
SURGEON
THREE 6 MAFIA
TSHA
UNIIQU3
ZEDS DEAD (ALTERED STATES)
ADAM PORT
AMX
ASH LAURYN
ASHER PERKINS
BEN KLOCK
BEN SIMS
BUZZ GOREE
CARIBOU
CASSY
CHARLOTTE DE WITTE
CHRIS LIEBING
CRAIG GONZALEZ
CYBOTRON
DECODER B2B JAY YORK
DJ CENT
DJ NOBU
DJ SEOUL
DRU RUIZ
EDDIE FOWLKES
ELA MINUS
GREEN VELVET
HUEY MNEMONIC
JOE HIX
KEVIN REYNOLDS (LIVE)
KEVIN SAUNDERSON B2B DANTIEZ
KiNK (LIVE)
LINDSEY HERBERT
MATHEW JONSON (LIVE)
MELÉ
PARANOID LONDON (LIVE)
REBECCA GOLDBERG (313 ACID QUEEN SET)
RICARDO VILLALOBOS
RIMARKABLE
ROBERT HOOD (LIVE)
RYAN CROSSON B2B SHAUN REEVES
SAM DIVINE
SANTONIO ECHOLS
SCAN 7 (LIVE)
SETH TROXLER
SPECIAL REQUEST
SUBURBAN KNIGHT
T.LINDER
ZIP
AUDIA
AUDION (LIVE)
BEATNOK
BEIGE
BEN SCOTT
BONOBO (DJ SET)
BRIAN KAGE
DJ SEINFELD
DOM DOLLA B2B JOHN SUMMIT
FATHER DUKES
FISHER
FJAAK
GIORGIA ANGIULI (LIVE)
HEIDI
HENRY BROOKS
JAVONNTTE & ISAAC (HYBRID SET)
KASKADE REDUX
KLANGKUENSTLER
LADYMONIX
LAUREN FLAX
LEE FOSS
LOGIC1000
LSDXOXO
LUKE HESS
MIJA
MULTIPLES (SURGEON & SPEEDY J) HARDWARE (LIVE)
REBŪKE
SARA LANDRY
SINISTARR
SKRILLEX
SOUNDMURDERER
SPFDJ
STEPHAN BODZIN (LIVE)
UNDERWORLD
WHODAT
About Movement:
Each year on Memorial Day weekend, thousands of people from across the globe gather in the birthplace of Techno to celebrate the heritage of Detroit and its musical influence over countless generations – new and old. Movement Music Festival is one of the longest-running dance music events in the world, committed to showcasing authentic electronic music and providing an experience unlike any other. The festival takes place in Hart Plaza – Detroit’s legendary riverfront destination.
Awards and accolades received by the festival and producer include:
About Paxahau
Paxahau, now celebrating its 25th anniversary as dance music promoters and producers, specializes in producing music festivals and events incorporating the most innovative sound designs and always placing the highest priority on music. The company first established itself in 1998 as an underground party promoter and online resource to showcase electronic music culture in Detroit. Paxahau, now in its 17th year as producer of the Movement Festival in Detroit, is recognized across the world by artists, community members, and industry executives as a pioneering promoter rooted firmly in the birthplace of Techno.
Image credit [TOP]: Michael Christie Photography
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]]>The post Intersectional Black identities put into focus with new exhibition at Playground Detroit appeared first on PLAYGROUND DETROIT.
]]>What’s happening: A new solo exhibition from Detroit artist Lo Braden, also known as Lo Cayne, has opened at the Playground Detroit gallery, open now through Saturday, March 11. The portrait series titled “Black + _______” showcases Lo Braden’s work, while also offering future subjects the opportunity to book individual portrait sessions with the artist on Saturdays and Sundays, by appointment and at reduced rates.
“Erada’s Place: Her Home,” Digital Photography on Cotton Rag Paper, 24 x 36 inches, 2023, by Lo Braden.What it is: Lo Braden’s “Black + _______” exhibition captures intersectional Black identities in a series of portraits inspired by James van Der Zee’s work documenting the Harlem Renaissance. It’s the artist’s intent to feature individuals “most often excluded from the mainstream narrative of American Black Identity,” according to a release. It’s a group that is diverse in sexual orientation, gender, disability, and age.
Why it’s important: “Black people are not a monolith,” says Lo Braden. “There are many of us who stand at the intersection of identities – Black and gay. Black and disabled. Black and non-binary. Many people even identify as all of the above. I want those who view this body of work to realize that there is a range of diversity across Black culture and identities that go unseen.”
Individual attention: Lo Braden put out on an open call for subjects and then worked with each individually to determine sets and locations. Color theory, composition, and concepts were tailored to showcase the beauty and glamor of each person selected, showcasing the individuals that don’t see themselves represented in mainstream media.
