Art
Diaper Cakes, Rotten Candy Vases, and the Artistry of Upcycling Detritus
HAMTRAMCK, Mich. — One can detect a sense of barely contained glee underlying Dylan Spaksky's effort to include everyone in his fun.
Sarah Rose Sharp
Sarah Rose Sharp is a Detroit-based writer, activist, and multimedia artist. She is primarily concerned with the experiences of making and engaging with art, and researching the state of contemporary art in postindustrial and redeveloping cities.
Art
In Middle America, a Survey of Art from Latin America
DETROIT — The central piece, and the one that immediately draws the eye when entering the main gallery of United States of Latin America at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, is a full wall mural by Minerva Cuevas entitled “America.”
Art
Death by a Thousand Operas
DETROIT — Arms flung wide, Joseph Keckler collapses to the floor and dies.
Art
A Portrait of the Juggalettes, Insane Clown Posse's Female Fans
DETROIT — When UK artist Lucy Owen arrived in Detroit in 2014, it was to pursue an interest, developed from afar, in Juggalo culture — the dynamic cult scene centered on the local music duo Insane Clown Posse (ICP).
Art
In Five Decades of Self-Portraits, an Artist Refuses to Tone Down Her Feelings
DETROIT — Brenda Goodman has been steadily doing her thing for decades, moving from early success within the Cass Corridor movement in her native Detroit, to a varied career in New York City, and finally to her current retreat in the relative sanctity of the Catskills.
Art
Combing Through the Hegemony of Hair
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Sonya Clark is all about hair.
Art
Art That Forces Us to Face the Cruelty of the Human Animal
HAMTRAMCK, Mich. — The disclaimer “No animals were harmed in the making of this film” is something films like to let you know when it appears that some animals may have been harmed in the movie’s making.
Art
Surreal Still Lifes of Objects and Their Memories
BIRMINGHAM, Mich. — The concept of “improvisational painting” might evoke the idea of loose compositions with abstract shapes — Kandinsky-like squiggles and half-formed images, or a visual jazz of color and texture.
Art
Composing the Sounds of Detroit into a Symphony
DETROIT — The sounds of the city have long been an inspiration to composers — think of iconic soundscapes from Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue to Bernstein’s West Side Story score.
Art
Slicing Up a Limo as a Metaphor for Detroit
DETROIT — A limousine can be many things: transportation of choice for prom, a status marker, and a bit of a paradox.
Art
The 17 Pairs of Hands That Spun a Little Black Dress into Existence
HAMTRAMCK, Mich. — The average American consumer has no idea how much labor goes into an everyday object, even one as omnipresent as, say, a little black dress.
Art
Visions of Detroit’s Past and Future in Clay and Cardboard
DETROIT — Shannon Goff makes an excellent case for the secret interconnections between cardboard and clay, her two primary materials.