The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan announced Tuesday September 23, 2008 that the City of Detroit has dropped all charges against the nearly 116 patrons of the Contemporary Art Institute of Detroit (CAID) who were detained and cited by Detroit Police during the raid of a members-only gathering at the gallery.

In August, the ACLU of Michigan filed a brief in 36th District Court to dismiss the charges against Michael White while the other 115 cases were on hold pending the outcome of his case. This agreement affects all pending cases.

“The Detroit police went too far and it is to the credit of the City of Detroit that they have agreed to drop the charges against these young people who did nothing illegal,” said Kary L. Moss, ACLU of Michigan Executive Director. “For years, we have been alarmed by masked police officers in commando outfits and guns drawn needlessly storming peaceful gatherings in Detroit. We encourage the city to take the next step to fix this unconstitutional ordinance and put an end to this practice once and for all.”

Kary L. Moss, ACLU of Michigan Executive Director

On May 31, 2008, more than 100 young people gathered at the CAID, a nonprofit that has promoted art and art education in Detroit for 29 years, for Funk Night, a monthly member’s only event, which lasts from midnight to 5 a.m.

Shortly after 2 a.m. more than two dozen Detroit Police officers, dressed entirely in black, with their faces masked and guns drawn, stormed into the CAID and ordered all patrons to lie face down, including those who were outside on the back patio. Those who did not move fast enough or asked questions were kicked to the ground by officers. The officers then separated men and women and searched them all, issuing each a ticket for “loitering in a place of illegal occupation.” The officers also seized all the vehicles that were at the gallery under the Michigan nuisance abatement statute. In total, approximately 130 loitering citations were issued and 44 vehicles were seized.

Although the officers were identified as police in small writing on their hats and jackets, many patrons reported not being able to see the writing and therefore, were initially terrified that the police were actually armed robbers.

According to the ACLU, the ordinance that the police cited when ticketing CAID patrons is unconstitutionally vague and overbroad, violating patrons’ rights to freedom of expression and association because it fails adequately to define what conduct violates the ordinance. In addition, the arrests violated the patrons’ Fourth Amendment rights because the police did not have probable cause to believe that any individual patron was violating the ordinance at the time of their arrest.

To read the brief in support of the defendant’s motion to dismiss, go to: http://www.aclumich.org/pdf/caidmotiontodismiss.pdf

To read the order of dismissal, go to: http://www.aclumich.org/pdf/caiddismissalorder.pdf

By Nicole Rupersburg

The last weekend of summer brought us the first DIY Street Fair in Ferndale, held in conjunction with the Funky Ferndale Art Show. This Do-It-Yourself-mentality street fair was designed to highlight some of the region’s top talents in art, music, food and brew. Participants from all over the metro Detroit area came out to the fair city of Ferndale and brought their various wares—Michigan-made microbrews, made-on-the-spot art, and indie rock from Detroit’s garage darlings.

I decided to head out to the DIY Street Fair Sunday afternoon, when, conveniently for me, four of my favorite Detroit bands were playing back-to-back. Granted, that would be four out of about 30, but…well, it was still exciting. And it was even more exciting that, as opposed to other (larger) festivals, there was only one music stage—so I didn’t have to play that frantic game of running back and forth between four different stages, never catching more than 15 minutes’ worth of any one band’s set so as to maximize my (free) festival-going experience.

DIY kept it a little simpler for me. One stage, a mere 50 yards from the Go Comedy! Theatre-sponsored beer garden (thank you for that, whoever made that decision), and an onslaught of great bands, thanks to the well-connected festival organizers including the manager of the Hard Lessons and co-partner in the Emory and the WAB, Chris Johnston; co-founder of Handmade Detroit and organizer of the annual Zombie Dance Party, Carey Gustafson; Detroit Derby Girl Tina Iulianelli; Aaron Timlin of the CAID; Marketing and Promotions Manager of the Majestic Theatre Complex, Phil Childers; Heather Carmona, Executive Director of the Woodward Avenue Action Association; and more local business owners and artists.

