Hey, everyone! Welcome back to Culture Canvas.
As we head into our second week of September, the Detroit Month of Design is in full swing! The annual month-long event that gathers artists, designers, consumers and the community to celebrate Detroit’s role as a national and global design capital. Month of Design features several events throughout September, including exhibit openings, installations and workshops. One of the exhibits I checked out last week was “Apex” from fiber and textile artist Taylor Childs. The show, which is located at the new LOVE building in Core City, is dedicated to the historic Apex Bar, which her uncle owned in the 1970s and where several family members also worked. The bar is known as being the first gig for blues singer John Lee Hooker back in the 1940s.
Here’s a snippet of my conversation with Childs. The full story will come out this week on BridgeDetroit’s website.
BridgeDetroit: What stories would you hear growing up about Apex?
Childs: I spend a lot of time with my great aunt and my grandmother, so, it was always them joking about like their sisters. And they would point to the building, letting me know that regardless of what demographic seemed to be power, it’s not taboo for Black people to own businesses. I’m really trying to highlight the Black stories that haven’t been told. Within my art, I’m always drawing archives from my own family.
BridgeDetroit: How did you connect with Design Core Detroit?
Childs: I went to CCS (College for Creative Studies), so I would see (Design Core Detroit co-executive director) Kiana Wenzell at work. But also, we were doing programming with Design Core a long time ago, so I’ve been a part of it for years. I remember doing some of the earlier shows, so we always had a relationship.
BridgeDetroit: Why did you decide to dedicate this exhibit to the Apex Bar and your family?
Childs: Because the stories are being lost. Right now, it’s a sad period for my family because people have been dying off. But I think with the show, it’s really honoring what we do have and what can come in the future. That’s what my hope is for this show, everyone knowing there’s hope for a new future.
Stay tuned this week for the full story and, as always, have a great week!
Cheers,
Micah
313 SCENE
- BridgeDetroit reporter Jena Brooker wrote about the new “Environment + Microclimates” exhibit at the Boyer Campbell building in Milwaukee Junction. The display includes quilts, a fabric-covered trampoline as well as abstract displays created with textiles, wire and plaster and interactive options, like a live quilting circle and a hunt for milkweed. The art installations are from members of Detroit’s two-year-old Fiber Club, a free monthly gathering for hundreds of fiber artists.
- The Motown Museum recently launched a weekly radio show, “Live from Motown Museum,” on SiriusXM’s Smokey’s Soul Town channel. The show is hosted by radio personality and Detroit Pistons announcer John Mason and Levi Stubbs III, whose father, Levi Stubbs, was a founding member of the Four Tops. (Detroit Metro Times)
- R&B singer Erykah Badu will perform as her alter ego DJ Lo Down Loretta Brown at this year’s Dilla Fest, which starts at 6 p.m. Oct. 6 at the Russell Industrial Center. Detroit’s Moodymann, Dez Andrés, and DJ Killa $quid will also perform. (Detroit Metro Times)
- “Bargain Block,” the hit HGTV series that turns decaying houses in Detroit into chic, affordable starter homes, is shifting its focus next month from the Motor City to the Big Easy. The cable channel announced that a spinoff called “Bargain Block New Orleans” will air five episodes starting Oct. 9 in the current show’s regular time slot of 9 p.m. Wednesdays. (Detroit Free Press)
- Actor Macaulay Culkin will make a stop at the Masonic Temple in Detroit in December for a screening of his 1990 holiday classic, “Home Alone.” Tickets for the Dec. 8 event go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday at axs.com. Presale tickets go on sale Wednesday. Culkin will participate in a moderated interview and an audience Q&A following the screening. (Detroit News)
What’s Going on in the D?
- Bank of America is partnering with SER Metro-Detroit to bring a mobile financial center to the nonprofit’s Samaritan Center Tuesday-Friday. The financial institution will provide convenient access to banking services, financial wellness education, credit counseling and more. The mobile financial center will be on site at the Samaritan Center, 5555 Conner Street, Tuesday and Wednesday from 2-6 p.m. and Thursday and Friday from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
- Youth organization InsideOut Literary Arts is hosting its annual festival, “If the River Could Sing: A Celebration of Writing and River with InsideOut” Thursday at Robert C. Valade Park. The event, which takes place from 5:30-9 p.m., will feature poetry and music inspired by the Detroit River. There will be spoken word by award-winning Michigan poet jason b. crawford as well as InsideOut’s Youth Performance Troupe. Musical performances include harpist AnJelic, singer/songwriter and MC Monica Blaire and Americana band The Codgers. Tickets are free, but guests should still reserve their spot on Eventbrite.
- R&B superstar Usher is bringing his “Past Present Future” tour for two shows at Little Caesars Arena 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday. There are still tickets available for both shows, starting at $78 on Ticketmaster.
- Oakland, California native Aminah “Chef Mimi” Robinson-Briscoe is bringing her Black Food and Wine Experience to Detroit, which takes place Thursday-Saturday at various places downtown. The event, which celebrates food and wine inspired by the African diaspora, kicks off with a reception at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Book Tower. Then there’ll be a Black food and beverage summit at 12 p.m. Friday at the One Campus Martius building, followed by a reception at 3 p.m. Saturday’s event is a grand tasting at State Savings Bank at 7 p.m. Tickets for the kickoff reception is $75, while the grand tasting is $150. The hospitality summit is free.
- For those who’ve wondered what the inside of the upscale homes near the University of Detroit-Mercy looked like, the University District Community Association is hosting a home tour from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday. Guests can check out six homes carefully preserved or restored by homeowners, including stained glass windows, Pewabic and Flint Faience tile, grand foyers and original and renovated kitchens and baths. The starting point is All Saints Episcopal Church, 3837 West 7 Mile Road. Tickets are $30 on Eventbrite.
- As we enter spooky season, check out FrankenFest Saturday at Historic Fort Wayne. From 11 a.m.-6 p.m., attendees can explore the work of more than 100 artists and vendors, grab a bite to eat, or check the many presentations happening throughout the day. Topics include southern Michigan paranormals and the history and hauntings of Historic Fort Wayne. The festival is free but admission for presentations inside the Fort Wayne Barracks building is $5.