The artist will also be available on Saturdays and Sundays to shoot portraits of additional subjects throughout the duration of the exhibition, the sessions of which are available on a sliding scale at a reduced rate. The portraits are available by appointment only and can be booked online.
What they’re saying: “I aim to capture the essence and soul of Black people, the people who gave birth to so many movements and culture that have historically and continue to influence American culture,” they say. “My experiences as a Black, disabled, queer human run through my nerves to help me usher in a new era of rebirth.”
Playground Detroit is located at 2845 Gratiot Ave. in Detroit.
Got a development news story to share? Email MJ Galbraith here or send him a tweet @mikegalbraith.
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]]>The post DETROIT MONTH OF DESIGN 2023 APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN appeared first on PLAYGROUND DETROIT.
]]>Detroit Month of Design is produced by Design Core Detroit, an economic development non-profit organization housed within the College for Creative Studies. The festival was established in 2011 to connect creatives, introduce them to new markets and consumers, expose Detroit’s design aesthetic to worldwide audiences, and highlight the reason why Detroit is the first and only UNESCO City of Design in the United States.
“”We will continue to explore the theme “United by Design” during the 2023 festival because it is too complex and important given current events. Years from now, the true legacy of the festival will be the messages it carried and the communities it connected to transformational moments and opportunities,” says Kiana Wenzell, Design Core Co-Executive Director.
Taking place throughout the City of Detroit and online, the festival features a balanced combination of virtual, outdoor, and indoor experiences. Key program elements include a mix of sponsored, independently-produced, and Design Core signature events that range from exhibitions, installations, product launches, lectures, panel discussions, tours, workshops and more. In 2022, the festival featured 175+ creatives, 80+ events, and engaged 50,000 attendees in various Detroit neighborhoods throughout the month.
The curatorial team that will assist in selecting the 2023 program includes:
•Abir Ali, Generator Z
•Brandon Hodges, Tribe Development
•Charles Garnett, General Motors
•Donna Jackson, DMJ Studios
•Elizabeth Mays, Mays Multimedia
•Eric Thomas, Chief Storyteller, City of Detroit
•Jay Williams, DTE
•Leah Rutt, Library Street Collective
•Paulina Petkoski, Playground Detroit
•Raymond Simpson, City of Detroit
Below are the ways to get involved:
HOST AN EVENT, EXPERIENCE OR INSTALLATION
If you would like to organize or curate an event in September, Design Core wants to hear from you! All designers, curators, creatives, and innovators are invited to propose an idea for an indoor, outdoor or virtual experience. Detroit Month of Design events are independently managed, funded and produced by the event organizer.
VENUE HOST
Sometimes a designer has a great idea for an installation, talk or experience but needs a venue. If you own or manage a space that you’d like to activate with Detroit Month of Design programming, apply today.
SPONSOR
Detroit Month of Design sponsorship not only delivers marketing impact, but also aligns brands wth the region’s largest design celebration and with Detroit’s UNESCO City of Design initiative. Design Core offers valuable support and guidance to customize a program to meet businesses needs.
SHOP AND SEE
Shop and See, is a partnership between Design Core and Bedrock that pairs local designers and brands with downtown retail shops to exhibit their work, drive traffic to the stores, and give people a chance to “See” and “Shop” from the collection of Detroit businesses and makers.
ABOUT DESIGN CORE DETROIT
Design Core Detroit champions design-driven businesses and their role in strengthening Detroit’s economy. It offers services to strengthen, grow and attract design businesses, increase market demand for design services and tells Detroit’s design story locally and globally. Design Core is the steward of Detroit’s UNESCO City of Design designation and is part of the College for Creative Studies.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Website: detroitmonthofdesign.com
Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn: @designcoredet
Hashtag: #DetroitMonthOfDesign #DetroitCityOfDesign
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]]>The post Lo Braden Portrait Series, “Black+____” Represents Intersectional Black Identities during Black History Month appeared first on PLAYGROUND DETROIT.
]]>Their portraits shine light on those who are most often excluded from the mainstream narrative of American Black Identity. “Black people are not a monolith. There are many of us who stand in the intersections of identities- Black and gay. Black and disabled. Black and non-binary. Many people even identify as all of the above. I want those who view this body of work to realize that there is a range of diversity across Black culture and identities that go unseen.”
“I want to capture the essence and soul of Black people, the people who gave birth to so many movements and culture that have historically and continue to influence American culture. My experiences as a black, disabled, queer human run through my nerves to help me usher in a new era of rebirth,” explains Lo Braden.
