Arts : Detroit Development News

You already know that the popular Royal Oak art gallery 323 East, which is behind the game-changing 1xRUN limited edition time-released online art "store" with an international audience, is moving to Detroit in a space adjacent to Eastern Market at 1410 Gratiot. What you might not know yet is that with the new space comes a new name.
 
"We're in a new space and have a new identity," says Jesse Cory, founder of 323 East. "We needed a fresh new approach to it."
 
That new approach is called Inner State, a name which can be seen as both a semantic play on the extensive interstate systems that criss-cross the Motor City as well as an acknowledgement of the work of the exhibiting artists reflecting their "inner states."
 
After outgrowing their small space in Royal Oak, the 323 team began looking for spaces in the city. "The art world in Detroit is exploding right now," Cory says. "There's a consolidation (that's happening)," mentioning the Butcher's Daughter in Midtown and the Red Bull House of Art, Inner State's new neighbors located in the market district.
 
The three-story, 10,000-square-foot space has a more refined look designed by architect Tadd Heidgerken for et al. Collaborative, who also designed Astro Coffee and the House of Art. "(We knew he) designs spaces that are very comfortable and dynamic. I don’t know where else in town you'd look to get someone with that kind of aesthetic." Cory describes it as being less of a boutique and more of a traditional gallery – cleaner, much larger, and a fitting utilization of the building without "going overboard."
 
Inner State will be open Thursdays through Saturdays and will be more exhibit-oriented with private receptions as well as the grand opening fetes for each new exhibit that they became known for at 323.

"We definitely want to celebrate the efforts people put into these works and have a party," he says. "It's really a coming-of-age of the art world in Detroit. The stigma of galleries in the past has been removed. (Places like) 323 and the House of Art have really made the experience inclusive."
 
The new gallery opens May 17.
 
Source: Jesse Cory, founder of 323 East/Inner State
Writer: Nicole Rupersburg

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In 2001, Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit was commissioned to write a play on Detroit history as part of the Detroit 300 celebration. The result was Hastings Street, a play about teenagers at Miller High School in the 1940s, which they identified as one of the most exciting times and places to be a teenager in the city's history. Two years ago Mosaic decided to produce this play during their 2012/2013 performance season. What they didn't know at the time was that they would also be moving into the old Miller High School in the fall of 2013.
 
Mosaic will relocate its offices to 2251 Antietam, formerly Miller High, while joining a new charter public K-5 elementary school called the University Prep Science & Math Elementary School: Sidney D. Miller Campus (UPSM). This will be a "STEAM" school – science, technology, engineering, and math ("STEM") plus arts. This new charter school purchased the building and is providing Mosaic with 12,600 square feet of dedicated space as well as an additional 31,000 square feet of shared space in the school. In turn, Mosaic is providing their students with arts instruction in a unique in-kind partnership that expands the reach and resources of both entities. Mosaic will pay $1/year for rent plus utilities, though they do have to raise over $1 million in funding for their portion of the construction costs.
 
"It's really better for an arts organization of our size to be part of this larger entity rather than owning our own building," says Mosaic Founder & CEO Rick Sperling. Small and medium-sized arts organizations face a real challenge when they own their own buildings, which inevitably takes the focus away from the organization itself.
 
This partnership between Mosaic and UPSM is also aligned with the Detroit Future City framework. Considered part of the Eastern Market area of the plan, this partnership addresses two of the strategic focuses: both finding a use for obsolete historic buildings (the school is national historic landmark that has sat empty since 2007) and also to promote the arts in residential and industrial areas. While Mosaic's main performances will still be at the DIA, they will hold training and smaller performances in their new home. Between the school and Mosaic, Sperling says there will be traffic at this site seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
 
Most of Mosaic's artistic staff works with young people from all over the city and suburbs on nights and weekends, so the added arts support to the elementary school will not disrupt other programs.
 
The old Channel 56 Building, Mosaic's current home, will be put up for sale and will continue to be used as Mosaic's tech shop and storage facility in the meantime so the building remains occupied. Hastings Street opens on May 10 at the DIA.
 
Source: Rick Sperling, Founder & CEO of Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit
Writer: Nicole Rupersburg

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Though they've been hosting special events for over a year now, the Hellenic Museum in Midtown officially celebrated its grand opening this past weekend.
 
The building, located at 67 E. Kirby in Detroit's Cultural Center, was purchased from Wayne State University in 2009 for $355,000.
 