Between sets from the Pop Project, the Hard Lessons, the Muggs, and Deastro, I checked out the arts vendors and found that many had taken the spirit of “DIY” quite literally. There were the music poster designers (the Silent Giants) who screenprinting new pieces in their tent; the T-shirt designers who offered to silkscreen T’s (or jeans, or knapsacks) for patrons on-the-spot; there was a tent in which a purse designer was making purses out of orange construction-zone plastic; a henna tattoo tent; in addition to artists from Handmade Detroit, the brother/sister team of City Bird, the Detroit Derby Girls, Robert Stanzler’s new T-shirt company Detroit Manufacturing Group, a record store, a record label, and a variety of jewelry, clothing, and other items one would expect to see at an art festival.

But aside from the stellar music lineup, the real standout at the DIY Street Fair which sets it apart from the variety of other festivals we see in the metro Detroit area every summer was the beer garden. 14 different Michigan-based producers of classic brews, microbrews, specialty and seasonal brews, and mead from the new B. Nektar Meadery in Ferndale (yes, mead, like what knights used to drink). The majority of other festivals fail to highlight these hand-crafted, indigenous products which are one of the major contributions of Michigan’s rich agricultural traditions. “CityFest” and “Arts, Beats, and Eats” nail all aspects of local food, music, and art…but the beverages are sadly lacking, leaving us with choices between Budweiser, Miller, and Heineken. This is a sad oversight by other festival organizers, and I was thrilled to see how the folks behind DIY paid attention to these very valuable products in Michigan’s increasing homegrown pride.

But back to the bands. They absolutely killed it. This was the Hard Lessons’ final metro Detroit-area show with drummer “The Anvil,” so they were especially energetic. But all the bands I was able to catch put on a high-energy, brew-fueled, fun rock show, and in this somewhat more intimate environment the crowd fed off the energy the bands were pouring out. We weren’t so much at a big corporate-sponsored festival as we were in a small venue to support bands we all know and love.

There are a lot of festivals in this area every summer, and they all have their own positive points. But in my opinion, this festival—the last of its kind for the year held on the last day of summer—beat all. And as a first-time affair, that is beyond impressive. Whatever minor kinks they might have to work out for next year (less congested space by the food vendors, more food vendors), they are nothing in comparison to the monumental accomplishment that was the first-EVER DIY Street Fair. Congratulations on a job well done, and I’m already looking forward to the next one.

Seeking multiple large and small scale sculptures for public outdoor exhibition April 2009-April 2011 for 2nd Brighton Biennial Sculpture Exhibition in Brighton, MI.  Artists located in or near Michigan will receive special consideration, but all submissions will be reviewed.  No application fee.  Electronic submissions strongly preferred.  Sponsored by the Brighton Arts & Culture Commission and the City of Brighton.

Following the success of the 1st Brighton Biennial Sculpture Exhibit, the time has come to shake up the city and introduce a fresh batch of sculptural art.  Applications are being accepted now through mid-November for the 2nd Brighton Biennial Sculpture Exhibit.  The installation is set for completion in April 2009 and will be on display through April 2011.  Of the 28 sculptures exhibited in the first biennial, six of them were purchased for public use.
 
“Bob” by Chido Johnson was a part of the 1st Brighton Biennial Sculpture Exhibit.  The citizens of Brighton were so charmed by his goofy smile that Mayor Kate Lawrence, residents Eugene Juergens, Bob Herbst and Piet Lindhout and the Principal Shopping District teamed up to pay the $4800 bounty on Bob’s head, so to speak.  Upon purchasing the sculpture they generously donated Bob to their beloved city for all to enjoy.  He is now a permanent resident!  You can visit him anytime at the corner of Main St & Grand River Ave in Brighton, MI - right in front of CVS.

Bob by Chido Johnson
 
The 2nd Biennial will follow in similar fashion, with an added emphasis on using the sculptures to educate people of all ages about many aspects of the art from how it’s made to what it means.  Emerging artists are strongly encouraged to apply, as there is no application fee.  This could be a great opportunity to put work on public display.
 
More information about the exhibit, the city of Brighton, and the application can be found by visiting http://biennial.tumblr.com or contact brightonsculpture@gmail.com. Notification of acceptance December 1, 2008.

