July 12- November 25, 2007
Arab American National Museum
13624 Michigan Ave.
Dearborn, MI 48126
(313) 582-2266

Have you looked in your closet lately? What do your clothes say about you? About your marital status? About where you live?

How much of what you wear was made by you or your family members? Do your clothes reflect your own creative talent? Do you embellish the surface of your clothing yourself?

We live in a consumer culture that focuses its attention on mass-produced clothing and accessories that carry “brand name” designer labels because we aspire to fame by association. We even support the counter-culture of “knockoffs” of Burberry, Gucci, Yves St. Laurent, etc. thinking we are beating the designers at their own game by purchasing these “copies” for a deep discount. What does this say about us as individuals, as people?

Threads of Pride: Palestinian Traditional Costumes speaks volumes about the pride taken in cultural identity as demonstrated in the creative handwork of Palestinian women from over a century ago. It also celebrates their ingenuity, self-confidence, self-expression within traditional boundaries, adaptability, and survival.

Walk into the exhibition gallery at the Arab American National Museum and you will be stunned by the number of female manikins dressed in traditional finery and grouped by region along the walls. Additional dresses are placed on display mounts adjacent to the groupings. Headscarves are mounted on the walls behind the manikins. Separate panels provide close up views of embroidery motifs that can be found in the clothing. Small display cases contain accessories such as shoes and jewelry.

Your modern, untrained, and culturally jaundiced eyes will automatically sweep across the scene taking in the colors of fabric and thread in a kaleidoscopic blur. You will see the similarity of texture from a distance and be tempted to dismiss the work as looking all the same. Not surprisingly, however, the vibrancy of the colors compared to your own quotidian clothing will excite you and draw you in to pay closer attention to the details, the differences, that define each of the seven regions represented. In short, you will be amazed.

Gradually you will come to understand that approximately 100 years ago, Palestinian women from Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Jaffa, El Khalil (Hebron,) Ramallah, Majdal and Gaza as well as the nomadic Bedouin of the southern desert region developed their own embroidery designs borrowing from architectural motifs, local plants, and spiritual symbols. A vertical line of chevrons known as “tall palms” echoes the bark of a palm tree. The eight-pointed star is a “moon” motif. The bold S, sometimes reversed, is a “leech” symbolizing longevity. The style of embroidered panels, types of fabrics, set them apart from one another to such a degree that their region of origin could be identified from a distance. Women in Jerusalem used a couching stitch for curvilinear designs used to embellish jackets. Bethlehem women became so skilled in their embroidery that they were able to sell their work. Their chest panels, densely embroidered with a pattern of five circles (flower blossoms) forming a very stylized representation of the “tree of life,”can be found on dresses from other towns.

Headdresses indicated whether women were married or unmarried. An unmarried woman would have very few coins, if any, on her headdress, whereas a married woman would display and carry her wealth on her head.

Embroidery was used on everyday dresses as well as wedding dresses and dresses for special occasions. Women were as distinctive working in the fields as they were visiting their husband’s family. These dresses were part of their identity. Work done by their own hands demonstrated their skill and imagination. As a dress wore out the embroidery panels might be cut off and stitched onto another dress or made into a pillow cover or if badly worn used as a hot pad. Work that took thousands of hours to create was not thoughtlessly discarded.

With the industrialization of fashion, the same cannot be said of women’s ready-to-wear clothing today. Likewise these traditional dresses and embroidery patterns that were passed down through families for centuries have been replaced by westernized clothing styles. Thus this collection is not only of stylistic but also of historical importance.

A booklet by Hanan Munayyer who together with her husband, Farah, began collecting the Palestinian clothing in this collection in 1987, provides historical background, as well as information useful in identifying the distinct regional patterns. Hanan has been researching the clothing and embroidery patterns for 20 years by looking at examples in museum collections, historical photographic collections, as well as reading museum publications on textile history. In her lecture on the evening of the opening of the exhibition, she traced the style of clothing and hand-woven fabric with distinct patterns to Canaanite times as portrayed on Egyptian tomb paintings. The style of the A-shaped, long tunic/dress dates to the 2-4th c. C. E. Cross-stitch embroidery using a strong, fine needle required the same technology that gave rise to steel sword blades in the 9th c. C. E. Furthermore, Arabic dress influenced medieval European fashion from heraldry to headwear to embroidery patterns. The invention of the printing press disseminated these patterns throughout Europe and subsequently to the Americas, helping them return, modified, to Palestine with DMC embroidery threads in the 19th century.

