Michelle Andonian @ The Center Gallery

Photographer Bruce Harkness-Poletown 1981 @ The Hamtramck Historical Museum

©bruce harkness

©bruce harkness

If you look up photographer Bruce Harkness images on the web, his presence is scarce. There are a few scattered images, but for the most part, it would be pressing do any sort of extensive research about his work. While looking for images to use for this blog entry, I was hard-pressed to come up with images that would fairly represent the body of work represented in this exhibit.

Sadly, many photographers are being marginalized based on their lack of web-presence. The digital revolution has made people lazy, and because of this, the physical print is often looked at as sentimental or antiquated. Instagram and other social media websites have made it convenient to look at a photographer's work without without ever having to get up of the couch.

Bruce Harkness' Poletown 1981 photographs are worthy of turning off your computer and making it to his exhibit at the Hamtramck Historical Museum. This exhibit documents the hostile takeover of Hamtramck's Poletown neighborhood by General Motors, in order to construct the Detroit/Hamtramck Assembly Plant.

To build the new plant, 1,500 buildings were demolished: literally wiping out a once thriving and ethnically diverse neighborhood on the southern border of Hamtramck. Churches, homes and businesses were suddenly gone, and Harkness was there to document the neighborhood as it morphed into 465 acres of barren land, so that GM could build it's new factory.

Over 4,000 residents were displaced, many of whom fiercely protested the demolition of their neighborhood. Eventually, the Michigan Supreme Court ruled in favor of GM, siting it as legitimate use for eminate domain. The Poletown Neighborhood Council v. Detroit, went on to become a landmark case for the consideration of "public use" for eminent domain. 

Poletown 1981 will be on display till August 30th at the Hamtramck Historical Museum, located at 9525 Jos. Campau, Hamtramck, MI. 48212 (three blocks north of Holbrook on the west side of Jos. Campau.

The museum is open Saturdays and Sundays between 11am and 4pm, or by appointment. Call 313-893-5027. Admittance to the museum can also be gained by visiting the Polish Arts Center next door. A staff person will be glad to show you through the museum.

In addition, Harkness will present his photos at the monthly Hungry for History program on August 27th, 2015. There will be a sit-down dinner followed by a lecture. The dinner is at 530pm ($12 charge), the lecture at 7pm is free.

For dinner reservations call 313-893-5027 or 313-574-9758.

©bruce harkness

©bruce harkness

Popps Packing-Biennial Fundraiser

©popps packing

Biennial fundraiser at Popps Packing today. Popps Packing invited 100 artists to design and build a pinewood derby car to help support renovations and programing at Popps Emporium. All cars are on display in the gallery for the solent auction, then raced on a track for the event.

Music provided by DJ George Rahme, with live performances by Kathy Leisen & Nathan Shafer, Jimmy Ohio, Deb Agoli & Pete Langway.

Trophies, food and prizes!

Kids races start @ 5pm
Artists races start @ 7pm
Silent auction closes @ 10pm

Popps Packing is located @ 12138 Saint Aubin, Hamtramck, MI 48212

Robert Sestok-City Sculpture Opening

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Tomight is the night; the grand opening of longtime Cass Corridor artist Robert Sestok's City Sculpture art park. Sestok will be showing his large-scale works at the corner of Alexandrine and the Lodge Freeway. With a rotating exhibition schedule and visiting artist program, the park is dedicated to exposing the public to experimental sculpture work in Detroit.

Before the suits whitewashed Cass Corridor's history by rebranding it as Mid Town, the Corridor was the center of the art universe in Detroit, and Robert Sestok was an intrigal participant in that movement.

Because of the cooperative nature of the artists who were living and working in Cass Corridor during the 1960's and 70's, there styles formed a collective raw aesthetic that reflected not only the city of Detroit, but the overall mood of anxiety and disenchantment that was paramount to the rise of the counter culture movement. Along with artists Gordon Newton, Michael Luchs, John Egner and Brenda Goodman, to name only a few, Robert Sestok can be seen as an important piece to the legacy of artists whose work has come to represent the fabric of Detroit's art community.