Review by Christina Hill

Andrea Eis and Lynn Galbreath
At The Gallery, Marygrove College,
September 14-October 12, 2008

If the recent work of photographer, Andrea Eis, and painter, Lynn Galbreath, exhibits a common attitude it is detachment: Backs are resolutely turned, heads cropped out, disconcerting voids inserted, texts chopped, faces blurred, cryptic comments and glances unexplained. With Galbreath there is absence of language, with Eis a deluge of language – mostly ancient Greek. But mute or loquacious, the work plugs in to the contemporary experience of inundation by streams of visuals. The viewer is in deep, yet still able to catch glimpses of images and snippets of sound.

“I like the idea that you can’t get the whole story,” says Eis of her digitally layered photographs, while Galbreath, listing confusion as one of her goals, reserves the right to rearrange at any time her modular painted panels into different (equally disconcerting) narratives. If you expect meaning tied up as a gift, get over it. Postmodern attitudes –such as incoherence, enigma, appropriation and fragmentation – permeate the artworld’s zeitgeist. While both artists, colleagues at Oakland University, intend for their work to explore the human condition, especially the position of women, the styles they’ve chosen mimic more dispassionate forms of communication, so it takes work (which will be rewarded) to extract meaningful messages.

Certainly the women differ. Eis contentedly mines an interest in the Classics, while Galbreath prefers charging into new territory. For Eis the photographic medium is merely a tool to use in what she considers “the act of translating,” or reinterpreting icons of ancient history; they fascinate her because they’ve transcended time and place. Galbreath lives and (literally) breathes paint application, calling herself “an advocate of medium.” She has created portraits of her students and mixed them with abstract imagery and interpretations of Old Masters. Newly excited about using oil paint and glazes, her love of painting and her subject matter are impossibly intertwined. The artists have in common thinking big: some of Eis’s archival ink-jet prints are 4 x 6 feet, while Galbreath has connected panels to reach 50 feet in length.

It was one-hundred year old books in ancient Greek, discovered in an Athens library, that inspired Eis’s sabbatical work. Her “Marginalia” pieces highlight penciled notes made in the books’ margins. Eis thoughtfully layers portions of these pages, with their English comments – such as “where do the depths come in?” and “yearn after” – over or under photos of ancient Greek sculpture to create her own poetic genre. Some photos she’s printed on sheer fabric. The heightened texture of the paper when superimposed against the smooth marble creates painterly effects; the velvety-black, visually-arresting Greek letters animate the surfaces. The compositions can be frenetic with visual effects. In “Questioning the Classics,” Eis zooms in on parts of imperfect sculptures, close up on missing noses, gouges and blemishes, and thereby frustrates our desire to experience traditional beauty. Hers is a new translation.

Eis places us somewhere between a durably material yesterday and a digitally immaterial present; texts crawl, reading as temporal. While Eis has warmed the tones in some pieces, because the ancient language doesn’t communicate to most of us, they retain a Marshall McLuhan cool. “When you are on the phone or the air, you have no body,” he said. Like images on iPhones and texts on Blackberrys, Eis’ creations appear fleeting. But her conundrums linger: Greek text is placed over the muscular bicep of a god, as is connected English comment: “often used of getting what one wants,” the title of the piece. Eis submits it’s an archaic phrase, difficult to translate. And she leaves it at that for us to ponder over.

Lynn Galbreath creates narrative portraiture using modular components ranging in number. “I can’t keep them keep from growing,” she says. The multiples reference Nam June Paik’s video installations (they don’t blink on and off, but it wouldn’t be surprising if they did). Her subjects are caught off-guard, in mid-sentence and mid-task, wearing inscrutable facial expressions – total blurriness at times – and body postures suggesting imminent movements. Combined at Galbreath’s will, these components seem like stacks of out-of-order film stills or randomized computer slide shows. They are contemporary anti-narratives. Like Jean Luc Godard in his postmodern films, Galbreath sporadically adds elements of eye-catching consumer design: specifically Pop target shapes which connect the characters but also radiate their psychological energy out into the ether.

Galbreath’s monumental “Don’t I Care” always includes three separate panels for the words of its title, but otherwise its components are changeable in order and number. “Don’t” incorporates scenes from iconic versions of “Rape of the Sabine Women,” including moving details of hands laid imploringly on the foreheads of young female victims to provide life. Another panel portrays the hands of a busy modern woman clutching her purse and cell phone. Hair styles also figure prominently, from an elderly man in a powdered wig, to a young woman’s messy braid, to the bowl-cut of a young boy, to a replica of the slick black hair of Goya’s famous “3rd of May” figure. We see only the backs of many of them. A scene from early modernism also barges in – a group of distorted heads (one pig-like) with Edvard Munch-flavored alienation. Galbreath’s muscular brushwork with its vibrant baroque energy comes close to unifying this disparate subject matter, but in the end, the title, with its odd inversion of words, sums it up: What exactly? You decide.

