9/4/2013
Art X Detroit
Different venues, Detroit
Kresge Arts Experience. Throughout more than a dozen venues in the Midtown district, a collection of visual art installations, dance, musical and theatrical performances, literary readings, and much more.
DETROIT – (5 March 2013) – Art X Detroit: Kresge Arts Experience will take over Midtown this spring as
the free, five-day arts experience celebrates Detroit’s arts scene April 10-14, 2013. Throughout more
than a dozen venues in the vibrant Midtown district, the public is invited to experience an exciting
collection of visual art installations, dance, musical and theatrical performances, literary readings, and
much more created by the Kresge Eminent Artists and Kresge Artist Fellowship Awardees. Art X Detroit
is funded by The Kresge Foundation. A complete schedule of events is available at www.artxdetroit.com.
“A thriving arts and cultural community not only enriches the quality of life for residents and visitors to
southeastern Michigan, but inspires fresh ideas and fuels the creative vitality of the region,” said Rip
Rapson, Kresge’s president and CEO. “In attracting local, national and international audiences to
experience the works of these artists, Art X Detroit celebrates the Detroit metropolitan area as a hub of
innovation and human energy. We’re proud to support the event and celebrate the Kresge Eminent
Artists and Artist Fellows.”
The Kresge Foundation has provided $2 million to support more than 70 artists living and working in
Metro Detroit through its Kresge Eminent Artist and Artist Fellowship programs since 2008. The Eminent
Artist and Artist Fellowship programs are administered by the College for Creative Studies.
Art X Detroit Highlights
The event will feature exceptional works and performances by acclaimed Eminent Artists Bill Harris and
Naomi Long Madgett, and art enthusiasts will experience some of Detroit’s most creative talents at the
Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD), the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Charles H. Wright
Museum of African American History, Detroit Symphony Orchestra Hall, College for Creative Studies and
other great venues in Midtown’s Cultural Center. A special visual arts exhibition runs through April 28 at
MOCAD.
The opening night of Art X Detroit is a multi-venue celebration on Wednesday, April 10, 6:15 p.m. –
11:00 p.m. at MOCAD and the N’Namdi Center for Contemporary Art, with special live performances at
the First Congregational Church and Wayne State University. The opening night reception is free to the
public; however, registration is required. RSVP by Monday, April 8 at www.artxdetroit.com/opening-night
or call 313.420.6000.
Art X Detroit captures the creativity and imagination of the Kresge Eminent Artists and Fellows
whose works will be on display across Midtown, including:
“Have Mercy” and “Booker T. & Them: A Blues” by 2011 Kresge Eminent Artist Bill Harris. Award-
winning playwright, poet, critic and novelist, Bill Harris’ plays have been featured in more than one
hundred productions nationwide. In “Have Mercy,” Harris collaborates with Detroit’s own Reverend
Robert Jones (a master blues historian and guitarist) for a demonstration of theatre at its most basic, in
the tradition of Homer and African djelis, or griots. This one-act monologue will take place at the Charles
H. Wright Museum of African American History, GM Theater, to be followed by an excerpt from Harris’
book, “Booker T. & Them: A Blues,” directed by innovative stage director, Aku Kadogo, also a Detroit
native.
Naomi Long Madgett - Poet and Publisher. With a career as a published poet that spans eight decades,
2012 Kresge Eminent Artist Dr. Naomi Long Madgett has amassed numerous accolades for her exemplary
life of service and creative expression. The annual Naomi Long Madgett Poetry Award, established in 1993,
has helped shine a spotlight on African American writers – recognizing 20 young poets to-date and attracting
the attention of major publishing houses. Madgett will read from her own work as well as present a program
of readings and dialogue reflecting on the careers of five of the awardees: Bill Harris, Claude Wilkinson,
Nagueyalti Warren, Edward Bruce Bynum and Esperanza Cintrón. Readings at the Charles H. Wright
Museum of African American History, GM Theatre.
“¡Viva America!” by Maria Costa. In her new comedy special film ¡Viva America!, renowned
actress/comedian/writer Maria Costa portrays an array of hilarious and thought-provoking characters
whose lives are profoundly affected by immigration in the U.S. Following this premiere screening, there
will be a question and answer session and a muy caliente salsa music and dance after-party with the
cast – be sure to bring your dancing shoes! Film screening at the DIA Detroit Film Theatre followed by
Q&A and dancing in the DIA.