“The purpose behind my photography series, Black+_______, is to capture how black people present themselves and showcase them in a way that will redefine and at the same time, reference portraits from the Harlem Renaissance.”
Braden’s process used a public open call to outreach and interview their subjects, and then intentionally selected those included. Engaging on an intimate level with each subject to understand what or where ‘their safe space is,” their responses then inspired each set and location. The resulting portraits are immersed in rich and vibrant colored textiles that boldly pop against melanated skin and lighting effects inspired from the Harlem Renaissance, specifically James van Der Zee.
The subjects represent themselves wearing traditional Black hairstyles and accessories such as cowrie shells, gold rings, necklaces, bracelets and hoop earrings that are symbolic and are associated with Black culture. Braden’s work aims to show the beauty and glamour of Black people through careful consideration of color theory, composition and concepts.
Social stigmas and cultural stereotypes are not ever-present in culture, but can proliferate across social media. It is most common that algorithms often favor or elevate people who are likely to be perceived to be abled, straight, and cisgendered. Reversely, it has been noted that other social media accounts of individuals that identify as something outside the ’norm’ are also discriminated against online, and do not receive the same engagement or widespread recognition. If and when they do receive public recognition, oftentimes their individual experiences are not taken seriously, and may even be questioned or judged negatively.
Lo Braden is a recipient of the Emerging Artist Fellowship Award to develop their individual practices, to identify, elevate and promote Detroit-based artistic excellence from 2020-2021. Selected artists create a new body of excellent artwork, gain industry experience, skills, knowledge and mentorship, and participate in community programming.
The Fellowship recognizes artists who are early in their careers with ambitious goals and who demonstrate artistic potential through creative risk-taking along with a clear vision of what they seek to produce and present. Artists were chosen based on their artistic excellence and dedication. The goal of the fellowship is to identify, celebrate and elevate emerging Detroit artistic excellence by providing much needed resources and is supported by The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation as a Knight Arts Challenge Detroit 2019 winning project.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Lo Braden, alias Lo Cayne, is a black queer portrait and fashion photographer from Detroit, Michigan. Braden’s photography aims to show the beauty and glamour of black people, through careful consideration of color theory, composition and concepts. Their hope is that they can plant seeds with what they capture and it will grow as inspiration for others to do the same.
In the future, they believe that we’ll be able to take whatever we see and project it onto a screen. We will be able to show our perspective and our own point of view straight from our brains. However, that technology doesn’t exist just yet, so the closest thing to that concept is the camera. One of the main reasons why they love photography is because they get to “take a vision that I have in the form of a dream, or sudden burst of inspiration- and capture it. Then share it with others.”
Their upcoming solo exhibition, Black+_____, (“Black plus Blank”) opens during Black History Month on Saturday, February 11th from 6-9PM, and will be on view through March 11, 2023.
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]]>The post ARTIST OPEN CALL: Apply to Modern Ancient Brown Visiting Fellowship & Post-Baccalaureate Residency in Studio Art and Critical Studies through January 30 appeared first on PLAYGROUND DETROIT.
]]>2023 sees the launch of the Foundation’s Core Program consisting of the Modern Ancient Brown Visiting Fellowship and the Post-Baccalaureate Residency in Studio Art and Critical Studies. Each year four Visiting Fellows and two Post-Baccalaureate Residencies in Studio Art (all disciplines) will be chosen.
“Compassion and community have always carried us through challenging times, these experiences can empower our art. Detroit has always been defined by its resilience, and artists are at the forefront.” – McArthur Binion (Read more in ArtNews)
The Foundation wants to support studio practitioners as well as artists seeking to develop their work in dialogue with Critical Studies. As a part of the Core Program, the Post-Baccalaureate Residents will have access to the 1,000 sq ft studio space located in Southwest Detroit.
Each year, one Resident will be chosen from Detroit and one Resident will be chosen from a national pool.
The Detroit Resident will receive a monthly stipend of $1,500 per month and use of the Foundation’s studio space. The national Resident will also receive a monthly stipend of $1,500 per month and an additional $1,500 to help with accommodation in Detroit. In addition, the national Resident will be provided with air travel to and from Detroit. Should they wish, Post-Baccalaureate Residents will have ample opportunities, facilitated as appropriate by the Foundation, to interact with the broader Metro-Detroit community of artists, writers, and scholars.
The minimal commitment asked of each Resident will involve: participation in crits and mentoring; a conversation at the Foundation about their work with an invited audience; participation in one curated dinner conversation at the Foundation; permission to publish some of the work undertaken at the Foundation in the Foundation’s annual publication of work by Residents, Fellows, and invited participants; and finally, we ask that the Foundation be acknowledged upon publication or exhibition of work supported by the Foundation.