The exhibition has an abundance of ambiguity and also irony: Carefully thought-through compositional elements appear random; warm, appealing colors, meant to convey human emotion and timeless life lessons do that, but also function as more of the cool, unemotional (over)flow of contemporary visual information. Visitors foreheads furrow. The ironies, though, are what give Eis’s and Galbreath’s artwork, particularly when shown together, greater strength and more impact. The ambiguities keep you off balance and interested.

Classes available for Fall 2008

OIL PAINTING with Susan Munro
This is a beginning oil painting class with artist, Susan Munro. Learn the basics: what brushes to use & when, how to prep a canvas, or panel, how to mix colors, how to plan the composition, and other basic instructions. Class will work together on a simple still life before branching out to a personal composition choice. Supply list available. Mondays, 7 – 9 pm, 7 weeks, $120 Sept 22, 29, Oct 6, 13, 20, 27, and Nov 3

DRAWING, the Basics with Charmaine Kaptur
“I paint because I can’t draw!” is an often-heard comment. Drawing is an important part of painting that makes it easier and more meaningful. In this class, the elements of design, including value and line will be taught. This is a chance to understand the basics without the complexity of color. Student provides art supplies. Supply list available. Tuesday mornings, 10 – 12 noon, 7 weeks, $140 Sept 23, 30, Oct 7, 14, 21, 28, and Nov 4

YOUR JOURNEY, YOUR JOURNAL with Moniquee Sobocinski
This class features the making of a journal, and recording the creative thoughts and images of your soul. This course will teach you to express your creative side that is too often neglected. All participants are encouraged to bring their own stories, writings, and poetry. Unlike any other course, you will be motivated, inspired, and ready to indulge in your creative endeavors. Participants need not have any prior artistic training. Supply list available. Wednesday afternoons, 12 noon – 2 pm, 7 weeks, $120 Sept 24, Oct 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, and Nov 5

ARTIST TRADING CARDS, POSTCARDS and PERSONAL NOTE CARDS
A fun and inventive class in which you will learn the pleasures and delights of designing and making cards to send and trade with friends. Artist Trading Cards are to artists and creative people what Baseball cards are to sports fans. These little pieces of miniature art can be traded, sold, gifted, or just kept for personal enjoyment. Postcards are a delightful way to send a greeting to a friend – almost anything goes – just put a stamp on it, the post office will deliver. Personal note cards can be special greetings or a special thank you. Supply list available Thursday afternoons, 12 noon – 2 pm, 7 weeks, $120 Sept 25, Oct 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, and Nov 6

WATERCOLOR and GOUACHE with Julie Russell Smith
Both techniques are used with water, but have different effects. With watercolor learn to produce transparent colors, to layer them for richness, or, to build them for intensity. With gouache learn to paint with opaque colors. Both techniques are challenging, fun, and rewarding. Julie Russell Smith has taught at College for Creative Studies and is a working artist. Wednesdays, 7 – 9:30 pm, 7 weeks, $140 Sept 24, Oct 1, 8, 15, 29, and Nov 5

DRAWING & LIGHT WASHES with Margaret Rose
Learn the techniques of producing a sketch or finished drawing. Then add to its richness with light washes of color and shadow. Learn to think differently about what you see and how to capture that vision on paper. This includes positive/negative space, perspective, shading of form and composition. We will touch on color theory and learning to mix color with the end goal being a well-composed painting. Margaret Rose is a full-time art instructor and has taught both children and adults. This class is open to beginning and advanced students. Thursdays, 6:30 – 8:30 pm, 7 weeks, $140 Sept 25, Oct 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, and Nov 6

