This post is a part of a series of posts curating adventurous arts and culture experiences in Southeast Michigan. Sign up for email updates (choose “Arts & Culture Adventures” list).

Spring is nigh! It’s International Women’s Day! There is so much to celebrate! Last night, I attended the Wallenberg Lecture at Rackham Auditorium and if you’re looking for a dose of hope today, I definitely recommend checking out the lectures from years past. Hopefully this and the list of happenings below will help you ring in spring with some good-hearted will power.

The Truth Is I Hear You at Cranbrook Art Museum

How do you define truth? What are your personal truths? This community involved video project, spearheaded by The Cause Collective showcases the responses and definitions from Michiganders throughout Southeast Michigan. During the summer of 2016, the Truth Booth, an inflatable video recording studio in the shape of a giant speech bubble toured eleven locations in Metro Detroit and Flint collecting statements to the prompt “The Truth Is…”. The responses are compelling, heartfelt, funny, complex, and so much more. The exhibition runs through March 19, so make your way to Cranbrook ASAP for a cup of truth. Tickets range from $6 to $10. More.

Personal Space at Public Pool

Want to get up close + personal with some really wonderful artwork by Detroit-based artists? Then does Public Pool in Hamtramck have the show for you. Personal Space has been more than a year in the making and is a collaboration between cool-kid-in-the-publication-biz Grand Circus Magazine and curator Isabella Achenbach. The exhibition will feature prominent and really quite exceptional Detroit-based artists highlighting their work that focuses on the way bodies interact and situate themselves within their larger, or sometimes intimate, spaces. Opening night is March 11 from 7 – 11pm and if you miss it, you can catch it during Public Pool’s open hours every Saturday through April 22. It’s free. Don’t miss out. More.

Macdeath at Planet Ant Theatre

Macbeth. Maybe you read it in high school or maybe you went and saw your cousin’s high school production of the play. Maybe you just have a friend named Beth. Regardless, you probably haven’t seen a high school production of Macdeath. This original musical comedy is an adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic by Mikey Brown and Shawn Handlon, and instead of Scotland as the scene, it’s set in a dystopian, post-apocalyptic world (on stage at Planet Ant in Hamtramck). Planet Ant is a haven for improv, scripted productions and has churned out some real heavy hitting actors + artists like Keegan-Michael Key of Key & Peele. I don’t know what is in store for Macdeath, but I can tell you, I’m intrigued and I’m going. Tickets are $20 and it runs on Friday through Sunday until March 18. More.

55th Ann Arbor Film Festival at the Michigan Theater

If you’re reading this in Ann Arbor, you’re just down the street, or a couple of streets, from the third-oldest film festival in North America. In it’s 55th year, the Ann Arbor Film Festival is a jewel upon the crown of arts wonders in Michigan. This year, they’re back full force at the Michigan Theater (and a few other spots, too) and will be showing some really cosmic work. I’ve given the films a peruse and some thematic highlights include: a vogueing teen, a Mexican mother searching for a Donald Trump piñata, clowns, and a Skype exorcism. Some events are free but ticketed events + screenings cost $8 or $12, the AAFF runs from March 21-26. More.

After Industry at Wasserman Projects

Headed to Eastern Market in Detroit soon? Then pop by Wasserman Projects, a gallery + event space that hosts performances, talks + panels in conjunction with their impressive exhibitions. The current show on view is entitled After Industry and conveys our lovely consumptive, consumerist world teetering on collapse through the work of Italian sculptor Willy Verginer, Norweigan painter Christer Kalstad, and Michigan-based photographer Jason DeMarte. I haven’t been yet, but I’m about to carve out some time on a Saturday (when they’re open) to see it as it runs through April 8.  Entrance to Wasserman Projects is free. More.

Steve Reich @ 80 at Hill Auditorium

Look out Michigan, Chicago coming through! Contemporary music sextet eighth blackbird and percussion wunderkids Third Coast Percussion are joining forces to perform Steve Reich’s masterpiece Music for 18 Musicians. This performance is not worth missing as it takes 4 Steinway pianos to perform and is extremely technical, rhythmic, and spellbinding. There will also be three performances happening on various levels of Hill Auditorium prior to the concert to contextualize Steve Reich’s musical background. If you’re not sold yet, I’ll leave you with this quote from David Bowie, who listed the album as one of his 25 favorite: “Balinese gamelan music cross-dressing as minimalism.” Honor him, make it your new favorite, and go. More.