War in the Middle East has destroyed the cohesiveness of many cultures, especially the Palestinians. Palestinian women refugees have formed embroidery cooperatives in other countries as a means of supporting themselves and their families. Using traditional patterns, these modern embroiderers produce contemporary items carrying ancient symbols of identity and pride to Palestinians in the diaspora as well as to a wider audience.

This small portion of the Munayyer collection will require many visits to be appreciated fully. Looking at the colors and fabrics used in making the long, loose-fitting, simple dresses as well as looking at the stitches and motifs used in the embroidered panels on the chest, sleeves and skirt will require time and concentration. This is a visual feast, especially for fiber enthusiasts of all cultures, so spread the word! It will be on view until November 25, 2007.

Illustrations courtesy of the Arab American National Museum: Devon Akmon, photographer.

Dolores S. Slowinski, member, Michigan Surface Design Association

The reuse, the literal reimagining of what’s been abandoned – artists have always had this ability to breathe new life into things and make us look at them differently – to see beauty where others saw only decay. This rehabilitation of old materials into artworks has long been a mainstay of Detroit artists in particular where so much has just been left behind and neglected. The Cass Corridor artists thrived on the remains of the city’s industrial past as did others – Charles McGee once took a wall from a decrepit barber shop and transformed it into a sculptural piece. Today we see strong examples of this – Tyree Guyton and the Heidelberg Project comes to mind of course. Scott Hocking’s rusted relics serve as another example and plenty of other artists have followed suit, turning a place of abandonment into a treasure trove of jewels.

As it’s true of making objects, it’s also true of the structures themselves. And Detroit, of course, is filled with such decrepit buildings. Too often we just knock ‘em down – think the Madison-Lenox Hotel and the Motown Building as two recent examples. Yet, an eyesore to some is a place of vitality for another. In the right eyes and with enough imagination, the abandoned is a place of vitality, a well-spring of possibility. Our very art spaces in this town reflect much of the work that comes from here. Prime examples include Aaron Timlin’s detroit contemporary (now CAID), which he brought to life armed only with credit cards and moxie, and the newest kid on the block, financed with deeper pockets, the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD).

It’s part “can do” attitude and part vision, that artists are often the pioneers, willing to live and work in not so perfect for cheap rents and lots of space, and often end up transforming a neighborhood in the process. New York City’s thriving Chelsea art scene is the prominent example of this transformation. When Jef Bourgeau brought his Museum of New Art (MoNA) to Detroit, for a brief time it and related projects he coordinated enlivened the blocks around it. Those with less vision for the possibilities inherent in what the arts could do for the area sent him back to Pontiac. But such places abound in the city, a bunch of bright spots on a map hoping to grow dense enough to be linked together. Some start with that in mind, and when George N’Namdi’s new Detroit gallery and creation of the surrounding Sugar Hill Arts District, looked to bring just that sort of vibrancy to the city – breathe new life into buildings, hence breathing new life into the larger community.

While “loft” living has become trendy now – they’re creating such things from scratch in Royal Oak and even in Detroit (which seems such a betrayal of the definition of such spaces), this embrace of reuse of spaces has long been championed by arts. It is in keeping with the vision of preservationists, and certainly environmentalists – it’s reduce, reuse, recycle all in one act. It just makes sense on a lot of levels.

With that said, there are a lot of such places in Detroit, and we offer this brief synopsis of the history of a few of them (with information about each one supplied by the folks behind them) as a testament to what they’ve achieved and bring to this community, and as a signpost for the possibilities that are all around us – and the life that needs to come back to so much of this city.

In getting into this, it really seems like each place should really have a piece devoted to its history, and perhaps we’ll go further in depth in the future on this. But for now, here’s an abridged look at a sampling of some of the places that bring so much to the city.

555 4884 Grand River Ave. Detroit.

This space originally housed the Michigan Tent and Awning Company who (coincidentally) manufactured tents and awnings for commercial use and perhaps even for miscellaneous military uses. The company relocated and the building sat empty for about four years before 555 moved in in 2004.

555’s own history has a lot of twists and turns. Initially begun in Ann Arbor, the collective was forced to relocate and went to Ypsilanti before settling in Detroit. In each place they’ve rejuvenated the buildings they were residing in before those locations ended up being slated for demolition and redevelopment. This brings up a long standing issue with artists and development – too often they come in when things are rough, make improvements, and once others can see the potential in the property, they end up getting the boot with higher prices and bigger developments. We hope that 555 is here to stay in Detroit – as they’ve done much to their space, and have big plans to continue to transform the building.