Jerome Ferreti@ The Scarab Club

This Friday, July 10, 2015, The Scarab Club will present, Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Jerome's Review, a one man exhibit, featuring the work of Detroit artist Jerome Ferretti. Jerome will be showing a combination of works borrowed by local collectors, as well as new work.

The Scarab Club is located at  217 Farnsworth, Detroit, MI 48202
ph#313-831-1250

The exhibit runs through August 15th.

©jerome ferretti

Shepard Fairey @ Library Street Collective

LOWRIDING: From Crenshaw to Woodward @ The Scarab Club

The Scarab Club Presents, LOWRIDING: From Crenshaw to Woodward.  A group exhibit featuring photographs of lowrider culture. Opening reception is April 10, 2015.

In 2005, while I was working on my photo-essay regarding graffiti culture in southwest Detroit, an unexpected consequence of my relationship to street art, was an introduction to Erik Howard, a community activist, who now runs an art-based youth development program in southwest Detroit. When we first met, he possessed a keen interest in photography, but had no formal training to nourish his growth as a photographer. Although I did not set out to be his mentor, my relationship to him naturally , and almost instantly, made me one. For the last ten years, I have watched Erik grow into a talented photographer, who has earned every right to be considered as a viable and respected photographer in the community.

Noah Levy, another young photographer who I have had the pleasure of working with, will be showing work as well. Like Howard, Noah has spent a great deal of his time documenting various aspects of urban and lowrider culture.

Please come out this Friday night, for the reception, and support these young artists, who are representing the next generation of photographers, that are passionately documenting the city of Detroit and its people.

Cardiovista: Detroit Street Photography

There will a group photography exhibit at the Alfred Berkowitz Gallery, located on the University of Michigan-Dearborn campus. The gallery is on the third floor of the Mardigan Library. Directions here.

The exhibit, Cardiovista: Detroit Street Photography, will examine street photography and it's role in capturing the city of Detroit and its people. The photographers- Carlos Diaz, Brian Day, Bruce Harkness and Tom Stoye-will all be present at the opening reception.

Opening night is Friday, January 16, 2015 between 5pm & 7:30pm. The show runs through Friday, March 13, 2015

Of special interest... there will will be an exhibit catalog for sale at the Barnes & Noble Campus Bookstore. (http://www.bncollege.com)

Cardiovista: Detroit Street Photography is curated and organized by Nadja Rottner, Assistant Proffesor of Art History, University of Michigan-Dearborn, together with students enrolled in the Art History Museum Studies Seminar 2014. Under the direction of Professor Rottner, the students have studied and researched the photographers included in the exhibition, and upon completion of the class will help curate the exhibit and write essays pertaining to their work. The student essays will be included in the exhibition catalog. To help facilitate the essays, each photographer lectured before the class to talk about their work and provide resource material to aid them in their research.

Bill Rauhauser: Detroit Auto Show, 1960's-1970's

We Have a Dream @ Innerstate Gallery

Opening Recepion… January 24, 2015 from 7pm to 10pm

A group exhibit with artworks inspired by the Martin Luther King speech. I will have one photograph in the exhibit, and unfortunately I won't be able to make it to the opening, but come anyway if you feel inspired.

Innerstate Gallery is located at 14120 Gratiot Avenue. Detroit, MI

Erwin Olaf / Breakfast in America

Gallery Talk @ The Detroit Artists Market

Bill Rauhauser @ Hill Gallery

313 @ The Detroit Artists Market

I will be in a group photography exhibit at the Detroit Artists Market on June 6th, 2014. Aptly titled "313," the exhibit celebrates the 313th birthday of the great city of Detroit. This show includes a diverse mix of photographers, each bringing with them unique interpretations of Detroit and its people. It's been a long time since the D.A.M. has dedicated an exhibit exclusively to photography, so hopefully this exhibit will bring with it new and exciting perspectives related to the many complex and unique stories that Detroit has to offer.