“My Brightest Diamond” by Shara Worden. Worden presents a new, 360 degree, surround-sound
instrumental composition for The Detroit Party Marching Band. The performance begins at MOCAD for
the opening ceremonies of Art X Detroit 2013, and is followed by a music procession with the marching
band, leading the audience from the art museum to the First Congregational Church, where the indie-
rock band My Brightest Diamond (fronted by Worden) will begin a full length concert choreographed by
Jessica Dessner. Concert performance beginning at MOCAD and moving to First Congregational
Church.
Passalacqua: The Experience Part 1 & 2. Together, Detroit-based MCs Mister and Blaksmith form
Passalacqua. The duo is responsible for inventive live presentations, conceptual, theatrical, almost
performance art, which are altogether curious and highly engaging. In Part 1, they present a
documentary retrospective of their group as told by friends, collaborators, and themselves. In Part 2,
Passalacqua performs their complete discography live and exclusively debut their newest songs. Film
screening and performance at the Michigan Science Center’s Chrysler IMAX® Dome Theatre.
“The People’s Vision,” a mural by Hubert Massey. Massey, whose work can be seen at the Charles
H. Wright Museum of African American History, Paradise Valley Park and Campus Martius, works in a
variety of media to create large public art installations and is noted for collaborating with communities to
create art that tells their stories. For Art X Detroit, Massey is creating a 30’ x 60’ mural to be installed on
the WSU Press Building at the corner of Woodward and Warren avenues. At MOCAD, Massey’s
preliminary drawings of the mural will be on view throughout the month of April. Mural installation at WSU
Press Building, drawings at MOCAD.
“Corner Store” by Design 99. Corner Store is a three-channel video installation inspired by
experiences during two days when plywood boards covering the Design 99 studio/storefront space in
Hamtramck were removed. Design 99 video recorded the reactions and questions of the neighborhood’s
residents as they passed by. These reactions will form the basis for the video in the Corner Store
installation. Three-channel video, mixed media installation at MOCAD.
“An Evening with Charles McPherson” by Mark Stryker. Stryker, Music Writer for the Detroit Free
Press, presents “An Evening with Charles McPherson,” one of the important figures in Detroit's modern
jazz explosion in the 1950s. At 73, the alto saxophonist has had a major career and remains at the top of
his game. This evening with Charles McPherson is designed to illuminate Detroit's remarkable jazz
legacy and influence. Discussion and performance at the DIA Detroit Film Theatre.
Art X Detroit is made possible by The Kresge Foundation and is supported by its partners ArtServe
Michigan, the College for Creative Studies and MOCAD. It is produced by Midtown Detroit, Inc., a
nonprofit organization that has spearheaded reinvestment in Midtown through the arts, beautification and
economic development.
For a complete schedule of events, visit www.ArtXDetroit.com and Facebook for exciting updates. For
more information on the Kresge Arts in Detroit program, visit, www.kresgeartsindetroit.org.
About The Kresge Foundation
Kresge is a national philanthropy with deep roots in Detroit. Six of its seven program areas support
nonprofit organizations across the United States, assisting with work to create access and opportunity for
underserved communities, improve the health of low-income people, support artistic expression, increase
college achievement, and address global climate change
The foundation’s Detroit Program focuses on Kresge’s hometown. Using a comprehensive framework,
Kresge’s Detroit Program invests in efforts to foster long-term economic opportunity that advances social
equity, promotes cultural expression, and re-establishes the city as the center of a vibrant region.
Kresge Arts in Detroit is part of that program.
In 2012, Kresge’s Board of Trustees approved 410 grants totaling $130.6 million; $150.3 million was
paid out to nonprofit organizations over the course of the year.
About Midtown Detroit, Inc.
Midtown Detroit, Inc. (MDI) is a nonprofit planning and development agency charged with revitalization of
Detroit's Woodward Corridor. Representing over 100 area stakeholders, including Detroit's anchor
educational, medical and cultural institutions, MDI provides public space maintenance and security
services; marketing support; technical assistance; infrastructure and real estate development; grant
administration; and arts programming for the district. MDI and its predecessor organization, the
University Cultural Center Association, have raised over $60 million in direct support for Midtown
initiatives over the past ten years for streetscapes, greenways, parks, community gardens and
commercial and residential developments.
In 2010, MDI and its philanthropic partners secured over $22 million in loans and grants through the
Living Cities Integration Initiative. New programs launched as a part of this national project include a
residential incentive program for anchor employees, financing for targeted mixed-use developments,
procurement initiatives and a community land trust. In addition, MDI is developing a neighborhood arts
district with support from the New Economy Initiative and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).
www.midtowndetroitinc.org.
Media Contact: Heather George
313.832.2210 x14
248.417.5773 mobile
hgeorge@loviogeorge.com
Different venues - Detroit