Thanks for giving this a read! Which events do you have on your calendar? Have any suggestions? Feel free to shoot me an email at adamedesj@gmail.com, or comment below. I’d love to hear from you!

Photos courtesy of artists and performance spaces.

Adam DesJardins is a UMS Blogging Fellow. Learn more about the blogging fellows program.

This post is a part of a series of posts curating adventurous arts and culture experiences in Southeast Michigan. Sign up for email updates (choose “Arts & Culture Adventures” list).

February! So short, so bitter, and surprisingly so much to do in Southeast Michigan. I’ve been keeping active by sitting in front of my space heater and listening to music that makes me think of the sun, like this Blood Orange song. While you close your eyes and try to remember what that burning ball of fire in the sky feels like on your face, open your eyes back up and gander at this list.  

The Holler Sessions at the Detroit Public Theater

With the wide range of cafes, stages and festivals, it only makes sense that Detroit, a city with a history rich in jazz, is where a play like The Holler Sessions is landing. Staged as a live radio show, the play focuses on one man, or should I say, one DJ with a heart-burning, ranting, humorous love for jazz. The play, written and performed by Frank Boyd, is created in collaboration with the TEAM, a theater wunder-company who presented their work RoosevElvis with UMS this fall. Performances run through February 26 with tickets from $20-35. More.

Kehinde Wiley: A New Republic at the Toledo Museum of Art

I know I’m supposed to be writing about Southeast Michigan happenings, but this one is too good to pass up. And Toledo used to be a part of Michigan, so what does it matter? I digress. What does matter is that painter extraordinaire Kehinde Wiley’s touring exhibition will grace our interstate region in Toledo from February 10 until May 14. I plan to go at least once to ooze over his hyper realistic portraits rooted in contemporary Black culture, European aristocratic painting, and all the complicated, tangled history at play. The Toledo Museum of Art is always free, so start planning your trip. More.

2017 Winter Exhibitions Opening featuring The Black Opera at Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD)

MOCAD enters 2017 in full force. This tsunami of an event will include a whopping four exhibition openings, a curator’s talk, and a performance by The Black Opera, a collective dedicated to lyricism, secrecy, and foremost, artistry. Of the four exhibitions, the one I find the most striking is The Architectural Imagination which envisions new purpose for four sites in Detroit through architectural proposals drafted up between designers, architects, and community members. This exhibition comes straight from the 2016 Venice Biennale, where it was a part of the United States Pavilion, which is a big deal. All this goes down on February 11, free admission before 9 pm and $12 after that. More.

Mr. Burns, A Post Electric Play at the Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre

A play centered on the apocalyptic retelling of an episode of The Simpsons. Are you sold yet? Playwright Anne Washburn creates a piece of theater that questions how we tell stories, where they come from and why they come about. All of this set in a world with no electricity where survivors attempt to recollect “Cape Feare,” an episode of the Simpsons. This jolting production by the U-M Department of Theatre & Dance takes place February 16-19 with tickets prices at $22-28. More.

Shira Erlichman + Angel Nafis at Literati

If you haven’t been to Literati in Ann Arbor, it’s about time you go. Not only do they offer a world of local bookstore wonder, but they also host some really superb readings, talks and other literary events. Coming around the bend on February 22 is the powerhouse poetry duo of Shira Erlichman + Angel Nafis visiting by way of Brooklyn, NY. Angel Nafis is an Ann Arbor native and while SHIRA is not, both visit often to read, teach, and engage folks with words, something they both do so magnificently. Come and be floored, for free. More.

Thanks for giving this a read! Which events do you have on your calendar? Have any suggestions? Feel free to shoot me an email at adamedesj@gmail.com, or comment below. I’d love to hear from you!

Photos courtesy of artists and performance spaces.

Adam DesJardins is a UMS Blogging Fellow. Learn more about the blogging fellows program.

This post is a part of a series of posts curating adventurous arts and culture experiences in Southeast Michigan. Sign up for email updates (choose “Arts & Culture Adventures” list).

Happy New Year! I’m excited for this cold winter chock full of funky, affordable, and spectacular events to share with you! I’m still bursting about Batsheva Dance Company this past weekend at the Power Center and am really quite pumped for the rest of the UMS season, which you can gander here. Now, onto my picks for what I think will bring you warmth when the weather can’t.

