Opening 6-9pm, Saturday, September 22, 2007

Another new space opens in Detroit this week as the University of Michigan School of Art & Design’s Work : Detroit launches its inaugural show “Intersection.” I have an insider’s view for this one, and acknowledging that up front I thought I’d share a bit. I was hired by the School of Art & Design back in December to get this new idea off the ground, and after half a year or so of construction we’re ready to pull back the curtains with a show featuring a selection of works from Detroiters and UM faculty.

What’s this all about? Why is the University here? It’s in our mission and the premise of this first show, it’s all about intersecting people, places, and ideas. At the initial gathering of participants for the show, someone described the cultural state of the Detroit-area as a number of vibrant, but disparate “islands.” It’s pretty accurate, and a phenomenon this publication has always tried to bridge. It’s partly a product of geography and dependence on the automobile, but it is perhaps deeper than that. This cultural segregation I believe comes not out of intent but ignorance. Too often, we simply don’t know what’s going on around us.

So by coming to Detroit, the School of Art & Design is reaching out, and saying, we want to know what’s happening here and we want to be a part of it. At a time when the School is embracing the idea of art and design as an important means for social change, coming to Detroit and becoming immersed in the environment here is seen as providing a source of enrichment for their community, while at the same time they are making a serious commitment of resources to the city as well. It’s a means of engaging in a dialogue across a significant distance and seeing what emerges from the conversation.

Which brings us to this first show, the start of that conversation. The premise of focusing on our very site itself – its sights, sounds, history, the people that inhabit it, whatever – meant that those involved in the show had to come here, spend time here, learn about the place and one another. This could never be simply a place to drop off work – they had to have a very real experience here. And people have approached it with a level of enthusiasm and devotion that’s been a real treat to witness as the person behind the scenes. They’ve gathered stories, examined trash, created pieces on the streets, and provided a bus stop for weary commuters – a richly diverse offering to say the least.

It’s been a lot of work and it’s been fun. All of these efforts will not only result in what from my quite biased view is a pretty terrific show, but more importantly it serves as a launch pad for future ventures and collaborations together. There’s a lot we can learn from one another and I’m pleased to be a part of that dialogue. I hope to see you there. – Nick Sousanis
ws@thedetroiter.com

Also, here’s the essay accompanying Intersection:

Intersection Exhibition Essay

“Neighborhoods have life spans. They begin, evolve, mature and die. But while this evolution is displayed by the decline of its buildings, it seems that the lives of the inhabitants are the internal force which generates the decay. People, not buildings, are the heart of the matter.” – Will Eisner, from his Introduction to his graphic novel, “Dropsie Avenue.”

Since the trails made by Native American peoples gave way to Judge Woodward’s grand city scheme, this intersection has seen a lot of people pass through and constant change to its infrastructure. Massive homes of prominent Detroiters were replaced by tea rooms, music stores, and the like. A clothing warehouse would overtake the entire block, but even that was felled to make room for the current building, a fortress in stone and glass.

Now it’s our turn.

To the rich history of this intersection, we add our own contribution. In order to set the stage we want to establish our identity and location and engage the community. Brought together to learn about this site and one another, Intersection exhibition participants examine and offer a response to our literal intersection – its sights, sounds, history, the people that inhabit it, the architecture, anything that strikes them.

Rather than being a limitation, this narrowing of focus proves expansive. As Henry David Thoreau wrote in Walden, “a man can walk forever in an area of only a few square miles.” The modern mathematics of fractal geometry echoes Thoreau – the deeper we look the more we discover.

Thus despite being ostensibly about a single location, the exhibition is wildly diverse, reflecting the diversity of experience of the participating individuals. From a multitude of perspectives, the exploration of this single intersection becomes a microcosm of something much larger – Blake’s “world in a grain of sand” as it were. By looking intently inward, we’ve begun to look outward.

This site then, is both literal and conceptual intersection – a nerve center for the convergence of people, places, and ideas. It’s quite fertile terrain where ideas collide and new perspectives emerge. But this convergence doesn’t stop with the exhibition. No, this is a starting point, an opportunity to learn from one another by engaging in an ongoing dialogue at this intersection.

And by “engage,” we mean it in all senses of the word: it’s a promise, a commitment, it’s a means to get your attention and hold your interest, and it’s a signal to put things in motion. People bring life and energy to a place – together we send out roots here and let possibilities bloom. – Nick Sousanis, Director of Exhibitions

Detroit, Michigan. September 22, 2007