Detroit
Olayami Dabls is the owner of the MBAD African Bead Museum, a major repository for African artifacts
Olayami Dabls hardly needs to give visitors directions to his MBAD African Bead Museum, although its Grand River and Tireman location is tucked away off I-96, a short drive from the city's…
Antonio Cosme is a young artist, activist, and social organizer in Southwest Detroit
Antonio Cosme is working on a mural. But before any brush touches paint, before any pencil hits a pad, Cosme has meetings to attend, books to read. The new mural will go up in Delray, “essentially…
Mother and daughter Dell and Sharon Pryor are among Detroit's earliest art and cultural ambassadors
Tulani Rose and the Del Pryor Gallery occupy the large, orangish brick corner of Willis Street and Cass Avenue, an original anchor of now hip Willis Street, in Midtown. With few…
N'Namdi Center for Contemporary Art is dedicated to enlightenment through the arts
Art doesn't follow development, says George N'Namdi. Development follows art. And he should know. In addition to running his N'Namdi Center for Contemporary Art, George N'Namdi has been steadily…
How storytelling heals and strengthens communities
In April of 2014, Damian Woetzel and the Aspen Institute Arts Program convened a Strategy Group in Detroit. This convening brought together local and national experts: artists and leaders in arts,…
Erik Howard brings the corner and the community together in unlikely ways through The Alley Project
To read the abundance of news coverage coming out of Detroit over the last few years heralding the downtrodden city as a hotbed of creativity and innovation, attracting young creatives and start-up…
Welcome to Creative Exchange (again)
"I believe in the magic of storytelling, not only for teller but also the listener," says agrarian artist Nikiko Masumoto, who lives and works in California's Central Valley. "The possibility of…
Clement Brown, Jr. celebrates Fashion, Arts, Music & Entertainment in an underserved area of Detroit
The west side neighborhood around the intersection of Joy Rd. and Meyers in Detroit can be a tough place, but theFAME Shop, located at 10608 Joy Road, is a brightening presence. FAME…
How public art builds safer, stronger neighborhoods
In April of 2014, Damian Woetzel and the Aspen Institute Arts Program convened a Strategy Group in Detroit. This convening brought together local and national experts: artists and leaders in arts,…
Afa Dworkin seeks to transform lives through the power of diversity in the arts
In 1996, when the Sphinx Organization was first founded, only three percent of orchestras around the nation represented those of Latino and colored descent. That number…
Mitch Cope and Gina Reichert are the power duo behind Power House Productions
The first time most people heard the words "Power" and "House" attached to the names Mitch Cope and Gina Reichert was in fall of September 2008, when the artist/architect married…
Anna Clark sees the future of a Literary Detroit
Last year, Anna Clark received an email from Anne Trubek, an author from Cleveland whom she had interviewed in 2010 for a blog feature. Since then, Trubek had gone on to…
Satori Shakoor and the power of telling true stories
Stories heal. They provoke. They reassure. When told in the intimate setting of The Secret Society of Twisted Storytellers at the Charles H. Wright Museum of…
How the arts inspire change in Detroit
In April of 2014, Damian Woetzel and the Aspen Institute Arts Program convened a Strategy Group in Detroit. This convening brought together local and national experts: artists and leaders in arts,…
Ryan Myers-Johnson founded Sidewalk Festival of Performing Arts to showcase alternative arts
When Ryan Myers-Johnson left Detroit after graduating from the Detroit School of Arts in 1999, she was already planning her return. At first she didn't go far -- just down the…
Terry Blackhawk teaches Detroit kids the power of poetry through the InsideOut Literary Arts Project
InsideOut Literary Arts Project started out as so many other well-intended projects do: as an idea that didn't quite seem realistic enough to become reality. Until it did. It is worth quoting…
Experimental performance group The Hinterlands explores the outer limits of identity
In contemporary usage, "hinterland" is defined as "an area beyond what is visible or known." And this is why Richard Newman and Liza Bielby named their experimental performance group, headquartered…