4731 4731 Grand River Ave. Detroit

This building was erected around 1908 by the Leonard Warehouse Company for business storage. There are similar twin buildings around town. According to owner Ric Geyer, the building was then occupied in the 1940s by the Michigan Furniture Company (or something to that effect) who operated a furniture sales center and warehouse. The building was purchased by Chuck Roy, who owns the Cass Café, and then purchased from Roy by Geyer in 2000. It now houses artists studios, a gallery, and is currently working install a restaurant in the adjoining space now called “It’s Detroit, Dog” – an exclusive hot dog establishment that will focus on Detroit products.

Bohemian House 3009 Tillman St. Detroit

The Bohemian National Home was built in 1914 as a community center for immigrants from Bohemia, (now part of the Czech Republic) many of whom resided in that neighborhood. It later became a Lithuanian community center before sitting vacant in the 1980s. The Corktown Press took it over in the late 1990s for a bit, and then it became a private residence. Since 2005, this space has been continually renovated and increasingly more active as a music venue and arts space. In addition to a full ballroom and stage, it has a basketball court – and how cool is that?

CAID 5141 Rosa Parks Blvd. Detroit.

The initial structure was built to be a grocery store in 1889. It late became a Billiard Hall, and still later would gain an addition in 1950s or so when it became an auto parts store. The next tenant was a Baptist Church, who vacated in 1994 where it would sit until 1998 when Aaron Timlin purchased it and turned it into a commercial gallery and music venue. It lived as detroit contemporary for about five years and since 2004 the space has been operated by the non-profit arts organization CAID, which maintains a gallery and theatre/performance venue there.

G.R. N’Namdi 66 E. Forest. Detroit

We’re a little short on specifics on this one, but back in 1981 George N’Namdi opened up Jazzonia gallery in Harmonie Park and remained there for three years. He moved the gallery around a bit and then headed north to Birmingham for about 13 years and then returned to Detroit in 2001 in a space on Forest Avenue. Over the last several years there’s been talk of expansion and an entire arts corridor being built, and it appears it’s on the verge of becoming reality. Before the gallery takes up residence in its permanent home on Forest in an auto repairshop, N’Namdi returns to Harmonie Park to his original site for the duration of construction, which will also include other galleries and cafes, and the neighboring Arts League of Michigan Center. Stay tuned for what’s next over the coming year.

Johanson Charles 1345 Division St. Detroit.

This space has seen a lot of different primarily food related businesses under its roof. In the 1930s it was the Schewhack Bros. wholesale grain & sugar co. It became a fish market in the 1950s and during the 60s up until around 1970 it was the home of The General Egg Crate & Basket Co. It then sat dormant until 1996 when it became the Johanson Charles Gallery, and has been in continual operation by owner Kevin Hanson ever since.

Liberal Arts Gallery 3361 Gratiot Ave. Detroit.

It was originally the Cuomo Hardware and Toy Store. At a much later date it became an Area IV Substance Abuse Clinic before sitting vacant for a time. Duane Beline was looking for a new living space late in 1984, stumbled onto it. “I met a beautiful Italian family who’d moved their hardware business to East Pointe, MI. They agreed to give me a Land Contract for the purchase of the building… I started to create the ultimate bachelor living space, but at that time, the City of Detroit was not given to residential living in a commercial space. I’d met many artists during that time. They expressed a need for more venues to show their work. My love for art, and having a space, I embarked on a nearly 20yr quest to bring fine arts to the inner city. The Gallery opened around 1989. It’s been wonderful.” We agree. While the space is a little less frequently active than some of the other spaces, it’s quite nice and one hopes in spreading the word about it, it will continue to grow in activity.

MOCAD 4454 Woodward Ave. Detroit.

One of the most recent and obviously most well known spaces, MOCAD’s cavernous building was originally a Dodge Dealership built around 1921. It remained in service as car dealerships for the next few decades. It would later become a store for billiards and related equipment. Hutzel Hospital would next use it as a warehouse, before the Manoogian Foundation got ahold of it, and maintained for sometime with the idea of it becoming a contemporary arts space. Using architect Andrew Zago’s design MOCAD opened the doors in the fall of 2006 and intend to continue to renovate the space while maintaining its motor city heritage. Unlike almost all of the other arts spaces discussed, this one never was completely abandoned or sat vacant.

MONA 7 N. Saginaw St. Pontiac.