Metropolis at the Senate Theater

Looking to the future? Maybe 2026? Then check out the 1927 silent film classic Metropolis, which will be playing at the historic Senate Theater in Detroit. The German expressionist epic is a dizzying two and a half hour wonder of mechanics, special effects, class struggles, and futuristic dystopian city living as told by the past. Also, there will be live musical accompaniment by Stephen Warner on the Might Wurlitzer Organ. Tickets are $10 and the film starts at 8 pm on January 14. One night only, don’t miss out. More.

Facebok Event // Trailer

Martin Luther King, Jr. Keynote + Talks at the University of Michigan

As a part of the great number of Martin Luther King Jr. Day events happening at the University of Michigan, three talks involving four truly exceptional thinkers + creators have me mouth-breathing, to say the least. The first is the keynote lecture, more so discussion between Issa Rae, writer, producer and star of the hit HBO series Insecure, and Amy Goodman, award-winning investigative journalist, author and host of Democracy Now! The two will be in conversation at 10 am on January 16 at Hill Auditorium. That same day,  star poet Claudia Rankine gives a talk at Rackham Auditorium at 4 pm, and on January 18 at noon, author + activist Junot Díaz will also grace the stage. Just when you thought it couldn’t get better, all of these events are free. More here and here.

Facebook Event for Keynote

Printers Without Presses at Public Pool

A group exhibition highlighting the ingenuity of printmakers without access to presses is the next show hitting the Hamtramck art space. With open doors for the past 6 years, Public Pool continues to be dedicated to showcasing contemporary art, collaborating with artists from near and far, and creating a space where community members can dive right in to whatever is going down. Printers Without Presses will accomplish all of the above, exhibiting fresh press-less work and inviting you to also make a print on the premises. The show opens on January 21 from 7-11 pm and gallery hours are Saturdays 1-6 pm until February 25, where there will be a reading + neighborhood potluck to wrap up the show. More.

Facebook Page

Hank Willis Thomas at the Michigan Theater

Featuring a roster of prominent artists, designers, makers + creators, the Penny Stamps Speaker Series is back from winter vacation and in full throttle. Normally taking place every Thursday at 5:10 pm at the Michigan Theater, the series allows audience members to listen and learn from these creatives (for free!) as they present, converse, ask + answer questions and show work. On January 26 at 5:10 pm, contemporary photographer and visual artist Hank Willis Thomas will speak about his work, and hopefully much more, including his series Unbranded, which focuses on stripping slogans + brands from ads to direct attention to the visual and social content at play. Fingers crossed. More.

Facebook Page // Facebook Event

The Wright Museum of African American History

As the new Museum of African American History and Culture in DC continues to create buzz and ticket lines, you need not travel far to find a reputable, innovative, and an all-around wonderful local equivalent. Throughout the year, the museum hosts a great number of programs ranging from the African World Festival in the summer to field trips, film screenings and conferences. This month, the Wright has a strong line-up of MLK-related events including dance workshops, lectures, and an art exhibition opening, which are just small additions to the two permanent and two temporary exhibitions already on display. If you haven’t been, you’ve got to go. More.

Facebook Page

Thanks for giving this a read! Which events do you have on your calendar? Have any suggestions? Feel free to shoot me an email at adamedesj@gmail.com, or comment below. I’d love to hear from you!

Photos courtesy of artists and performance spaces.

Adam Desjardins is a UMS Blogging Fellow. Learn more about the blogging fellows program.

This post is a part of a series of posts curating adventurous arts and culture experiences in Southeast Michigan. Sign up for email updates (choose “Arts & Culture Adventures” list).

Mmm….Thanksgiving may be over, but it’s Christmas time! This year I’m hungry for change, and if you are too, I encourage you to donate to a local organization or a cause that you care about! For me, it’s the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in North Dakota and Gleaner’s Community Food Bank in Detroit. As always, I encourage you to check out the arts happenings below because they’re affordable, enjoyable, and well, I just know you’ll love them.

Fun Home at the Fisher Theatre

After taking home a slew of accolades and audiences’ hearts while on Broadway, Fun Home is finally coming to a theater near you. Based on the memoir by graphic novelist Alison Bechdel, the plot follows Bechdel in three periods of her life: a present day, middle-aged cartoonist, a student at Oberlin College in Ohio, and a child growing up in rural Pennsylvania. The musical unravels Bechdel’s most personal memories from exploring her sexuality to her discovery of complex family secrets, taking audiences on a vulnerable, emotional, albeit fun trip down memory lane. Tickets start at $29 and the show runs from November 29 – December 11 in the architectural gem that is the Fisher Theatre. More.