The Hellenic Heritage Society, the nonprofit organization that is dedicated to the promotion and celebration of Detroit's Greek heritage and growth of Greek culture, has spent the last four years restoring the building, formerly the Detroit Children's Museum, which included a new roof, a whole new geothermal heating system, air conditioning and more repairs, all while building up the inventory that is now the museum's collection.
 
Detroit's Hellenic Museum is one of only two such museums in the country (the other one opened about 15 years ago in Chicago). Joan De Ronne, vice president of operations for the Hellenic Museum, says, "The reason for the establishment of the Hellenic Museum in Michigan is because there is really nothing that was a reflection of Greek history and culture other than a small exhibit at the DIA and (in the libraries)," despite the tremendous impact Greek culture has had on the whole of Western civilization. Additionally, the roots of Greek culture in metro Detroit run deep, beginning with the immigration of the Greeks to the area in the early 1900s into Greektown. "So many (cultural) contributions have been made and those things are being lost. We want to preserve the story of their contributions, not just to Hellenic culture but also to greater metro Detroit as a whole."
 
The museum's collection consists of heritage items collected from families and churches – books, artwork and pottery, an eighteenth century bridal gown. The museum is also collecting the oral histories of local Greek families, which will eventually be available on the Hellenic Museum website.
 
The museum will continue hosting and partnering on events that celebrate and promote Greek culture – music, art, food, and history – such as the annual Greek Independence Day Parade that was held in tandem with their grand opening last Saturday.
 
Source: Joan De Ronne, Vice President of Operations for the Hellenic Museum
Writer: Nicole Rupersburg

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Ferndale contemporary art gallery The Butcher's Daughter is moving into the Auburn in Midtown this May after four years in its previous Ferndale location. "We had looked for about a year for the right property," says Butcher's Daughter Director Monica Bowman. "Eventually I met Sue (Mosey) and she got me involved in the Auburn. It was heaven-sent."
 
Another Ferndale business, Treat Dreams, was intended for the space but the decision was made not to move forward, leaving the space available for someone else to snag. Bowman saw it as the opportunity she had been waiting for. "We had always intended to (move) to Detroit. It is literally like a dream."
 
Auburn developers the Roxbury Group are building out the space according to Bowman's specifications down to details like placement of outlets and light switches, an added wall, and special lighting accommodations. "They went all out. It's like your imagination coming to life," she says.
 
The Butcher's Daughter is moving from a very small second-floor space that was not handicap-accessible and didn't easily invite foot traffic, things that Bowman felt were hindrances to her business, into this 1,200-square-foot space with tall ceilings. The new, larger space allows Bowman to show more works, larger pieces, and expand her programming in ways she couldn't in her previous location.
 
The Auburn was a particular draw because of its proximity to all of the major cultural institutions of Midtown as well as other galleries like Dell Pryor and Re:View. It is also home to design-focused home décor and gift stores Hugh and Nora.

"I can't imagine not having my business here," Bowman says. "It's so centralized and integrated. It's a nice community to really add to what's already going on."  
 
Bowman plans on opening in May.
 
Source: Monica Bowman, Director of The Butcher's Daughter
Writer: Nicole Rupersburg

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Trinosophes, a new art gallery and performance space in Eastern Market, has been hosting monthly events for the past few months, but they are now ready for their full-time debut with a grand opening set for this Saturday, March 9.
 
Musician and event producer Joel Peterson and MOCAD Deputy Director Rebecca Mazzei have partnered on this project, which includes an integrated café, gallery and performance space. Peterson had previously been booking shows through the Bohemian National Home, and it had been his intent to find a new space since 2008.
 
"It has been a really long process for us," he says. "We put in the purchase agreement two years ago. We’ve been in there just about a year now getting it all together." The space did not require a full gut and the utilities were all solid, but it was basically an empty warehouse. They’ve spent this past year working on its aesthetic transformation.
 
The 8,500-square-foot space at 1464 Gratiot near Eastern Market was an old spice processing facility before it was the Butcher and Packer Supply Co. It has three storefronts; two will serve as the café and gallery exhibition/performance space, and the third will soon be a second location for Midtown's Peoples Records.
 
The café portion will be completed this spring and will offer free WiFI. Peterson says this will be encouraged as a "hangout space" for people to linger. 
 