Jef Bourgeau’s Museum of New Art has been all over and deserves a longer entry here. But the short version – he started it as the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) in the Oakland Arts Center in Pontiac – three separate buildings built in the 1920s left vacant after the 1960s that the city bought up and turned into the arts center in the mid 1990s. MCA went non-profit in 2000 and moved to Detroit on the second floor of the Book Building. By that point all the other art spaces in the Arts Center had left or closed – the buildings were once again empty. MONA thrived in Detroit and helped a number of short term store front galleries spring up also along Washington Boulevard.

In 2003 the Book Building owners refused to renew his lease, and Bourgeau took MONA back to Pontiac and the Oakland Arts Center in 2004. The current space is constantly shifting and at times he operates a number of the galleries within the building.

Pioneer Building 2679 E. Grand Blvd. Detroit.

Back in 1905 two brothers named Trippensee started a corporation to make orreries – planetariums – mechanical models of Earth, moon, and the Sun. They built their own building for the business in 1908, and soon after shifted their manufacturing operation to getting into the automobile business – making enclosed bodies for Buick and Ford. Business was booming and they expanded the original building significantly. In the early 1920s they sold their business to Barney Everitt, and the building would soon become the manufacturing home for the Rickenbacker Motorcar Co. From 1924 to 1960 the building served as home to various tenants making everything from ice scrapers to hacksaws.

Gerhard Woberman bought the building in 1960 and turned it into the headquarters for his Pioneer Office Products business, and changed the name of the building to reflect that of the company. In 1985, he was growing older and ill of health, and forced to shrink his business. To fill up the rest of the building, he rented some of the spaces to artists. In 1994 painter Anne Fracassa was one of those artists and with the help of her 6 kids renovated much of the building, which prompted the owner to suggest they consider buying the building. Thus Fracassa Ventures Inc. was born, and purchased the Pioneer Building and since then the entire building has been devoted solely to artists’ studios.

Russell Industrial Center – Detroit Industrial Projects 1610 Clay St. Detroit.

This Albert Kahn designed building was built in 1915 and has always been host to a number of different businesses in its massive 7 building, 2.2 million square foot campus. In its early days it was primarily home to automotive manufacturing but as industry shifted so did its tenants, and thus by the 1950s it was known as the print “Mecca” of the Midwest – where “everything and anything that was printed, bound, licked, and stamped that was delivered in the Midwest mailbox came through Russell at one point.” It would shift again in the mid 1990s with the arrival of the first wave of artists’ studios – beginning with Salt Mine Glass Studio in 1996. Now it houses over 120 commercial tenants with 600-700 people that walk its halls on a daily basis. Of that 120, 80 are visual artists, including wood workers, metal fabricators, painters, photographers, architects, clothing designers and installation artists – like Adnan Charara and Detroit Industrial Projects gallery.

Scarab Club 217 Farnsworth St. Detroit.

The Scarab Club stands out as being the only building built with the intent of being an art space that remains true to that original mission to this day. Back in 1907, a group of artists and enthusiasts got together to talk art and be social and called themselves the Hopkin Club. They started to get organized with a board and such by 1913 and officially became the Scarab Club. In 1928 the permanent structure was built – and played host to costume balls, local artist members, and significant visiting artists who’ve all signed its historic ceiling beams over the years. Today it has galleries, classes, artists’ studios, and residencies, as it has since its inception.

Zeitgeist 2661 Michigan Ave. Detroit.

What we do know at this point comes from current gallery director Jim Puntigam, who credits Roy Staysco (?) a clay instructor at WCCC with filling him in. Staysco inherited the building from his family and claims that it was built when Michigan Ave. was two lanes and was a three story building. When the street was widened they had to take off the front of the building along with the top two stories, though they added on to the back. At one point it was a tailor shop.

In 1979 Carl and Diana Alva Kamulski bought it and turned it into the Michigan Gallery. The gallery was a strong aspect of the community frequently showing many artists from the area, as well as offering frequent life drawing classes and the like. When it closed, Troy Richard bought it in 1996 and it continued on as Zeitgeist, initially run by Karl Schneider, and now by Puntigam and others. In his words, “I personally grew up artistically here at the Michigan Gallery and have had a strong connection to this building for 27 years.” It stands out for among other reasons, as being active as an arts space for the last 28 years, no small feat in this town.

And there are many others in town. For instance, J. Rainey Gallery operated by Jocelyn Rainey in the Atlas Building off Gratiot across from the Eastern Market. Once home to the Atlas Furniture Company, the building is now home to artists’ studios, residences, and Rainey’s gallery. Izzy’s Raw Art Gallery, run by Karl Schneider formerly of Zeitgeist, was built for a textile operation. The Brooklyn Building of artists’ lofts. Pewabic Pottery and so many more. As I said above, this deserves much more in depth coverage on those listed as well as those absent.