Also check out their Facebook Page for even more events. 

44^th Annual Noel Night in Midtown Detroit

This is one of my absolute favorite events in the world and it’s happening next week on December 3! I’m not big on holidays, but I have always loved Noel Night because year after year, it continues to be an event that is extremely accessible, artistically incredible, and completely free. Taking place from 5pm to 10pm, over 70 institutions in Midtown Detroit open their doors to the public to showcase 200+ performances, holiday markets, family craft activities, and so much more. My highlights from recent years have included the Detroit Party Marching Band outside the DIA, gospel legend Irma Thomas at First Congregational Church, and klezmer music at the Detroit Public Library. It’s free. Go. More. To like them on Facebook, check them out here.

Japanese Prints of Kabuki Theater at UMMA

Men in drag! Stardom! 18^th + 19^th century Japan! For centuries, Kabuki Theater has encapsulated all of the above and more, preserving a tradition of theatrics, drama, and Japanese history that still lives and breathes today. On display now through January 29 at the University of Michigan Museum of Art (UMMA), this exhibition of colorful woodblock prints will give viewers a look into the fandom, the fantasy, and the spectacle that captured the hearts of many from Japan and afar. Oh, and UMMA is always free. More.

Image: Utagawa Toyokuni III (Kunisada), Ichikawa Ichizō III as Kinryū Kumokichi, Edo period (1615-1867), 1857, color woodblock print or paper. University of Michigan Museum of Art, Gift of John Campbell, 2009/2.100

The Carr Center in Downtown Detroit

Consider this a grab bag, an artistic smorgasbord, because that is what the Carr Center is. After 7 years of creating a space for African and African-American cultural arts traditions in Downtown Detroit, the Carr Center is facing the possibility of being uprooted from their building as plans for a fancy hotel loom. That said, their artistic programming puts up a fight with two CD release concerts by local musicians in the coming weeks, a giant two-story art exhibition entitled “You Are Here” running until December 17, and a concert headlining jazz icon Dee Dee Bridgewater and jazz pianist (+ artistic director of the Carr Center) Geri Allen on December 2. Check out their website and go to show your support. More.

Thanks for giving this a read! Which events do you have on your calendar? Have any suggestions? Feel free to shoot me an email at adamedesj@gmail.com, or comment below. I’d love to hear from you!

Photos courtesy of artists and performance spaces.

Adam Desjardins is a UMS Blogging Fellow. Learn more about the blogging fellows program.

This post is a part of a series of posts curating adventurous arts and culture experiences in Southeast Michigan. Sign up for email updates (choose “Arts & Culture Adventures” list).

Boo! It’s the spookiest season out there…election season! And in lieu of all the fright, I’ve been focusing most of my energy on the new Solange album, taking Polish classes in a bright magenta room in Hamtramck, and yapping everyone’s ears off about the ever-so important RTA Millage on the ballot. Below you’ll find some haunts that I think you should check out ASAP! Enjoy!

Ofrenda Altars at the DIA

Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a celebration of all those who have passed on, and in my opinion, is one of the most beautiful holidays on this planet. Those who celebrate honor the dead through grave visits, vigils, and ofrenda altars, where offerings including candles, sugar skulls, food + drink, personal knick-knacks and more are presented as gifts for the dead. For the fourth consecutive year, the DIA in conjunction with the Mexican Consulate of Detroit will showcase 14 ofrenda altars made by local artists, which will captivate in gorgeous, emotional and even hilarious ways. The exhibit is free with museum admission, which is free for residents of Wayne, Macomb and Oakland counties. Go pay your respects from October 21 until November 6. More.

Mitski at the Magic Bag

I often tell my friends + complete strangers that I feel like I’m just hitting puberty at age 23. So it’s only natural that Puberty 2, the most recent album by hard-hitting, music-maker Mitski, has been my anthem as of late. Her sound is extremely versatile ranging from soft, melt your heart lyrics to big, bang, kick down your walls grit. She’s truly an incredible songwriter, with the raw musicianship to match, and will be bringing her spell to Ferndale for $12 a ticket on November 4. Do not miss out on Mitski. More.