Sam Freidman @ The Library Street Collective

Are Brick & Mortar Galleries Still Relevant?

In the not so distant past, you would sift through a stack of mail, to find a flyer for an upcoming gallery opening.

The flyer would have the artists name, followed by the pertinent information about the show, which usually would list the galleries address, telephone number, and gallery hours, followed by the opening night date and so forth. On the flyer, there was usually a solitary photograph of the artists work. That photograph was as a teaser of sorts: a sample of what would follow if you made your way to the opening. One photograph was enough though, because galleries knew what sold, and more importantly, they knew who their audience was.

Fast forward to the present, and you'll see a trend where gallery openings are becoming something of an afterthought for nervous gallery owners, who are relying on internet pre-sales that kill any anticipation or excitement for local collectors. Some galleries are posting photographs of the entire show (with prices included), as well as online shopping-cart-checkouts, for those wanting to buy ahead of time, before one patron so much as walks through the front door. Talk about anti-climatic! This is creating a "Amazonesque" environment that shows little confidence in creating a healthy brick and mortar art scene for local markets.

The mutual respect between the the artist, the gallery and the buyer, is built on long lasting relationships that benefit all parties. It takes patience on the part of the gallery to develop these relationships, but with  technology creating opportunities to broaden their audience, it's understandable how galleries are tempted by the chance to create a global audience. That being said, it would admirable if galleries could  hold off with online sales, if only for a night, so cities (like Detroit) can develop self-sustainable art markets that are around for the long haul. It would create a win-win scenario for both the galleries and their audience.

Cope2 @ the Inner State Gallery

Inner State Gallery is proud to showcase Versatile, from New York City graffiti legend Cope2.

Opening reception November 16th, from 7pm to 10pm

This career spanning exhibition will showcase all the individual styles Cope2 has become famous for, including his signature bubble letters which have since been imitated the world over, as well as wild style letters, graffiti tags, fine art mixed media canvases and vintage photos of 1980's subway scenes, highlighting where Cope2 made his mark throughout New York City's classic 70's and early 80's graffiti era.

With over 50 new mixed media paintings, photos and limited edition prints, this is an exhibition that is not to be missed.

Inner State Gallery is located at 1410 Gratiot Avenue, Detroit, MI.
Ph# 313.744-6505
http://innerstategallery.com/
info@innerstategallery.com

Gallery Hours
Thursday 11am-4pm
Friday 11am-4pm
Saturday 11am-4pm
Mon-Wed and Sun by appointment only

Will the DIA have to sell its art?

The following is an email sent-out by Graham Beal, the director of the DIA, that was included in the September newsletter of the Detroit Institute of Arts.

It's amazing to me that Mr. Beal is equally un-informed, regarding the sale of its collection.  The emergency manager has not only managed to keep the public in the dark, but has done little, if anything, to keep the director of the museum itself in the loop.

When it was originally announced that they were going to assign a EM to straighten out the books of the city, I was optimistic that it would somehow quell the ridiculous in-fighting that was dragging city government into the dregs of bankruptcy and beyond. I thought an "outsider" could bring a more measured and objective response to the table. I believed, and still do, that objectivity would likely get the city moving in the right direction, or any direction for that matter.  By taking on matters concerning the DIA's collection, however, the EM has managed to add yet another chapter to the arduous legacy of Detroit being a city that can't seem to govern itself.

What Graham Beal understands, that Mr. Orr doesn't, is what's best for the coffers, doesn't always equate to what is best for the city of Detroit and its future.

.......................................................................................

Will the DIA have to sell its art?