THE BOX & THE WORD (Assemblage) with Anita Schmaltz
Approaching Art and Writing Through Personal Symbolism
By looking to the artists Joseph Beuys, Joseph Cornell, and Betye Saar, participants will conceive intimate artistic visions within the visual space of the box through a collaboration of words and imagery as representations of experience, history and belief. As a means of self-exploration, words dot the path of the inexplicable and the recurring, and the box becomes a window – a treasure – a sepulcher – a cry for the miraculous – a shrine to your soul. Anita is a working artist, a musician, a writer, and a teacher. Supply list available. Saturdays, 12 – 4 pm, $150 (includes some supplies) Oct 4, 18, 25, Nov 1 and 8

WOODBLOCK PRINTS with Nobuko Yamasaki
The traditional Japanese method of handmade prints will be taught using woodblocks and tools. Space is limited to ten artists. A supply list will be provided. Saturdays, 3 – 5 pm, $60 + materials fee $10, October 4, 18, and 25

ORIGAMI WORKSHOP with Nobuko Yamasaki
Learn the delights and wonder of origami with Japanese artist, Nobuko Yamasaki. Both adults and children are welcome. Supplies will be provided. The project will be easy, but challenging and rewarding. September 27, 3 – 5 pm, $20

BOOKMAKING WORKSHOP with Julie Russell Smith
Learn how to make a unique art form to enclose your poetry, your small paintings, or your collages. Make blank books for gifts or your personal writings. For those of you who love books and want the fun and excitement of making your own, this is the class for you. You need no experience. Those of you who have made books in the past, you are welcome. You will enjoy learning new techniques and making books with other book lovers. Additional supply list is available. Saturday & Sunday, October 11 & 12, 11 am – 3 pm. $70 + $10 for special supplies

PORTRAIT & FIGURE DRAWING WORKSHOP with Bette Prudden
Medium being used is charcoal, or pastel and with live models. Bette will start the workshop with a portrait demo. Bette has been teaching for over 35 years and is a much sought-after portrait painter in the Grosse Pointes and surrounding areas for more than 40 years. She has won numerous awards for her work and belongs to a number of well-known art organizations among them, the Portrait Society of America. Only 10 students will be accepted, beginners are welcome. Saturday, Sept 27, 9:30 – 3:00 pm (with break for lunch) $60 + model fee, Supply list available

Fine Art for Kids!

Instructor: Hala Besmar Location: Grosse Pointe Art Center, 15001 Kercheval. Grosse Pointe Park

Level One: The focus in level1 is on giving children the self-confidence to create and express themselves by teaching them how to use paint and how to apply it with different sized brushes to get realistic results, and how to cover up a mistake and make it the way it meant to be. We will be using Acrylic paint in all our lessons. We will paint things from nature, still life objects, and funny faces. In every lesson, we spend the first half of the class to paint different subjects, and the second half to make a mixed media artwork. &nsbp -Classes are: Monday 4:30 – 6:00 PM for 6 weeks, September 22 – October 27, 2008 - Fee is $ 95, plus $20 for supplies per student -Ages 6-7

Level Two: The main concentration in level two is the continuation of similar artwork but in more depth to bring out the best of the kid’s artistic talent. Emphasis will be on enhancing what learned in level one by making more changeling art projects. We will paint subjects that are fun and scientific. We will be using Acrylic paint in all our lessons. In every lesson, we spend the first 45 minutes to paint variety of subjects, and the second 45 minutes we will make an interesting artwork -Classes are: Wednesday 4:30 – 6:00 PM for 6 weeks, September 24 – October 29, 2008 - Fee is $ 100, plus $25 for supplies per student -Ages 8-10 years, or students who took level one

Level Three: In this level, the young artists will explore new techniques to help improve their talents to paint extra challenging subjects that they experienced in level II. In every lesson, they learn how to paint two or three objects, learn size proportion, use colors, and learn how to place things in their paintings to achieve an interesting composition. We will be using Acrylic paint in all our lessons. In every lesson, we spend the first 45 minutes to paint variety of subjects, and the second 45 minutes we will make an interesting artwork. -Classes are: Thurseday 4:30 – 6:00 PM for 6 weeks, September 25 – October 30, 2008 - Fee is $ 110, plus $30 for supplies per student -Ages 8-12 years, or students who took level two