There are no immediate plans to apply for a liquor license. "We’re looking forward to being the space that isn’t a bar where exciting stuff happens."
 
Peterson will continue to book the kind of high caliber talent he was known for bringing to the Bohemian National Home, and the gallery will host specific exhibits built around particular artists. It is also accruing a semi-permanent collection as part of the environment, some of which will be for sale "until someone builds enough of a relationship with it to take it home."
 
The first exhibit opens in conjunction with their grand opening this Saturday.
 
Source: Joel Peterson, co-owner of Trinosophes
Writer: Nicole Rupersburg

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When Jerry Belanger opened the Park Bar in December 2006, he didn’t even want to open a bar. As a theatre major and a passionate supporter of the performing arts, Belanger really wanted to open a theatre and performing arts space.
 
"It’s really why I bought the building," he says. "This is the fulfillment of a long-term dream."
 
The bar had to come before the theatre out of financial necessity. "I had to do everything that was income-oriented first, and a theatre isn’t income-oriented. It’s all expense-oriented."
 
Over the last six years, the Elizabeth Theatre, located upstairs from the Park Bar and Bucharest Grill, has been a slow work in progress.
 
"We started the renovation up there five years ago and slowly did concerts and shows," Belanger says. Since then they’ve built a stage as well as a full bar in the space, getting it in "good enough shape" to open. "It went from a really raw space (to a fully finished theatre)."
 
In addition to the bar and stage, they’ve now got theatre seat risers that seat 80, professional lighting, a sound booth, a lighting booth, and have just completed all of the major finishing touches to make the Elizabeth Theatre complete, though the labor of love isn’t quite yet complete. "Over the next year we will be doing a lot of detail work."
 
The Park Bar was also closed for a few days last week for some minor renovations of its own, which included refinishing the floor and reupholstering the furniture.
 
The Elizabeth Theatre is open every Friday and Saturday and hosts a variety of events, from concerts to stand-up comedy to film screenings. "We reserve the space for local performing arts. We don’t book anything that tours. These are all Detroit-centric performing events."
 
Last year, the inaugural Detroit Shakespeare Festival debuted at the Elizabeth, and this year they’re bringing it back starting March 14 and running through the end of April with Measure for Measure.
 
Source: Jerry Belanger, owner of the Park Bar and Elizabeth Theatre
Writer: Nicole Rupersburg

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The third Woodward Tribute statue is up and glowing, this time in Highland Park. It joins similar tall, cylindrical sculptures in Ferndale and Pontiac.

The statues are part of the Woodward Avenue Action Association's Tribute Project, which is installing these sorts of sculptures along Michigan's Main Street as way to promote the corridor's history and culture through public art. The 30-foot-high columns are made mainly of glass and concrete.

The Highland Park Woodward Tribute sits at the intersection of Woodward Avenue and Gerald Street in a median on Gerald. It is framed by a mural on a drug store behind it that depicts the smoke stacks of the Ford plant where the $5 workday was made famous in the early 20th Century. The Woodward Tribute has images of a $5 bill and a dense figure in a top hat that looks like Henry Ford.

"It's (theme is about) what happened in the area," says Heather Carmona, executive director of the Woodward Avenue Action Association. "It's the story of Woodward."

Portions of these sculptures are being paid for by National Scenic Byway grants. The Woodward Avenue Action Association is still making plans to build another Woodward Tribute in Oakland County near the Royal Oak area and in the city of Detroit.

"That's our next target," Carmona says. "Where exactly we don't know."

Source: Heather Carmona, executive director of the Woodward Avenue Action Association
Writer: Jon Zemke

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A large group of young people with creative ideas to re-imagine Detroit gathered for the [de-fine] Detroit event in M@dison Building last week.

The event is the culmination of a creative competition a few dozen young people from Quicken Loans, Rock Ventures and ROSSETTI, along with students from Lawrence Technological University and the University of Detroit Mercy. The 20-plus participants created a variety of plans they see to re-imagine empty spaces in downtown Detroit and redefine how the Motor City is perceived.

Kelly Deines, Principal and Design Director at ROSSETTI, says the bottom line is to begin a conversation that will take Detroit into its future where young people repopulate its urban core and work to revitalize the city.

"You have got to dream to begin with," Deines says. "Every city that anyone cares about started with a dream."

The [de-fine] Detroit competition encouraged its participants to express their vision and experiences of the city through art. That creative process included a rap performance, architectural drawings with new proposals for old buildings and a number of other creative expressions on how to redefine Detroit.