The program will make invitations to a diverse group of Post-Baccalaureate Residents to encourage them to take the time and space to explore their chosen media.The application cycle will begin in January 2023 with results announced in April 2023. The Foundation highly encourages BIPOC applicants.
In 2012, the launch of the Modern Ancient Brown Foundation’s Core Program consisting of the Modern Ancient Brown Visiting Fellowship and the Post-Baccalaureate Residency in Studio Art and Critical Studies. Each year four Visiting Fellows and two Post-Baccalaureate Residencies in Studio Art (all disciplines) will be chosen.
The Visiting Fellowship is open to emerging scholars, thinkers, writers in all aspects of the arts in performance / art writing / critical studies / curating / film / music / creative writing in the broadest sense. Each year four Fellows will be chosen. The Foundation seeks to encourage emerging (including ABD) and established BIPOC scholars, thinkers, and writers both from within as well as outside the Academy whose practice involves research and creation.
Each Fellow will be provided with the following:
Should they wish, Fellows will have ample opportunities, facilitated as appropriate by the Foundation, to interact with the broader Metro-Detroit community of artists, writers, curators, and scholars.
The minimal commitment asked of each Fellow will involve: a seminar at the Foundation about their work with an invited audience; participation in one dinner conversation curated by the Foundation with with input from the Fellow; permission to publish some of the work undertaken at the Foundation in the Foundation’s annual publication of work by Fellows and invited participants; and finally, we ask that the Foundation be acknowledged upon publication of work supported by the Foundation. The application cycle will begin January 2023 with results announced in April 2023.
Application deadline: January 30, 2023
Application package:
Application deadline: January 30, 2023
Application package: You should submit your completed application in PDF to the Foundation’s Slideroom.
Any inquiries can be made to postbaccresidency@modernancientbrown.com
Your application must include the following:
The post ARTIST OPEN CALL: Apply to Modern Ancient Brown Visiting Fellowship & Post-Baccalaureate Residency in Studio Art and Critical Studies through February 13 [Extended] appeared first on PLAYGROUND DETROIT.
]]>The post Convergence: Cracks in the Glass Ceiling Exhibition Opens on January 26th at GVSU appeared first on PLAYGROUND DETROIT.
]]>“Breaking barriers helps us to grow and mature in our thought processes regarding culture, community, and experiences. Operating out of purpose and passion releases us from the confines of our comfort zones and allows viewers to experience a (proverbial) cracking of the glass ceiling.”
We are please to share that various textile quilts by Julian Jamaal Jones artwork from his debut solo exhibition, MARKINGS, will be included alongside various contemporary artists including Sheefy McFly, Bryce Detroit, Torrence Jayy and more.
Jasmine Bruce, Bryce Detroit, Pauly M. Everett, Torrence Jayy, Julian Jamaal Jones, Sheefy McFly, Richard McNeal, Andre Ray, Steven Reynolds, Tobishinobi, Estéban Whiteside
This unique group of artists create vibrant contemporary pieces that include traditional elements of art while blurring the lines between street and contemporary works.
This exhibition is co-created with MUSE GR, curated by Stephen and Taylor Smith.
Stephen and Taylor Smith are the owners of Muse GR, an interactive art gallery and event space on the Westside of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Through Muse, Stephen and Taylor connect with the community using art and creativity to encourage positive transformation and discovery of one’s purpose and passion.
Stephen is a local photographer, curator, and educator at the Grand Rapids Public Schools and Grand Valley State University. Taylor has gained a love for writing and digital media while working many years in non-profit communication. Together they aim to inspire and support others at a place of artistic convergence and collaboration.
Friday, January 26, 2023
GVSU Art Gallery
Thomas J. and Marcia J. Haas Center for Performing Arts, Allendale, MI 49401
Parking in Lot H2 will be free during the reception, across the street from the Performing Arts Center (PAC).
Here is the campus map: https://www.gvsu.edu/homepage/files/pdf/maps/allendalecampus.pdf.
Haas Center for Performing Arts Gallery (PAC 1121), Allendale Campus
January 13 – March 31, 2023
Opening Reception: Thursday, January 26, 5-7pm
Hours:
Monday – 10am-5pm
Tuesday – 10am-5pm
Wednesday – 10am-5pm
Thursday – 10am-7pm
Friday – 10am-5pm
Closed:
January 16, 2022 (MLK Day)
March 6-10, 2022 (Spring Break)
The post Convergence: Cracks in the Glass Ceiling Exhibition Opens on January 26th at GVSU appeared first on PLAYGROUND DETROIT.
]]>The post INTERVIEW: NICHE HITCH X BOBBY LV ON DEBUT COLLABORATION COLLECTION appeared first on PLAYGROUND DETROIT.