Level Four: In level four young artists will learn how to apply new advanced techniques into subjects like peacock feather, flamingos and flowers . They will be introduced to abstract art, modern art and paint on wood art. They will learn the “formula” for sketching a kitten, a wild cat, and learn the map of sketching human faces and hair arrangements. -Classes are: Monday 6:00 – 7:30 PM for 6 weeks, September 22 – October 27, 2008 - Fee is $ 120, plus $30 for supplies per student -Ages 10 – 14 or students who took level II and III

Level Five: In level five young artists will explore new subjects to widen their experiences in the art world. Subjects like masquerade, elephants, horses and unicorns. Paint scenes like Cactus, Alaskan mountains, light houses, and hot air balloons. Plus painting still life and painting on wood. The young artists will take a large role in choosing their own colors and becoming more independent. -Classes are: Wednesday 6:00 – 7:30 PM for 6 weeks, September 24 – October 29, 2008 - Fee is $ 130, plus $35 for supplies per student - (For students who took level four)

Level Six: In level six artists will take on a larger role in making decisions to strengthen their self confidence to be more independent to help them create unique fine art. They will have various subjects to paint, such as plants, hands, coral reefs, and animals such as penguins, birds, alligators and kangaroos. In addition, the artists will create mixed media art, tile designs, and painting a bird house. When level six is completed, the young artists will earn a graduation certificate. -Classes are: Thursday 6:00 – 7:30 PM for 6 weeks, September 25 – October 30, 2008 - Fee is $ 140, plus $35 for supplies per student - (For students who took level five)

For more information, call 313.821.1848
www.grossepointeartcenter.org
gpaa@grossepointeartcenter.org

For the first time in the history of the Dally in the Alley, the chairman has decided to showcase two official festival artists, in a collaborative effort between Donald Calloway and U. Newkirk, II. Using this year’s grassroots theme, the artists were invited to create a painting taking their own personal stance and freedom to expand on the subject in correlation to the Dally in the Alley and Detroit itself.

The first designed Dally poster was in 1982 by Gary Grimshaw, featuring Brian Taylor’s dancing cats, replicas of which grace a garage wall at Third and Forest. Other Dally poster artists include Mark Heggie, Jerome Ferretti, Antonio “Shades” Agee, and Mark L. Arminski.

This year’s first featured artist is Detroit native, Donald Calloway who has been actively involved in the city’s art scene for over twenty years. Calloway recognized his passion for the arts at the tender age of three and has been solely dedicated to his artistic endeavors ever since. He learned the technical aspects of the arts at the Center for Creative Studies in the 1980’s, and then continued his dedication at the Greektown Lofts, where his studio still resides.

Calloway’s mixed-media art specializes in oils, watercolors, pastels, drawings, paintings and sculptures. Although Calloway delves in numerous outlets, his meticulous constructions, intentional brush strokes, and bold use of colors erupt a unique and aesthetically dynamic vision that grabs his audience no matter what style or medium.

Calloway has exhibited his artwork at the Charles H Wright Museum of African-American History, Arts Extended Gallery, Delta Sigma Theta, and the National Conference of Artists (to name a few). In addition, his art has also taken him to such cities as New York, Washington D.C., and Chicago, however despite Calloway’s out of state success, he proudly proclaims that Detroit is always considered home.

Furthermore, Calloway has been heavily dedicated to the Detroit community through his art mentorship program organized by The Arts League and his involvement with various programs at Y-Arts, the Arts and Humanities branch of the YMCA of Metro Detroit.

Now married, with a son, he continues his love for the arts and says, “Art fuels his positive attitude.”

The second selected artist, Detroit born resident, U. Newkirk, II is presently working on opening a shop in the Russell Bazaar, under the Russell Industrial Center Development project. His goal for the shop is to establish a venue for the youth to collaborate in artistic ventures and ideas. Amidst this project, he continues to work on art but through a more commercial foundation.
Starting as a graffiti artist, Newkirk decided to increase his knowledge of art by attending Crockett Vocational School. He enjoys toiling with all art mediums, including: painting, watercolor, acrylics, and writing. Being an objective artist, Newkirk’s motives in his artwork is grounded on communication, especially having various meanings for a single piece. His pieces then become, more so, a tangible philosophy as oppose to an expression of artistic virtuosity.

Newkirk’s artwork has been exhibited at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, Johansson Charles Gallery, Urban Park Gallery, and many others. Always being dedicated to the community, he was also a Broadside Press poet and an instructor at Wayne State and Osborn High School. One can view a mural of Newkirk’s at the Detroit Public Library.