As much of Detroit has been abandoned, so too has its history. In reclaiming these lost spaces, artists preserve a bit of that history. In presenting this limited look at the individual histories of these spaces, I hope it prompts a more expansive investigation into the history, and perhaps a few more folks will see a shell of a once-proud building, and begin to wonder, “What if….” – Nick Sousanis
ws@thedetroiter.com

Check out entry forms here:
http://www.annarborartcenter.org/docs/annual2007.pdf

Motor City Brewing Works

A few weeks back, CCS grad, former runner of 101Up Gallery, and current Cranbrook MFA candidate, Mark Sengbusch took center stage on the Motor City Brewing Works weekly showcase. Sengbusch has been showing regularly and quite active in the Detroit arts community for some time now in a variety of roles from exhibitor to promoter, and it’s nice to have an opportunity to check in on the development with his work while he’s reaching for new frontiers in graduate school.

When Sengbusch was first starting to get recognition in town, it was for a series of paintings in which he made an amazingly prolific 101 paintings every week for 20 weeks. It was an excellent exercise in process, in persistence, and the benefits of rigor, and produced (obviously) a huge body of work, consisting primarily of small wooden disks, with design imagery painted flat on them. Sharp work, catchy – and allowed him to experiment with composition, painting technique, forms, juxtaposition of color – all important stuff. Over this past year, he’s shown a similar sort of willingness to experiment, working with cutout forms, layered in resin among other things.

With this exhibition, Sengbusch returns a little bit to more traditional media than resins and cutouts, but that experience has definitely crept into the work. What was on display offered some of the characteristics of the older design work, but with a whole new approach to layering and more subtle complexity. It feels as if Sengbusch is putting deeper thought and feeling into what the work is becoming, what language it’s speaking. The design works struck a certain cord, but they tended to keep striking that cord. Here we see elements of design, patterning and grid layout also referencing quilt composition, with layers of painting – not mixed, but built on top of one another as a sort of strata – the relationships between colors and forms are established through juxtaposition. There’s a lot to take in and spend time with this work – in terms of form and the visual aesthetic.

The beauty of the weekly, one night format is in giving more frequent opportunities to show with slightly lessened expectations, artists can put out works in progress, can test ideas out and step back for a look, before diving back into the work – with a little bit more informed perspective than before. We might ask: Is he there yet? Is this the final permutation? Of course not. This is information adding up to the next move, the next forking path the artist will take. We’re never done asking questions, probing deeper into possibilities – and asking, “what’s next?” If an artist is really at this journey of continued discovery, these are simply points of reflection on what’s been done and signposts for what’s to come.

As the viewer, Motor City’s regular showcase offers the chance to see artists grow, to evolve. We can watch as elements combine, dissipate, as the identity of the artist becomes more established. Sengbusch’s active career reflects the need for more frequent exhibitions. We get to watch the artist mature, see what remains consistent throughout all the work, even as certain elements are subject to constant change. Armed with a decent memory and catching a lot of shows, one can really see this personal history unfold – as fascinating a journey as any single piece could ever be.

The past few months, due to a number of factors I’ve been unable to catch Motor City’s weekly event – and thus missed out a string of known faces and new – and see where they’re headed. This weekly exhibition is a vital service to the art community, and if you’re not already a regular (or at least semi-regular) it’s worth checking out. And I hear they have beer there too. See you there. – Nick Sousanis
ws@thedetroiter.com
for more on Sengbusch, see his website here.

Blue sky, green grass, and infield dust…the great outdoor setting of Clark Park in Southwest Detroit took us out of the white cube. Sunlight replaced spotlights. Lemonade and Kowalski hot dogs, with corn chips on the side, were served instead of tastefully presented catered nibbles accompanied by sips of wine or beer. Sculptors, painters, editors, poets were transformed once more into catchers, pitchers, infielders and outfielders. Shorts, t-shirts, baseball caps or straw hats, sturdy shoes, kneepads, mitts, and bats were de rigueur for team members.

Pre-game protocol saw the first pitch thrown out by former Detroit Tiger pitcher, Denny McLain; caught by Detroit Sportscaster, Eli Zaret. The national anthem was poetically recited by Ken Mikolowski; then played by trumpeter Patrick Hession. In the fifth inning he even treated us to Take Me Out to the Ball Game!

Instead of thinking of ourselves and where we would see our work shown or published, we remembered Roy Castleberry and his many contributions to the Detroit art community. Castleberry died on May 25, 2007. Players also wore his name on their team shirtsleeves in remembrance of his performance in the first Detroit Focus Benefit Softball games.