]]>An everlasting floral arrangement built from altered plant materials, intentionally designed to complement the vessel it exists in. Each vessel is created utilizing different clay materials, glazes, multiple firing temperatures and building techniques. Together the preserved elements play, creating intriguing, new, silhouettes and ultimately, one activated sculpture.
Read on for an interview with the creators behind these eccentric arrangements.
How does each of your work either balance or complement one another?
Bobby: Both of us focus heavily on texture, also movement, with Lindsay adding fiber-like, airy elements, the work takes on realistic characteristics; it starts breathing.
Lindsay: There’s a degree of humor to both of our work.
Whose idea was this collaboration?
Bobby: Both.
Lindsay: It was the obvious choice.
What concept and mediums this series is exploring together?
Bobby: The concept is evolution. The ceramic pieces utilized in this series are earlier works of mine- with Lindsay adding the preserved floral medium, the pieces have developed into elevated, exotic sculptures.
Lindsay: The sequence of our personal endeavor together also plays a role in the foreseen idea of evolution. We recently finished building a joint studio and this series was produced in the space.
We’re interested in exploring further the possibilities of botanical/clay hybrids. It’s like the game ‘Telephone’- the concept mutates over time.
What is it about using dried objects that is the most interesting to you?
Bobby: The change that occurs from fresh to dry is interesting, it becomes an entirely different plant. The reincarnation is stimulating.
Lindsay: Definitely the biggest challenge is sourcing material, we are limited in this region.
What’s the main differences between each of your works?
Bobby: The process. With ceramics the results are delayed, there’s more time and science involved.
Lindsay: Adding flowers to a pot is relatively quick endeavor, it’s like the happy ending. A floral garnish indicates that the vessel has reached its final desination.
What inspires you?
Bobby: The clay itself, clay is a special material with special properties and the behavior changes in different environments, and it has memory like a brain. It inspires me to push the properties further.
Lindsay: Bobby’s work inspires me. I now have access to exciting new armature- a skeleton to build from.
Do you have a favorite technique?
Bobby: Altering wheel throwing and glaze manipulation.
Lindsay: I enjoy integrating synthetic fibers or non-floral objects into the design.
What about your creative process have you found to be the most successful for you?
Bobby: Fast-forward thinking. Also, not being afraid to fail. The faster you fail the faster you excel beyond it.
Lindsay: Journaling, putting things on paper. Humans have 70,000 thoughts a day or something, so documenting and organizing helps.
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]]>The post NEW YEAR EVE GUIDE 2023 appeared first on PLAYGROUND DETROIT.
]]>Read below for your 2023 Official New Year’s Eve Party Guide.
Two Rooms of DJ Lineups– Going till 4AM!
Main Room: Golf Clap • Qlank! • Metawav. • Aeolus
Front Room: Johnny Malek • Versave James • Key Mitch • Some Black Cat • Ready Lex
Rave in the New Year with a true Detroit experience at one of the city’s most unique and legendary music venues! MeanRed is bringing Golf Clap back from California for a proper homecoming show accompanied by an impressive lineup of local talent playing house, techno, and beyond all night long. Housed within the historic Detroit Leland Hotel, Leland City Club boasts a brand new massive sound system with two rooms of music for your dancing pleasure.
Around each corner of the labyrinth-like venue are surprises perfect for exploring your deepest desires as we bask in the hedonistic glory of another year past and an exciting one to come. Get there early to see some of the best up-and-coming DJs in the city and stay late for this ideal after-party destination. Leland City Club is the place to celebrate with your friends and lovers when the ball drops on Saturday, December 31st!
When dimensions collide, and the cycle renews, the portal opens and it becomes time to celebrate the flux with An Interdimensional New Years. Step into the future with us as we immerse ourselves in sound and the infinite dimensions of Amber Gillen’s wormholes of fabric and plastic, as we transform the space and ourselves in this sonic rite. The music chosen moves beyond boundaries into deeper moods and juxtapositions, everyone is a visionary at their sound, and the individuality and excellence just continues to add up to mental freedom. The theme is moving beyond boundaries and celebrating everyone’s uniqueness.
Who better to honor the Interdimensional New Years than Intergalactic Gary? Headlining Stage Y, he offers a galactic escape through a never ending sea of unpredictable grooves. This is a room of full and deep immersion in tone and groove, with sets from SF’s Mozghan & Solar, Honcho’s Clark Price, and Detroit legend Scott Zacharias. Multiple sets from multiple minds that offer the finest exploration of deep psychedelic grooves possible on this planet.