Now a father and grandfather, Newkirk continues to expand the limitations of art through communication. Newkirk states that one day he “looks forward to evolving to the point where he can no longer worry about selling his work, to do his art.”

The 2008 Dally in the Alley artwork is available on the website, along with presenting it on September 6th, 2008.

For more information, visit www.dallyinthealley.com.

by Nick Sousanis

Joy Hakanson Colby and Charles McGee

This Friday, September 5, Joy Hakanson Colby will be signing the Scarab Club’s fabled ceiling beams. For 60 years (!) she served as the art critic for the Detroit News before retiring in 2006. In adding her name to those massive beams, she joins a prominent list of artists who shaped Detroit’s and the world’s art history – including Diego Rivera, Norman Rockwell, Marshall Fredricks, Marcel Duchamp, Tyree Guyton, Charles McGee, John Hegarty, and many, many more.

These beams have witnessed a lot since the Scarab Club was built in 1928. They silently share what they’ve seen through the names that adorn them. This is not unlike the trees they’re hewn from, in that each concentric growth ring records a year of life the tree experienced – living strata. This brings us to Joy. In her 60 years as an arts critic she passionately, thoughtfully, and consistently observed and recorded the struggles, triumphs, and well, joys, of the Detroit arts community. Through her eyes and in her words, a community was faithfully preserved.

As mighty oaks bear witness to generational stories, some species of trees have seen civilizations flourish and vanish. Over her career, Joy not only saw the arc of countless individual careers, she also saw entire art movements rise to prominence then dwindle perhaps to rise again. Throughout it all she patiently maintained her curiosity. And what she saw! I look back at this publication’s archives from a mere six years – I’m overwhelmed. But my god! Multiply that by 10… It’s staggering. Ensuring that her work is properly archived and made accessible is imperative. To fail to do so would be a travesty. It’s an invaluable resource for the community.

The biggest travesty is that her accomplishment is not likely to be repeated. We need critics. It’s hard to blame readers of today’s daily papers for thinking that nothing happens. For as far as arts coverage goes, the current state of the dailies is deplorable. But those of us in this thriving art community, we know better. And that’s why the critic is an essential member of the community.

Being a critic goes far beyond just sharing one’s opinion – after all, as the Internet age has proven, opinions really are as ubiquitous as – well, you know, we all have ‘em. The critic bears witness and offers feedback. They keep us honest, because we know someone is watching, and also, that someone cares. Through writing, the critic literally gets the word out. Art is about ideas and enabling new ways of seeing. As sculptor Richard Serra said, “Art only affects people if it changes their perception. If it changes their perception, it might change how people think.” By helping to share these ideas, by serving as a guide for the public to enter the realm of art – the critic’s voice is ultimately one of education. Joy realized what a great responsibility her work was. More than that, she saw it as a great privilege to learn from and champion the artists whom she served so selflessly.

We honor the eunymously named Joy in celebrating what’s she’s done, as we should. But we can honor her more by renewing her commitment and carrying on the ideals she brought to her coverage and her dedication to community. There’s a desperate need to fill the void left in her absence. Perhaps it will come in these pages, perhaps elsewhere. In celebrating her, let’s plant a seed for the community’s future, even as we honor its past.

I wish I could be there to share in her day. For those of you that do go, perhaps you’ll bear witness and share your observations in these virtual pages – an archive for future generations to learn from. And while she’s up on that ladder – please hold on tight! It’s a little rickety and she’s precious cargo.

– Nick Sousanis
Send comments regarding Colby and art criticism for use in a follow up column to ws@thedetroiter.com

Co-founder and former arts editor of www.thedetroiter.com Nick Sousanis has picked up roots and moved to the big Apple, where he’s finishing his book on Charles McGee among other things.

See here for a previous tribute to Colby by your former arts editor, and here for comments and reader feedback from the tribute held for her in 2006.

See here for an essay on the importance of arts criticism:

Sousanis wrote about Charles McGee signing the beam on that ladder here.

For a look at our editorial in response to the Detroit News’ suggestion that the arts community is fading, please see here. For reader responses, please click here:

One more link – a look at recognition, with a mention of Colby.