I love Detroit

Last weekend, Chris and I took a trip to Detroit to take in Print City and Dlectricity. We stayed in an airbnb home in Corktown, just across the road from downtown proper. There was so much to see and do, we did our best but really only skimmed the surface. We will be back. Here are some snaps and notes on the different things we saw. Lots of great prints!
These photos are not really in order, but this is a good place to start. At the Detroit Artists Market show Abstraction and Landscape: Contemporary Woodcut curated by Endi Poskovic. A stunning show. I was in awe. Three days, lots of art and many photos.

 Teresa Cole's beautiful installation 'Curling In on Itself'

 detail of 'Curling In on Itself'. this work was created while the artist was in residence at Khoj Kolkata International Artist Residency in India

Chris is checking out the wonderful surfaces of Susan Goethel Campbell's 'Aeriel Landscape' series

it is really hard to get across just how amazing this work was. the paper is beautiful washi, the printing with a subtle woodgrain showing and the city lights are actually cutouts.

Karen Kunc's bookwork 'Incessant White Noise'

Karen Kunc's 'Bell Acqua'

Goedele Peeters, 'SWIMMINGPOOL II'

one of my favourite funny little spots in MOCAD, that head on the right is by Barry McGee

here he is a little closer

Corktown Studios where the REVIVAL show was opening

some of the great work in the show. I will share some of the prints later as I took home my portfolio and have one of each of these. This photo does not do justice to the great work in this themed portfolio show.

there is my print on the right above the cheese. a quiet moment in between the Print City gallery crawl buses. really wanted to see the print studio but ran out of time. 

this was a really interesting project space across the road from Corktown Studios

inside, lots of equipment and resources to complete all kinds of projects many of them seemed to be focussing on contributing to the neighbourhood

Corktown is the oldest neighbourhood in Detroit and also busy with lots of new things going on

walking on Michegan Ave. Chris found a tie with the message, 'stay classy Detroit'

best bagels and coffee at Detroit Institute of Bagels

the back of another tie (notice the relaxed parking outside)

before we left we went for a delicious breakfast at the Brooklyn St. Local in Corktown which we found out was owned by a young couple from Toronto

a swashbuckling cabbie in front of the conservatory on Belle Isle

yes! polka dot house in the Heidelberg Project

there were some curious incidents and fires happening in the neibourhood so artist and founder Tyree Guyton raised some funds through kickstarter for solar panels, lights and security cameras

into Mexicantown for fresh guac and salsa at the HoneyBee

cool bus. from what I could find out, it is a travelling theatre

view of the old train station from Mexicantown

our home base in Corktown for the weekend

Michegan Ave. Corktown has some great restaurants and bars, is super wide and has cobblestone showing through on the sides. Across the street is Nemo's where tons of people were getting ready for the big game. School buses painted with 'Nemo's' on the side came later and took them to Tiger Stadium.

great salads, choucrouterie and sandwiches at Rubbed

edge of Eastern Market

just one part of Eastern Market. it is huge!

some prints at Signal Return press. the ones on the top shelf are by local artist Amos Kennedy

Sunday morning print demo by Martin Mazorra from Cannonball press in Brooklyn. I loved Martin's work (hanging on the wall behind him) based on the language of flowers.

Caught up with printmaker Josh Dannin and old friend from my first Spark Box visit

more wonderful prints in the great gallery space above Signal Return

another print shop in the Eastern Market, Salt & Cedar

the third tie we found, we said we would have to keep. we kept this one.

check out some more tie shots here

this was difficult to capture on my camera, it is much longer than you see here. 

'After Jabes' by Lynne Avandenka at the N'Namdi Centre for Contemporary Art

'Traces' by Margot B. Myers also at N'Namdi Centre

lucky us, we were in town for Detroit's nuit blanche, Dlectricity
this is a blurry shot of the thousand+ bike parade all lit up.
my camera was dying and I couldn't get many photos here but you can watch part of it online here

the Guardian Building lobby

inside

 the Fisher Building took 9 months to complete

including the inside

crazy ride at Tiger Stadium. no we did not go on it but it was suggested that we go to a game. next time

the Fox Theatre. really wanted to go inside and see the 6 story high foyer but they were closed

the Foxtown Grille but I was really taking a photo of the mysterious steam that is escaping out of manholes all over the city

the Michegan Building which houses an old theatre that is now a parking garage. I really wanted to go in here too but they were preparing for a party. a scene from the movie 8 Mile was filmed in here

phew. last photo. here is the city hall which they recently turned into Gotham City Hall for the new Batman Superman movie