Stage X explores the inner mind as experienced through a powerful system, with sonic slayers of monolithic slabs of sound liberating you through their heavy vibrations. From Berlin (and Chicago) we have the ever futuristic and freaky CCL delivering the goods. From Buffalo we have Mike Parker, a sonic pioneer of his own genre of techno DJing directly after the Ectomorph live set.
Ectomorph will be performing an all new live show with a new modular system focused in a new powerful direction, blending their past and their future, inspired by the groundbreaking show they did this summer at Tresor 31 in Globus. The avatar of the future groove Adab joins us for a heady set to set up the New Years and Rebecca Goldberg brings the vibes she’s felt in Iceland to her set on this night of transformation.
Burn it down and start anew at An Interdimensional New Years!
Ring in the New Year atop the tallest building in Michigan with unprecedented views of the city skyline!
360 panoramic views of Canada and Detroit from the 72nd Floor of the GM RenCen. Doors Open at 9:00PM featuring Live Music by Jibs Brown & Jambros & DJ Tom T
Small Plates from Highland’s award winning Chef team including a late night Pizza and Coney Snack
Open Premium Bar 9pm – 10:30pm
Amazing Panoramic Views of Detroit and Canada
Parking included in Beaubien Place Garage for the event
Coat Check Included at the venue.
Champagne Toast at Midnight Included
VIP accommodations available for groups of 6 or more ext 313-789-2252
Black Tie Attire Recommended, but Not Required.
Tickets are on sale now for Big Pink’s NYE celebration featuring sounds from:
Sky Jetta @skyjetta
Donavan Glover @donavanglover
Nuntheless @nuntheless
Munch Music @munchmusic (Big Pink’s very own)
Tickets are tiered, starting at $20. Grab the early birds before they sell out! There will be a complimentary champagne toast at midnight with every ticket purchased Let’s bring in the new year together on the dance floor! Design by @munchmusic / Photo (Cover Image) by @sxrreal
It is Dec. 31, 1999, and when the clock strikes midnight, the global internet grid will be ravaged by the horrors of the digital menace Y2K. There is nothing left to do but party.
Join GOOD GROUND for an unforgettable night of Turn Of The Millennia Mayhem. Put on your metallic fabrics and step into this TRL music video paradise as we countdown the hours, minutes, and seconds into the new millennium and beyond.
8p – 4a | $10* | Planet Ant Tickets at the door. **Dress like it’s 1999 for FREE entry until 10p!**
Tickets for @housepartydetroit 2023 NYE Celebration at Spot Lite now SOLD OUT We will have $25 tickets available to purchase at the door beginning at 1AM!
See you on the dance floor!
Our farewell to The Salon
Freakish Pleasures NYE featuring…
Lee Collins
Analog Soul
Deon Jamar
Bill Spencer
Savannah G
Max Daley
12/31 / 10pm / 21+
#ticketlinkinbio
Flyer by @hugo____b
The post PLAYGROUND DETROIT NEW YEAR’S EVE GUIDE 2023 appeared first on PLAYGROUND DETROIT.
]]>The post PLAYGROUND DETROIT Celebrates Five Year Anniversary with ARCHIVE Exhibition Opening on Small Business Saturday appeared first on PLAYGROUND DETROIT.
]]>We are incredibly grateful for the opportunity to host and support so many talented and amazing artists throughout over the last five years. Thank you to everyone for your continued support and ongoing commitment to the Detroit artists and arts community that we serve.
5 YEAR ANNIVERSARY!
ARCHIVE EXHIBITION
OPENS TO THE PUBLIC
SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 26TH
PUBLIC HOURS: 1-7PM, RECEPTION & TOAST 5PM
LOCATION
2845 Gratiot Avenue
Detroit, MI 48207
The post PLAYGROUND DETROIT Celebrates Five Year Anniversary with ARCHIVE Exhibition Opening appeared first on PLAYGROUND DETROIT.
]]>The post Axios // Detroit artist’s “The Eye of Horus” exhibition debuts at Cranbrook appeared first on PLAYGROUND DETROIT.
]]>Detroit-based Bakpak Durden, an artist whose work can be seen on murals across the city, debuted their first solo museum exhibition.
Driving the news: “The Eye of Horus” runs now through March 19 at Cranbrook Art Museum in Bloomfield Hills.
Details: Durden’s show is titled after an ancient Egyptian symbol of protection and explores “the physiological and psychological functions relating to vision and the mind,” according to the museum.
The intrigue: The exhibit is in the last space of Cranbrook’s exhibition hall, but “steals the show in both presentation and concept,” Metro Times writes.
Of note: Durden’s work was featured this summer in a first-of-its-kind Pride Month exhibition, “Mighty Real/Queer Detroit,” that spanned 17 galleries in and around the city.