It seems to have become the story that just will not die, covered by news agencies as far apart as Hong Kong and Warsaw, as well as radio stations from London to Los Angeles. We have no intention of breaching the most fundamental tenet of the art museum world: that art in the collection can only be sold to acquire more (and better) art. What the emergency manager's office will do or attempt to do with respect to the operating agreement between the DIA and the city or with to the art remains to be seen. Given that such an action would threaten the millage proceeds upon which we now rely to operate this remarkable museum, selling any art would be tantamount to closing the museum, hardly an outcome in keeping with the EM's mission of putting Detroit back on the road to prosperity.

DIA staff and senior volunteers have had very little contact with the EM's office itself, and most of what we learn has come from reading the newspaper-like everyone else!- or from Christie's, the auction house that has agreed to put dollar values on the DIA's works of art that carry the credit line City of Detroit Purchase: about 3,300 pieces, most of which were purchased between 1922 and 1931. Even here, though, the situation is clouded by the fact that patrons such as Ralph Harmon Booth personally contributed to a City of Detroit art purchase fund or lent money to enable "City purchases" that seems never to have been repaid. I've also learned that the purchase of our wonderful ceiling painting by Tintoretto, apparently using city funds, was only permitted by the Italian government of the time, on condition that it never leave the DIA building. You may have read in the Detroit Free Press that an expert valued the painting at $100 million. This came as a surprise to us as, a couple of years ago, for insurance purposes, a different expert assessed the painting at $2 to $3 million.

I've repeatedly been asked about what the DIA is doing and, while I cannot go into any details, a good deal of time and energy has gone into laying out various strategies, depending on what happens next. Of course, we hope that nothing will happen. Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette has issued an opinion that the museum's entire collection is held in charitable trust, which protects the collection for the benefit of the people, and that Michigan law prohibits the sale of the DIA's collection to pay the city's creditors and, as I understand things, the EM is subject to Michigan law. Still it's a complex and confusing situation, with very little in the way of precedent to guide us.

It's supremely ironic that the DIA should be subjected to threats to the integrity of its collection immediately after achieving financial stability, thanks to the generosity of the voters of Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties, but the business of the museum continues with much increased visitor numbers over last year. It is truly gratifying to see the galleries and other public spaces buzzing with activity.

Graham Beal, director, president, and CEO of the Detroit Institute of Arts

"Out with the Old" @ the Library Street Collective

Saturday evening, there will be an opening reception at the Library Street Collective in Detroit. This time around, the gallery will be will be hosting a group show titled, "Out with the Old." The exhibit will feature an all-star lineup of contemporary artists, whose styles runs the gamut of street-inspired art from artists Dabs and Myla, Reyes, Pose, Revok and Rime, to the contemporary themed realism of artist Alex Lukas, to the renowned artist and urban-vinyl legend Tristan Eaton.

Although the Library Street Collective is still relatively new to the Detroit gallery scene, with each new exhibit, they continue to surprise us with an impactful variety of nationally recognized artists, that offer sophisticated and important bodies of work to Detroit area collectors and art afficianados.

The opening reception is Saturday, August 3rd, 2013, from 6 to 9pm, at the Library Street Collective, located at 1260 Library Street, Detroit, MI 48226.

www.lscgallery.com

Bill Rauhauser & Carlos Diaz Exhibit at the Northville Art House

This Friday at the Northville Art House, the exhibit Collaboration & Continuum: The Carnival Photographs of Bill Rauhauser & Carlos Diaz, will highlight the Detroit-based photographers two distinct styles when approaching the carnival as both subject matter and culture.

The photographers have collaborated frequently in the past, first as teacher and student, followed by their association as fellow colleagues at the College for Creative Studies, and most recently as respected photographers documenting the people and landscapes of Detroit.

The exhibit can be seen on the upper floor of the gallery. There will be a reception this Friday, August 2nd, from 6pm to 9pm. In addition to the exhibit, Mary McNichols, the curator of the exhibit, will have a conversation with the artists at 8pm.

Gallery hours after the exhibit are Wednesdays through Saturdays, from 1 to 5pm.

For additional information you can contact the gallery at 248.344.0497

The gallery is located at 215 West Cady Street, Northville, MI

The exhibit runs to August 30th, 2013