"The question becomes what's the next phase?" Deines says. "We're not done."

Source: Kelly Deines, Principal and Design Director at ROSSETTI
Writer: Jon Zemke

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The Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs (MCACA) announced an increase in funding to $6.1 million for its fiscal year 2013 programs, allowing for renovations of buildings in local areas.
 
"We are very excited about the support from Governor Rick Snyder and his administration for this increase in funding," said MCACA Executive Director John Bracey. "The additional dollars will allow us to add a new Capital Improvement program, intended for the renovation of facilities and equipment. We also have a new logo to celebrate our future."
 
MCAA will offer grants for three programs.

One program is for operations and project support. This program will give specific operational support to arts and cultural organizations only.

The second program is capital improvements. Through this program, nonprofit organizations and municipalities will receive funding  for the expansion, renovation or construction of cultural facilities; upgrade of equipment and furnishing to provide a competitive and up-to-date environment and necessary equipment. 

The final program provides funding assistance to Michigan nonprofit organizations and municipalities for the expansion, renovation or construction of cultural facilities; upgrade of equipment and furnishing to provide a competitive and up-to-date environment and equipment.
 
Interested nonprofit organizations and schools are eligible to apply for projects that would take place between Jan. 1, and Sept. 30, 2013. Completed online applications are due by Oct. 1. Further information about these programs can be found here. 

MCACA will be conducting free informational workshops on grant guidelines and the application process for potential applicants throughout the state and online throughout the rest of the summer. The Detroit workshop will be held today 
Tuesday, July 31, 1 to 3 p.m. at Max M. Fisher Music Center, 3711 Woodward Ave. 

Source: Alison Loveday 
Writer: Leah Johnson 

As the saying goes: It’s better to give than receive.

Last Saturday, Foster the People, fans and local Detroit residents gave of their time to volunteer at the Heidelberg Project to support Detroit’s under-resourced community. The volunteers helped transform the abandoned burnt homes on Mt. Elliott between Mack and Benson Street into artistic symbols of a bright vision for the future.
 
"We are thrilled to be selected as a volunteer destination on the Foster The Future’s Do Good Project Tour," said Amanda Sansoterra. "Our efforts will not only benefit the community, but show the neighborhood children that by doing something good, it can foster a sense of pride in their community."
 
This is the second year Foster the People has created a Do Good Project to benefit local charities along their North American summer tour.
 
"The response and commitment from our fans last summer was truly beyond our expectations," said lead singer Mark Foster. "This year we wanted to challenge the Do Good team to find unique ways to attract even more volunteers to make an even bigger impact in each city we visit."
 
The tour will continue across North America until July 7. For more information on how to volunteer or make donations, please visit fosterthefuture.com. 

Source: Dena DiSarro
Writer: Leah Johnson 

The historic Garden Theater in Detroit located on Woodward Avenue will soon get a facelift.
 
A recent announcement from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) revealed that the Michigan Strategic Fund approved a $750,000 Michigan Community Revitalization Program incentive for the theater that opened in 1912.  The renovation will generate up to $12.3 million in new private investment and add up to 84 new full time jobs.
 
 “This project will strengthen midtown Detroit and act as a catalyst for a viable residential neighborhood by redeveloping an obsolete building into a vibrant entertainment venue,” said MEDC President and CEO Michael A. Finney in a release.
 
After the renovation, the 32,505 square foot establishment will be known as the Woodward Theater. Originally designed by C. Howard Crane who was also the mastermind behind the design of Orchestra Hall and the Fox Theater, the Woodward Theater will be a 1,300-seat facility featuring artistic performances, live music and provide space to support sales meetings and corporate conferences.
 
“This is a very important step forward for an anchor development in Midtown,” said Brian Holdwick, executive vice president for business development at Detroit Economic Growth Corporation (DEGC). “It is an excellent example of using several historic structures as the foundation for new investment and economic growth, because it brings together entertainment, retail stores, office space and eventually, much needed rental housing.”

Writer: Leah Johnson 

Woodward Avenue between McNichols Avenue and 8 Mile Road is set to become a sunnier place this summer thanks to a large sunflower planting planned for the Palmer Park area.

A number of community groups and businesses in Palmer Park, University District and Chaldean Town neighborhoods that surround the northern section of Woodward, led by the Woodward Avenue Action Association, will be planting 700 sun flowers in medians, in front of businesses and parks on Michigan's Main Street this spring.