What’s next: They will paint a mural on a recently constructed building housing LGBTQ+ youth experiencing homelessness under the nonprofit Ruth Ellis Center, according to Cranbrook.
Read the Original Article. Main image credit: A sculpture pictured at the opening reception for “The Eye of Horus.” Photo courtesy of Sarah Blanchette/Cranbrook Art Museum
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]]>The post Bakpak Durden’s ‘The Eye of Horus’ steals the show at Cranbrook Art Museum appeared first on PLAYGROUND DETROIT.
]]>Original Article via Metro Times
A human skull explodes into pieces on a wall at Cranbrook Art Museum. In the center of the room sits a strange apparatus reminiscent of a 22-legged steel spider. Each limb reaches out to visitors with a fragment of a painting, like the pieces of bone shattered on the wall.
Detroit artist Bakpak Durden has created this multi-faceted display as part of their latest exhibition, The Eye of Horus, which opened at the Cranbrook Art Museum Saturday. It’s Durden’s first solo museum exhibition and part of Cranbrook’s fall season, which also includes Scott Hocking’s Detroit Stories and James Benjamin Franklin’s Full Circle.
While Durden’s show is the last room in the museum’s exhibition hall, it steals the show in both presentation and concept.
The Eye of Horus includes some of Durden’s familiar self-portraits, but the main attraction is “Khémia,” a five-part installation encompassing the skull mural, sculpture and attached pieces, and three full-scale paintings.
There are 22 miniature paintings in the sculpture, called “Ka,” to mirror the 22 bones of the human skull. Each piece is an excerpt from a larger still-life on display across the room, like a peculiar version of Painting by Numbers.
On the side of each piece is a line of poetry, and following the paintings in succession by the numbers written on them reveals the full poem.
The reassembled painting appears twice more throughout the exhibit in micro versions reflected in paintings of the cornea and retina. The pieces on “Khémia” touch on themes of anxiety, Jungian philosophy, and how our bodies create emotion as it responds to stimuli.
Pay attention to the placement of the pieces in “Khémia.” They show how our brain interprets visual information as light passes through the cornea and moves to the retina. Here, images are received upside down before the brain processes them and turns them right side up.
The self-taught painter’s work is skillful on the surface, but the true artistry lies in the details. It’s in the testosterone bottles, syringes, and Fight Club novel crowded into the paintings. (At the exhibit reception, Durden’s beaming mother tells us Fight Club is the artist’s favorite film.)
To Durden, everything is a self-portrait, as objects appearing in their paintings show tiny glimpses into the artist’s identity.
The Eye of Horus is one of those things you have to see in person to grasp, and you’ll want to see it more than once to absorb it all, undoubtedly noticing new details each time.
Franklin’s work in Full Circle gives us a hodgepodge of textures and colors to get lost in, as each abstract piece presents a dreamscape waiting to consume you. Large-scale paintings in irregular frames see swatches of fabric, old towels, and crocheted afghans covered in rich paint and splotched with glitter.
Hocking’s retrospective Detroit Stories exhibit takes up three rooms in the gallery and features photos of abandoned buildings in Detroit. Snaps of the old Michigan Central Station, discarded boats, and shuttered shops feel like ruin porn, pushing a tired narrative of post-apocalyptic Detroit on the verge of a “comeback.”
His sculptures of scavenged artifacts are more interesting, including an installation called “Relics,” which creates a giant bookshelf with an array of items unearthed from urban exploring like plastic toys, rusted pieces of metal, and full-on sinks crammed into each crevice. A friend described it as an advent calendar of trash.
Hocking’s piece “Stalagmites from Cast Concrete in the Auto Age” is a collection of stone-like objects formed through mineral and calcium deposits across decades of water erosion inside Michigan Central Station and Roosevelt Warehouse (the old Detroit Public Schools Book Depository).
The pieces are fascinating to look at, but descriptions of Detroit’s “rebirthing like a phoenix from the ashes” are offensive and grossly played out.
If we could stop talking about Detroit “coming back” as if the people who lived and worked in the city through bankruptcy and disastrous emergency management don’t exist, that would be great. Detroiters didn’t go anywhere, and regurgitating this message of decay and rebirth erases them as if they don’t matter.
The Eye of Horus, Detroit Stories, and Full Circle are up at the Cranbrook Art Museum until March 19. More info is at cranbrookartmuseum.org.
Read the Original Article.
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]]>The post Scott Hocking leads trio of Detroit artists in new Cranbrook exhibit appeared first on PLAYGROUND DETROIT.
]]>Detroit’s arts scene will be in the spotlight beginning Saturday with a series of exhibitions of powerful displays that include larger-than-life-sculptures, vibrant mixed-media paintings and hyper-realistic still lifes.
