Hey Detroiters, welcome back to Culture Canvas!
For those who love to get crafty or are looking for unique gift ideas for the holidays, check out the Detroit Urban Craft Fair this weekend.
Hosted by organization and blog Handmade Detroit, the event takes place Saturday and Sunday at the Masonic Temple. The fair, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary, will feature more than 100 vendors across metro Detroit. Shoppers can expect to see everything from jewelry, clothing, home décor to bath and body products.
The Detroit Urban Craft Fair runs from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. Entry is $5 at the door. Children ages 12 and under are free after 1 p.m.
One of the vendors who will be showcasing her work is Detroiter Elaisha Hilliard. The self-taught painter and printmaker creates illustrations inspired by the style of the 1950s and 1960s. Hilliard, 28, began selling her art in 2016, starting with commissions. Then, during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, she began focusing on Linocut, a printmaking technique where an image is cut or gouged from a sheet of linoleum that is then processed by a letterpress machine. In addition to printmaking, Hilliard makes bookmarks, letterpress stationary and hard-bound books. This marks the first year Hilliard will be participating in the craft fair.
I talked to Hilliard about her beginnings with printmaking, her love of showcasing Black women in her work and what she plans to sell at the fair.
BridgeDetroit: How long have you been painting and printmaking?
Hilliard: I’ve been painting for 10 years and printmaking for five years. I was just frustrated with how long it took to come out with a finished piece. And I also am not a big fan of drawing. Printmaking allowed me to incorporate the things I loved about painting, which were colors and subject matter, and making multiple originals without the focus really being on drawing. I started by hand and then I got associated with the studio that I print most of my work out of, Signal Return. I rented their studio space, got a private lesson on how to use the machines, and then eventually started working there.
BridgeDetroit: Had you always been interested in making art?
Hilliard: Yeah, it’s always been the career choice since I was a kid. I just always knew that’s what it was going to be, and I’ve just been blessed that it’s worked out professionally.
The thing I’ve found helpful is just making your own lane. There’s a path and there’s a formula, sure, for relative success. I think just figuring out what you’re good at and what you like, can make you successful, instead of focusing on how everyone else is doing it.
BridgeDetroit: What will you be showing at the craft fair?
Hilliard: It’ll be an assortment of my original linocut prints. I’m also a book binder, so I’ll have handmade books, stationary packs and a bunch of nice letter press stationery and perhaps some textiles and some totes.
BridgeDetroit: Your artwork has a 1950s and 60s aesthetic, from the fashion the women wear, to the furniture you feature. How did you develop that?
Hilliard: I’ve always been inspired by that era, from animation and illustrations and even advertisements. I’ve just always loved the kind of spirit that illustrations at that time had. And as a Black woman, I found that there was a lack of representation for certain subject matters, specifically when it came to Black women and illustrative work in that time period. So, it’s (the artwork) kind of an idealistic reimagining by showing figures of color outside of traumatic or hardship environments.
BridgeDetroit: The women you feature in your prints always look put together and glamorous. Why was it important to you to show Black women in these super feminine roles?
Hilliard: The media really affects our brain so much and it’s hard for us to have media that is positive and not about segregation or slavery. If the only media you’re ingesting is negative or hurtful or traumatic, then that psychologically affects you. By depicting figures positively, I hope to somehow improve the psyche and mental health for Black women and give them a positive piece of media to see themselves in. The affliction of a Black artist, Black women is that we do not really have the leisure to just do things because we think they’re cool, because we think they’re pretty. Our time always has to be spent helping others or finding a man or whatever. I love to do things that make me happy, and I like to depict women doing things that make them happy as well.
Overall, in the art world for Black artists, there’s a pressure to speak on really heavy subjects and make your focus on trauma. Even though I do focus on Black women, it’s really important to me that they’re put in positions of leisure and contentment versus hardship. That’s an underlying theme of my work.
BridgeDetroit: What’s the process like of using a printmaking machine?
Hilliard: Those machines, traditionally, they’re letterpress proofing machines. It’s a really fast way to print instead of doing it by hand or with a more manual press. It’s really fun and it opens you up to another world using the pieces of machinery. I enjoy it, it’s quite the hack. My job Signal Return has letterpress workshops.