It may not have been a “perfect game” but it was a perfectly relaxed and playful, early evening gathering of friends. Players and fans brought their families. Children tumbled around in the stands even as players ran the base paths.

After 24 years, it seems the competitive softball edge has mellowed as temples have grayed, knees tightened up, waistlines thickened. That is not to say that there weren’t some solid long balls over the heads of the outfielders from the younger players. The more mature members of both line-ups finessed a few well-placed hits up the middle and were extended the courtesy of pinch runners if needed. Most exciting was the grand slam home run that brought the entire crowd to its feet!

It was great fun to stand behind the backstop and alternately cheer or heckle both teams…as an artist and writer, why not? The final score? Artists 9, Writers 3.

After the traditional softball ritual of both teams lining up to congratulate one another for a “good game,” I was honored to present the Roy Castleberry Cup to Jerome Ferretti, Coach of the Detroit Artists team.

As the crowd slowly dissipated to regroup at Los Galanes restaurant on Bagley in Mexicantown to celebrate, I drove home enjoying the mingling of sweet, new memories with old. My congratulations to the Detroit Artists Market for reviving Art Ball!

Dolores S. Slowinski, retired Commissioner of Art Ball. Photos courtesy of the Detroit Artists Market.

For last week’s look back at Art Ball past, please see our feature story here.

Twenty-four years ago, as a board member of Detroit Focus Gallery, I suggested a softball tournament as a fund-raiser. My husband, Bob D’Aoust, played softball in a league at Softball City at the State Fair Grounds. I’d come to know the manager of the facility and had asked him if it would be possible to hold a fundraiser there. He agreed to provide the use of the fields at no cost if we would pay the umpire fees and that a Sunday would be perfect.

I thought the rivalry of artists vs. collectors would be interesting…not realizing that artists would play on both teams. Nor did I realize that artists could be such jocks! Not only did we find enough men and women to play on four teams for a single elimination tournament, but it was also quite something to see players jump teams for the final game in an effort to ensure the best hitters and fielders. David Barr, determined to win, hailed one key player after another to be on his team. T-shirts were peeled off one player and pulled over the head of another behind the backstop. Everyone was pumped! The printed scorecards made no sense by the last game because the compositions of the teams had changed before the spectators’ eyes.

Each player was sponsored by a gallery or collector. Bat boys and girls included Molly Mikolowski, who was already an avid baseball fan at the age of 8. Senator Jack Faxon called the play by play. Fred Cummings, director of the DIA, threw out the first ball. And “The Winger,” mascot for the Detroit Red Wings, ran around and generally created havoc around the bases. That was the first year. Why “The Winger?” I had met Mike Illitch at a softball game and introduced myself. Detroit, in the 1980s, was a hotbed for professional slow pitch softball of which Mike Illitch’s Detroit Caesars were a championship team. Later I wrote to him as owner of the Detroit Red Wings, asking him if “The Winger” could add to our festivities.

The second year, I invited Budd Lynch, the long-time play-by-play then public address announcer for the Detroit Red Wings to throw out the first ball. When he returned my call, he reminded me that he only had one arm, having been wounded during WW II as a member of the Essex Scottish Regiment of the Canadian Forces. I told him that he only needed one arm to throw out the first pitch. He laughed and came out and joined in the fun.

We even had our “celebrity” singer of the national anthem, Carl Grapentine, the popular host from classical music station WQRS. Carl was worried that he might forget the words so brought his own copy of the lyrics as there was no giant digital scoreboard on which to make them appear as he sang. Since softball games are only seven innings long, there was no time to sing “Take Me out to the Ball Game.”

Someone on the staff of the MetroTimes designed the t-shirts for the first two years. I remember my parents buying much of the unsold stock of those shirts and sending them to relatives in Poland in care packages to many families.

After the second year, the chairmanship went to someone else and Bob Wilbert even designed a t-shirt. The softball games continued as fund-raisers for Detroit Focus for a few more years before fizzling out.

So if you plan to attend the game at Clark Park on Saturday, July 14, 2007, don’t be surprised to see artists and writers in a most competitive mood, and ready to have some serious fun.

Dolores S. Slowinski, Retired Commissioner of Artball.
Records and photos from those first two years are now in the Michigan Artists Archives at the Saginaw Art Museum.

Earlier this week your arts editor had the opportunity to give a talk for Preservation Wayne at the Opera House called “Creative Space in Old Places.” Essentially, with the help of the galleries around town, I shared a little history about all the art spaces we know and love, and what they were before they became what they are today – and a little bit about how that transformation took place.