The Cranbrook Art Museum is showcasing some of Detroit’s best artists, led by a retrospective of work by sculptor and photographer Scott Hocking. Joined by painters James Benjamin Franklin and Bakpak Durden, the exhibit shares the works of local artists at varying stages of their careers.
Andrew Satake Blauvelt, director of Cranbrook Art Museum, said the artists reflect the richness of Detroit’s artistic scene with perspectives that range from witnessing first-hand changes of the city over decades, to a southern California transplant bringing an outside perspective, to a self-taught artist who was born and raised in Detroit.
“Each artist’s approach to art and their individual backgrounds is utterly unique and that reflects the diversity of the city’s art scene: there’s no single ‘Detroit’ look, there are only multitudes,” he said.
The centerpiece of the exhibition is “Scott Hocking: Detroit Stories,” representing 25 years of the artist’s work that document the city’s history and change. Hocking is known for his sculptures made from repurposed existing materials and found objects, many from Detroit’s abandoned buildings and built on site, which are now presented in photos.
His most famous sculptures include a giant egg inside Michigan Central Station made from hundreds of pieces of slab marble debris from inside the building and a massive ziggurat structure built inside the Fisher Body Plant created from thousands of wooden floor blocks. Another project involved collecting a series of abandoned boats found throughout Detroit and hanging them for an arrangement inside an abandoned building.
“Scott’s work is really about post-industrial Detroit, that’s why a lot of that has been changing…,” Blauvelt said. “The Detroit of 1999 is not the Detroit of 2022, a lot of this ends up being an archive of the history of the city, which we find really interesting.”
One of Hocking’s most dramatic works is RELICS, a series of 18-inch square wooden boxes featuring found objects throughout Detroit. Started in 2001 in collaboration with Clint Snyder, the project has evolved over the years, documenting Detroit’s history. The latest version of the installation at Cranbrook features 200 boxes that cover an entire wall, filling the space with abandoned signs, toys, keys, tools, tiles, bottles, pipes and more in neat rows.
“It’s a future artifact installation,” Hocking said. “It’s kind of playing with the idea of, ‘What are our artifacts?’ ‘What are the artifacts we produce now?’ ‘How will we be perceived in the future?’ ‘How do we perceive people in the past?’ It’s kind of juxtaposing all those thoughts.”
“James Benjamin Franklin: Full Circle” features a colorful series of roughly 61/2-square-feet of paintings. Franklin, a southern California native and a 2017 graduate of the Cranbrook Academy of Art, paints layers of found textiles — like blankets, carpets, rugs and bathmats — onto a base of plaster and foam, occasionally dusted with glitter or sand.
“There’s a lot of handcrafted-ness going on, which is really a big kind of moment in contemporary art,” Blauvelt said.
Franklin said he hopes the viewer gets a sense of what the human spirit can create.
“(I want them to) get lost and get a sense of either joy or mystery in the work and all the materials that are used,” he said, “and just kind of all the things that are unexpected and surprising.”
“Bakpak Durden: The Eye of Horus” is the final exhibit of the series. It draws its name from an ancient Egyptian symbol and concept thought to have healing powers and was also used in ancient mathematical and neurological contexts. Durden is a self-taught artist whose hyper-realistic work is reminiscent of Dutch Baroque painting and dramatic cinema.
While the exhibit includes a series of Durden’s self-portraits, its focal point is “Khemia” — an ancient term for Egypt — and the basis for concepts of alchemy and a progression to chemistry.
“We’re going from past to present to future, from physical land as an entity to the body as revitalization,” Durden said. “It’s a linear continuum, circuitous reference to an improvement of self.”
The primary subject of “Khemia” is “Double Crown of the Distant One,” a still life depicting a skull atop of a pile of various objects. Immediately across the painting is the “brain,” a structure dangling 22 smaller canvases — representing the 22 pieces of the skull — depicting different aspects of the original painting. Beyond that is another painting illustrating the back of an eye with a tiny representation inside of an upside-down reflection of “Double Crown of the Distant One,” mimicking how the brain perceives vision.
“(The exhibit) is about the physicality of vision and the brain and also your emotional self,” said Laura Mott, chief curator of Cranbrook Art Museum. “It’s your physical self and your emotional self and bringing those together.”
For the exhibition overall, Hocking said he’s happy to be recognized and to show his work with Franklin and Durden.
“The work looks wonderful in the exhibition,” he said. “I just think it’s a really well-curated show.”
39221 Woodward, Bloomfield Hills
Cranbrook Art Museum
Saturday-March 19, 2023
More information: Visit www.cranbrookartmuseum.org
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