A huge part of what we do here is making sure that the work and innovative models we are creating in response to interesting economic circumstances and opportunities is projected outward in to the world. I always say Detroit could write the rule-book for next-generation cities. It’s true. Economic systems worldwide are crumbling, cities are re-thinking their positions amidst globalization, and in Detroit we’ve been confronting the dire version of those circumstances for many years. And over the past three years, we’ve gotten significantly better at innovating with minimal resources. And this is the stuff that the country will deem more and more significant as cities struggle more and more. In the last week or so, two outfits locally have been getting national coverage that plays a significant part in moving the narrative about Detroit’s potential forward.

DETROIT Soup featured in Dwell Magazine, a national publication:

Patrick Thompson Design featured on Design Sponge:

OK, OK, OK. Got an update coming via wireless signal straight from the DIY Street Fair in Ferndale.  21st century here, people.  The days have involved  a lot of folding, shenanigans with Apple’s PhotoBooth, ridiculously tasty craft beer (the WAB’s Porter is still gold in my book– just sayin’), an ungodly amount of well-dressed (mostly excited and adorable) children and a lot of interesting breeds of canines.  I didn’t realize there were such things as dogs with ridge backs, companies that makee slippers and head dresses for dogs, etc.  Clearly I am a ways out from owning/caring for such a creature.

ANYWAY (Catch that? Also re-reading Chuck Klosterman’s “Killing Yourself to Live” for the 8th time over here), the point of all this was to say that in my hot hands today is the brand-spanking new DL! catalog.  You betcha.  Coming in at a svelt 42 pages in length, this sucker is packing a powerful punch.  It’s a showcase of DL! wares from tees to medallions to posters— but more than anything, its a visual meet and greet with some of Detroit’s most excited (and exciting) doers.  Think of the Loveland super-combo Mary Lorene and Jerry “Nerd Alert” Paffendorf.  Think of Roland Legget and Connie Mangilin.  Or how about Margarita Barry over at I AM YOUNG DETROIT. Then there’s Jessica Hernandez and all the biz-nass she’s got going with her swampy blues band that’s making tracks and all the talk of Detroit Soup.  Andy and Emily Linn are featured as well, the brother/sister megateam that started City Bird in Midtown. 

The catalog substantiates DL!’s claim that there’s no better place in America to be young and hungry than Detroit by showing the young people that are on the ground making it happen. And hey, it serves the purpose of showing off DL! wares, too. It should be well known that Vanessa Miller did the photography and Courtney Burgam championed all the layout. A big high five to both of them. Here’s a look at the cover in space age low resoution via Apple’s Photo Booth’inator, but hey, I’m doing this remotely from the depths of Ferndale festival’dom:

The first pressing of the catalogs are headed to foggy London town and Pareee on Monday to try and see about getting some of the gear in shops over there across the pond.  In the very near future, however, the catalog will be available via MagCloud.

I drank coffee this morning staring at that picture. Containers.  Container homes.  Detroit!  Do it.  This is how my mind works.  I have yet to find a reliable local source for containers, though I haven’t actually  just gone out to the railyards and roamed around until I can find someone to talk with.  I have just been making phone calls and most of the time not getting a response.  Anyone with ideas on how to locally source shipping containers should direct them at once to talk@detroitlives.org.

After the culmination of DL! super weekend 9000, I am pleased to relay some good news.  For one, the exhibition opened on Saturday night at Whitdel Arts to a pleasantly petite crowd of interested participants.  Chazz’s butterflies looked great on the wall and the short film to accompany them (a DL! production) was fitting.  The ongoing documentary with Chazz is still in the works.  That being said, we should have a little teaser up soon.  It’s worth noting that many other film projects are in the churner, too.

The photo shoot on Sunday for the new catalog was a smash hit.  Vanessa Miller was like a hungry wolf with her Canon super-camera.  Talk about cool.  The girl’s got talent.  We got some good snaps, of which will be gathered and arranged in to a catalog of sorts that doubles as a picture show of the vibrant people that are pushing Detroit forward.  Team Loveland was there, Margarita Barry from IAM YOUNG DETROIT, Meeshter Roland Legget Junior and a whole ragtag bunch of smarty pants that do cool stuff around town.  It was ridiculously fun, we plowed through nearly 5 large pizzas, drank some ghetto blaster pitchers and generally enjoyed the excellency that is the backyard at the Old Miami.  I mean seriously, that patch of land and green grass and swings and chairs is a gold mine and oasis of cool.  So yeah, the shoot went well.  The catalog will be done soon.