So in two weeks, I’ll share those stories of what’s been reconditioned, breathed new life into, but before then, we want to give you a chance to show just how much you know about the history of art spaces in the city.

So to that end, we present our first quiz – a quick tour through history. The first person to email the correct answers to the questions below wins a “thedetroiter.com” t-shirt and the envy of all. Contest deadline is Monday July 23, 11:59pm. Winner and article printed that week. Please send answers to ws@thedetroiter.com, with a subject heading of “Art Space Challenge.”

So, on with the quiz:

1) After renovating two other spaces in neighboring cities, this non-profit arts organization pitched their own “Tent” of sorts in Detroit in 2004.
2) It started life as a grocery store in 1889, later grew in size to become an auto parts store, and went through a few more incarnations before eventually sitting vacant. In 1998 an enterprising young Detroiter would purchase it and turn it into a thriving commercial art space, as it remains today run by a non-profits arts organization.
3) It’s been used to sell grain, sugar, fish, eggs, and baskets, and then sat empty for some 20 years. Since 1996 it’s been continuously active as a gallery and performance venue.
4) Built as a Dodge dealership around 1920, this cavernous space would serve in that capacity for some time. Even in leaner times it was used as a warehouse, so never sat truly vacant, before being transformed into its current life in 2006.
5) This building was originally built back in 1908 for the construction of orreries (or more popularly planetariums.) It later served as a manufacturer of the Rickenbacker Motor Car Co. Now it’s home to a large number of artists’ studios.
6) This mammoth facility was designed by Albert Kahn and built back in 1915. In the 1950s it was known as the print mecca of the Midwest. Now it hopes to be known as the art mecca of the Midwest with a growing number of studios and galleries being added all the time.
7) This space was built as an art space and remains so today. (It may be the only one of its kind in the city, with the exception of the Museum.) The organization has been around 100 years and the permanent building has been standing proudly since 1928.
8) This space was once a three story building in the days that Michigan Avenue was but two lanes. It’s been an important arts venue continuously since 1979. In 1996 the current owners took over, and it continues to feature cutting edge arts and theater.
9) Originally built in 1914 as a community center for immigrants from an area now part of the Czech Republic, this building is in the process of being restored and serves as a vibrant music space and arts space, (and has a basketball court!)
10) This family owned gallery started out in Detroit, went north to Birmingham for some time, and returned to Detroit. Their next home will be in an expansive auto repair shop.
11) Bonus – extra difficult question. Was built as an Italian-owned Hardware and Toy Store. In its later life was used as a substance abuse clinic. Since 1989 it’s been an arts space with consistent (though not always frequent) exhibitions.

Again, send your answers to ws@thedetroiter.com no later than July 23, 2007.

Gallery Project
Through July 29, 2007

(Please excuse the lack of images, we are undergoing some renovation and are unable to do so at this point. But they will be added as soon as we can.)

For their current exhibition, the Gallery Project collaborators and friends have trained their thematic sites on the very “State of the Union.” The artists’ version of the leader of this country’s annual address serves as a reminder that this country is a union of separate interests, people, and places. Something that when chanting “USA,” it seems we tend to forget the whole “United” thing. The forging and preservation of any union means a constant and active dialogue to which artists make a vital contribution.

There’s plenty of strong and evocative work, demonstrating well that the participating artists are quite passionate about their subject matter. Quite rightly so, the work tends to be dominated what passes for leadership in this country, the ongoing war, our dependence on oil, and the environment. At a time when the major media outlets are so passive, the role of artists to question, to rabble rouse, is all the more essential.

With so many different sorts of works on hand it’s hard to pick out only a few to mention. Some particulars: Peter Williams’ curious, plastic, human-like caricatures, entitled “Green Zone,” a reference to the area walled off housing the US occupation in Baghdad. The work both serves as commentary on the state of affairs in Iraq and fits quite well within the former Detroit painter’s oeuvre. On the more “outsiderish” end of the painting spectrum, Maurice Greenia, Jr. and Rocco DePietro tackle the subjects of politics and war. Julie Renfro’s ornate objects are compelling in their beauty. In “Once Upon a Time,” she’s placed within a box with a porthole window an image of the earth and stars hanging about it inside. The delicate nature of the imagery speaks quietly and profoundly about the preciousness of this planet.

Gloria Pritschet delivers a number of compelling and lingering images that engage our pathos through a variety of media: one is a photograph with a grieving figure reflected in the names of the Vietnam War Memorial, another is a printout ceiling high several rows wide listing all the soldiers killed in Iraq with holes burned through it, and a third is a montage of photos stuck against a flag image documenting the severely underreported protest movement. The timelessness of these images and the fact that they document cycles we’ve seen again and again speak volumes without additional narrative.