BridgeDetroit: What do you hope to see at the craft fair, either from attendees or other vendors?
Hilliard: I’m hoping to see people recognize the medium. That’s always really encouraging for me at every event. And really, I’m just hoping to see everyone win, that most of the vendors are happy. I’m just hoping that everyone comes out satisfied.
As always, have a great week!
Until next time,
Micah
313 Scene
- Sweet Potato Sensations has been a staple in the Old Redford neighborhood for more than 30 years, serving up culinary creations made out of sweet potatoes — cookies, cheesecake, cobblers, waffles, pancakes and even ice cream. But as the team pushes through the busy holiday season, one family member is noticeably absent— patriarch Jeffery Thomas. The husband and father, also known as “Mr. Sweet Potato Sensations,” died Sept. 9, two days before his 49th wedding anniversary and eight days before his 73rd birthday. However, when it comes to priorities for the business, they’re remaining the same.
- BridgeDetroit reporter Malachi Barrett wrote about Detroit City Council’s approval of alterations to Spirit Plaza. Plans call for new umbrellas, seating, a covered stage, artificial turf lawn, and new playground enclosed with planter boxes.
- Joe Louis Southern Kitchen is planning on bringing its chicken and waffles and other Southern-style brunch dishes to downtown Detroit. The local chain is named after the Detroit boxing champion and led by his son Joe Louis Barrow II and local restaurateur Johnny Cannon. The restaurant aims to open its third location at 1528 Woodward Ave., in a property owned by Dan Gilbert’s Bedrock by April 3, 2026 — just in time for Detroit Tigers Opening Day. (Detroit Metro Times)
- Freshly divorced from one of Michigan’s most powerful men, Jennifer Gilbert is throwing herself into the arts: She’s founded a new arts nonprofit that will open its own state-of-the-art space in Detroit in 2027. Lumana has been announced as the inaugural cultural anchor for Stanton Yards, a new waterfront destination in Detroit’s Little Village cultural corridor, off of East Jefferson Avenue on the city’s east side. Lumana will be committed to fostering opportunities for artists, designers, and supporting institutions. (Detroit Free Press)
- The love was flowing strong in the room as Motown founder Berry Gordy Jr. celebrated his 96th birthday at a party teeming with famous friends, fellow music executives and family members on Nov. 29. The birthday soiree, held at Hillcrest Country Club in Los Angeles, was a celebrity-packed affair featuring many of Gordy’s Motown peers, including Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, the Temptations’ Otis Williams, Martha Reeves, Valerie Simpson and Claudette Robinson. (Detroit Free Press)
- The Detroit Lions Thanksgiving game performance by Jack White and Eminem is being widely hailed as one of the top halftime sets in recent NFL history. Now the 7 1⁄2-minute collaboration by the two Detroit stars is available as an official audio release: “Live at Ford Field,” capturing their four-song performance straight from the mixing board to streaming services. (Detroit Free Press)
What’s Going on in the D?
- “Hell’s Kitchen,” the hit Broadway musical inspired by the life of R&B star Alicia Keys, is coming to the Fisher Theatre beginning Tuesday. Tickets start at $46. The play runs until Dec. 14.
- Variety show A Magical Cirque Christmas is coming to the Fox Theatre at 7:30 p.m. Friday. The acrobat group will perform their stunts to holiday classics. Tickets begin at $67.
- The Redford Theatre is getting into the holiday spirit with a matinee screening of the modern holiday classic, “Elf” at 2 p.m. Saturday and an 8 p.m. showing of “A Christmas Story.” Tickets are $7 for both screenings.
- Merry Midtown, a temporary Noel Night replacement event for shops and restaurants in Midtown, takes place from 5-9 p.m. Saturday. More than 50 neighborhood institutions are participating, including gift-giving havens Carhartt, Third Man Records, Detroit Artists’ Market, Nest and Art Loft among many others. Organizers are also bringing in ice carvers, fire jugglers and a roving Santa Claus, Frosty the Snowman and carolers.
- The National Arab Orchestra is performing at the Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts at 8 p.m. Saturday. The Michigan-based group will be presenting their concert, “East Meets West: Christmas in the Holy Land.” Tickets begin at $67.