Got another big week prepping for the brand-spanking new Third Thursdays event (I’ll be posting with Claire at Bureau of Urban Living with some new stuff from 5-9pm on Thursday, deets here) and DIY Street Fair in Ferndale.  Lord knows we’ve some new items together for the shop.  They gon’ be sweet.  Ciao for now.

Some of you may remember the DL! exhibition at Ladybug Gallery last January. We had music by Alan Scheurman, screened the Farmer and the Philosopher, LOVELAND’s Jerry P was there selling inches of Detroit, Vanessa Miller had her photography series “Making it Happen in Detroit” on display. Yeah. Pretty swell night. Now, gather yourself, but as the title may imply, part TWO is coming. You betcha. On September 11, 2010 we will have another gallery show in conjunction with CAID and Whitdel Arts (formerly the Ladybug Gallery) to basically showcase this underlying theme of Detroit’s re-invention and the future. We are doing an open call this time for submissions (!!!) of all varying types of media, so if you feel inclined, put together a proposal and send it in. First, download the Call For Entries. Follow the instructions on there for submitting proposals and be mindful of the deadlines and such. It’s going to be exciting, lots of cool stuff in store! Let’s dance.

“DETROIT LIVES! // the exhibition” gets Critics Pick from Metro Times! Come on out tonight to catch a piece of the action. Everything is getting going at 6pm with an open reception to meet the artists and see all the stuff on display– photography by Vanessa Miller, an interesting look at the project LOVELAND and some other cool surprises. Alan Scheurman plays a live set at 7pm and the film screens at 8pm. Get there early to print your own piece at our little screen printing time machine contraption. Yeah. Seriously. Once again, it all takes place at Ladybug Gallery — 1250 Hubbard (Map). Do it.

So, it’s official– “DETROIT LIVES! // the exhibit” is happening next Thursday, January 14 at CAID’s (Contemporary Art Institute of Detroit) Ladbybug Gallery in Southwest Detroit (Map). And sure, this will servive as the official screening for the DL! film “The Farmer and the Philosopher,” but there’s a whole lot more. There are a host of other folks involved– artists, visionaries and people just doing cool stuff in Detroit. Vanessa Miller will have a portion of the exhibit devoted to displaying her photo essay “Making it Happen”– simple, expressive portraits of young people in Detroit making a difference on the ground. Jerry Paffendorf, the mind behind the project “Loveland,” will have a portion of the exhibit devoted to his endeavor that involves selling off inches of land in Detroit (hundreds of people have already “moved” here as a result). Alan Scheurman, the same fellow that did the music for the film, will be on hand to play some tunes. And then once the film screens, both of the film’s featured figures Toby Barlow (NYTimes, Creative Director at Team Detroit) and Mark Covington (Farmer, Georgia Street Community Garden) will be on hand for a Q+A session to follow. DL! will also have some interactive portions of the exhibit, including a DIY screen printing station where we will have a new design that people can print on their own piece of clothing or paper or whatever. So, the show becomes this dynamic look at a lot of different ways that Detroit is a colossal force of creativity. It’s going to be fun. Really. Admission is free and there will even be some drinks there. The open reception to meet all the artists starts at 6pm. Alan will play a show at 7pm, followed by the film screening at 8pm. The Q+A with Toby and Mark will follow after the screening. You can see the official press release here. See you there!

Whoo! Been a bit here, there and everywhere. Lots of good stuff happening.

For starters, Shorpy threw up another cool photo of Detroit near old Campus Martius and City Hall. There have been previous photos posted in the last year– here and here most notably.

Been working heavily on the film screening that will be happening on January 14. Some other artists (Vanessa Miller, Alan Scheurman) will be participating in the event to produce a larger exhibit under the theme of Detroit’s colossal force and ability. So yes, the film will screen, but there are going to be a lot of other great people involved displaying their work, showing you some new stuff on their project and generally unearthing a lot of the great stuff going on in the city. It’s art + awesome + action that equates to something of a dynamite explosion for Detroit. So! This is good. The event will take place at the Ladbybug Gallery in the Southwest on January 14, and at this point there is even a chance that some derivation of the show will run for a longer period of time. WHOO!

Other than that, the posts should be back to normal now with the holidays cooling down. Stay tuned for all kinds of new stuff happening.

As a pre-party of sorts for the second annual People’s Arts Festival at the Russell 8/29-8/30, the 323 East Gallery in Royal Oak is holding an event on Friday, curated by Robert Del Valle, called Post-Apocolayptic Motor City. Vanessa Miller, a participating artist in the show, is also featured in Metro Times in an interview with Arts Editor Travis Wright talking about avoiding cliches in Detroit as a photographer. OK. That was a lot. Go on now, read ahead.