The activist spirit of this show is taken up strongly by two artists: among other pieces, Frank Pahl shares a trademark animated musical machine that plays his own version of the National Anthem – corporatized. Jack Summers incorporates collage and design with great insight and skills all towards demonstrating the “Emperor’s lack of clothes.” Both artists provoke a sad knowing laugh with their works.

Though I may well be wrong, I’m troubled a bit with the tendency in political shows toward “Bush Bashing” and the like. It’s not that I disagree with such things. Not in the least. I have no trouble saying in print, this man is a terrible leader and has brought much harm to this nation and to the people of the world with his actions. But while many of the works are fun and certainly clever to those who already agree with the point of view being expressed, I’m not convinced they offer the power to alter people’s perspective in a whole way that art could truly achieve. It’s a lot to ask, yes, but artists can be forerunners enabling us all to look at our world differently. To this end, I mention Emily Linn’s collaborative installation addressing broken glass, of which a subset is on view in this exhibition (see our previous review of the work here). Though perhaps not a great fit in this show, it definitely achieves such a transformation of perspective. Having experienced this work, I can’t help but take more notice of the broken glass on my streets and look at these glittering piles in quite new ways.

As has been the case since its inception, Gallery Project deserves great credit for all that they have done and continue to do with each exhibition in bringing people together from diverse parts. It’s a sort of union, if you will. On the flip side, it would still serve them well to exercise stronger curatorial control not necessarily on account of quality, but in terms of the curator’s role in focusing attention, sharpening the viewer’s gaze and mind on whatever it is that’s being examined. This dynamic between wide open expression and tightening the reigns of curatorial leadership is meta-level commentary on the overall theme of the show, and why we must all always be so vigilant in maintaining the integrity of this union.

At this time of year when we celebrate the fact that we’re free to create, to question our leaders, Gallery Project makes an important commitment to the State of this Union in putting this show on. This is a time in history when we dare not keep quiet. – Nick Sousanis
ws@thedetroiter.com

B. Gallery
Through August 31, 2007

(Please excuse the lack of images, we are undergoing some renovation and are unable to do so at this point. But they will be added as soon as we can.)

An aside: while strolling Birmingham in search of B. Gallery, I ended up stumbling upon several large decorated cat sculptures – Tigers apparently, often adorned with celebrity imagery and other glitzy bits. Yes, they were most definitely created for a good cause, but artists are working in the realm of ideas, exploring aesthetics and materials – public art could offer so much more. (I had thought Scott Hocking’s critique of our penchant for dressed up animal mascots had perhaps slowed this trend down a bit. Apparently not.)

Anyway, rant on hold, hidden down an alleyway looking oddly like it belonged in a Mediterranean villa, is a little salon transformed for the occasion into an art gallery thanks to the efforts of Detroiter and gallerist Stephanie Sweet. And inside is work of the sort that, unlike what’s more easily viewed on the streets, does challenge the viewer and tackles what it means to work in a visual medium in the 21st century.

Artist Matt Lewis delves deeply into paint as color, as vehicle of expression, as a tangible substance in its own right – and not limited to being an agent of image-making. He applies it thick, sometimes it seems straight from the tube and at others he wields the palette knife to spread it like peanut butter on a kid’s sandwich. Despite the multitude of different colors he employs, he manages to keep them each distinct and quite pure. They each have their own presence, their own specific voice within the composition.

Though Lewis’ imagery is non-representationally abstract, there is often a series of vertical forms present in his compositions. They feel like candles or the interior of a temple, or perhaps looking upwards into the light through a grove of trees. The works are all quite distinct, but this compilation of vertical strokes to create directional flow is noticeably consistent throughout all of them. Lewis describes the work as an “attempt at communication with something that is contained within us and at the same time, outside of us.” The language is a bit lofty, but it reads true in the work – they are something to take in and pleasing to the eye, but simultaneously a record of the painter’s internal state.

Lewis displays a great deal of experimentation throughout and clear earnest effort to dive headfirst into the work. In the midst of this process – the spirited play of paint, it feels as if his voice has not completely emerged, but these are quite promising and serious works that offer a lot to spend time with aesthetically and are approaching still deeper territory. Definitely worth meandering down a Birmingham corridor to take a closer look and then keeping a close eye on where this painter goes from here. It should be good. – Nick Sousanis
ws@thedetroiter.com