VIDEO

Heidelbergology: A 30-Year Photo Retrospective at the Heidelberg Project

If you haven’t made your way to the Heidelberg Project yet, well, it’s now been 30 years of shape shifting and it’s about time for you to go. The project, started by artist Tyree Guyton on Heidelberg Street, where he grew up in Detroit, has evolved an area at one point in shambles into an international and more importantly, community creative hotspot. The exhibition features some lovely photos highlighting memories from the dynamic journey Guyton + his team have taken, and you must check it out before they begin some drastic renovations to the project. The photos are on view until January 2017 but go now before you get too cozy indoors! More.

Theo Katzman + Joey Dosik at the Blind Pig

“Thou shalt bringeth the funk” is a quote no one ever said to me. Luckily, funk-bringers Theo Katzman and Joey Dosik will be doing just that when they grace the stage at the Blind Pig in Ann Arbor on November 5. It’s a homecoming of sorts for Katzman, a grad of the music school at U of M and member of Vulfpeck, an Ann Arbor-born, LA-based band who have grooved and grinded their way into thousands of hearts, including mine. A frequent Vulfpeck collaborator and LA native, Dosik is equally as funky and has a sound that is chock-full of soul. Tickets are $15 in advance so show up and show support for these two fly, funky hunks. More.

VIDEO

Leila Abdelrazaq: Drawing in the Diaspora at the Arab American National Museum

With one of the largest Arab American populations in the United States, Southeast Michigan is graced with many cultural gems like that of the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn. Starting November 12, the museum will host the illustrations, comics and printed matter of Leila Abdelrazaq, a Chicago-born, Palestinian artist and author whose work fuses art and activism. From zines about the struggles of undocumented immigrants to her debut graphic novel Baddawi, which highlights her father’s childhood in a refugee camp, the exhibition will showcase her talent as an artist who uses her medium to create meaningful work and spark dialogue about politics, identity, storytelling and so much more. The exhibition runs until April 19 and is free with museum admission. More.

Thanks for giving this a read! Which events do you have on your calendar? Have any suggestions? Feel free to shoot me an email at adamedesj@gmail.com, or comment below. I’d love to hear from you!

Photos courtesy of artists and performance spaces.

Adam DesJardinis is a UMS Blogging Fellow. Learn more about the blogging fellows program.

We are proud to announce the 2016-17 Wallace Blogging Fellows

We’re pleased to announce that Adam DesJardinis and Marissa Kurtzhals have been selected as the 2016-17 UMS Wallace Blogging Fellows. The fellowship program, currently in its inaugural year, is intended to expose area arts audiences to adventurous arts and cultural opportunities throughout Southeast Michigan.

The fellowship period will take place from September 2016 to April 2017. During this time, fellows will serve as curators who make monthly recommendations about events throughout Southeast Michigan, whether presented by UMS or by other organizations.

Watch for the roundup posts here on the UMS Lobby blog, and via UMS email and social media.

Meet the fellows

Adam DesJardins is a Midwest-raised, Detroit-based 23-year-old who enjoys dragging people to performances, public art projects, street festivals, and the likes. He has a soft spot for public transportation and buying second hand candles. Growing up in the thrift store racks of Metro Detroit and on the sandy beaches of Lake Superior, Adam has an eternal, booming love for Michigan. A love that boomed extra loud during the past year when Adam worked in Lille, France as a English teaching assistant, spending his copious vacation time bouncing around from the Baltic to Brussels to Baku. This year, Adam is thrilled to be back in the arts community as a Wallace Blogging Fellow.

Marissa Kurtzhals likes to tell stories, and has had a lifelong passion for the arts. She began blogging for Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art in 2011 and now serves as the head of social media at the Ann Arbor Convention & Visitors Bureau. Marissa hopes to inspire UMS readers to explore the dynamic arts and culture scene of Southeast Michigan. In her spare time, Marissa enjoys singing, cooking, yoga, and spending time at home with her fiancé.

About UMS

A recipient of the 2014 National Medal of Arts, UMS (also known as the University Musical Society) contributes to a vibrant cultural community by connecting audiences with performing artists from around the world in uncommon and engaging experiences. One of the oldest performing arts presenters in the country, UMS is an independent non-profit organization affiliated with the University of Michigan, presenting over 70 music, theater, and dance performances by professional touring artists each season, along with over 100 free educational activities. UMS is part of the University of Michigan’s “Victors for Michigan” campaign, reinforcing its commitment to bold artistic leadership, engaged learning through the arts, and access and inclusiveness.

Media Inquiries:
Mallory Shea
734.647.4020
mschirr@umich.edu