"We want to get people talking about the area and get people interested in the area," says Ken Weikal, a landscape architect and vice president of GrowTown, a Farmington Hills-based business helping lead the project. "There is a lot going on and nobody talks about it."

The sunflowers will at first be grown in greenhouses at Penrose Village urban gardens near the east side of 7 Mile Road in Chaldean Town. Once they are sprouted they will be planted along Woodward. Weikel says the community groups choose sunflowers because it is a hearty plant that grew well along Woodward during a few test runs last year.

"Sunflowers are big and showy," Weikal says. "People generally really, really like them."

Source: Ken Weikal, vice president of GrowTown
Writer: Jon Zemke

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Lydia Gutierrez has a vision for growing up in Southwest Detroit's Mexicantown neighborhood. She sees a place where young people can express their creative sides, take advantage of mentoring and use it all as a springboard to college. She's making that happen with the Garaje Cultural.

The owner of Hacienda Mexican Foods plans to open the cultural center for kids by this summer. The tortilla-making business is renovating a 18,000-square-foot warehouse on Livernois near Otis Street where 8,000-square-feet will be dedicated toward the Garaje Cultural and the rest will be used for Hacienda Mexican Foods warehousing needs. Gutierrez sees the entire building becoming the home to Garaje Cultural within a few years.

"It's an opportunity for us to give back to the community that has supported us so much," Gutierrez says.

She plans to have murals painted on the interior of the building and provide resources so teens can explore their creative ambitions. The Garaje Cultural (Spanish for cultural garage) will also provide mentoring for these young people so they can capitalize on their aspirations. It will also host career fairs and other events that Gutierrez hopes will lead to more young people utilizing the resources there as a springboard to college.

Work is already underway on the building. Gutierrez hopes to open the Garaje Cultural within 60-90 days.

Source: Lydia Gutierrez, owner of Hacienda Mexican Foods
Writer: Jon Zemke

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The Hellenic Museum of Michigan, an institution devoted to celebrating Green culture, is turning one of Midtown's more historic buildings into one of the neighborhood's greenest.

The Hellenic Museum of Michigan recently bought the Scherer mansion at 67 E. Kirby, one of the few remaining grand mansions along the lower Woodward corridor. Robert Pauli Schearer invented the soft gelatin capsule, which was a major step forward for the pharmaceutical industry.

The Scherer mansion was built in 1912 and eventually became the home of the Detroit Children's Museum. The building was vacant for 10 years before the Hellenic Museum of Michigan purchased it with plans of turning it into its future home in the heart of Detroit's cultural center.

"We're going to upgrade the entire building," says Ernest Zachary, president of the Hellenic Museum of Michigan. "We're gradually getting it together."

The renovation will have a heavily lean on sustainability. The Hellenic Museum of Michigan has installed LED lights throughout the building and plans to install other green features, such as low-flow plumbing, insulation and a geothermal heating/cooling system. The Hellenic Museum of Michigan has received a $66,160 SmartBuilding's grant from the city to help make these upgrades.

The Hellenic Museum of Michigan is working to get the building to the point where it can be open on a daily basis. It has raised about $450,000 to get the project this far and is working to raise even more. For information on making a donation to the effort, call Zachary at 313-831-6100.

Source: Ernest Zachary, president of the Hellenic Museum of Michigan
Writer: Jon Zemke

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Marianne Burrows likes to say her little artists enclave is "hidden in plain sight" over a dollar store at the corner of Jos Campau and Caniff streets in Hamtramck. She and a small group of artists took an old apartment flat and turned it into Urban Fable Studios.

"It was totally a crazy mess when we moved in," says Marianne Burrows, co-founder of Urban Fable Studios. "Now there are six artists in there."

Burrows, a sign maker for Great Lakes Beverage Company, and her fellow artists found the 1,500-square-foot space last fall, leasing it in December. The six-bedroom apartment was filthy, in need of electrical work and plumbing repairs and a fair amount of other TLC. The group has now turned it into a studio and gallery space for themselves and other local artists.

"I want it to be known as a place that kicks out a lot of work and hosts some great events," Burrows says.

The space was originally a doctor's office in the mid 20th Century and later an apartment.

Source: Marianne Burrows, co-founder of Urban Fable Studios
Writer: Jon Zemke

Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com