The DIA (Detroit Institute of Art)

How many times do municipalities have to learn that art is a great resource?  With so much speculation in the news lately about the value of the art in the DIA and the possibility of selling off the collection to pay the city's debts, I can't help but think they aren't really capitalizing on one of their greatest resources. Over 100 years old, the DIA is one of the most fantastic museums in America, definitely a "must see."  It is a perfect sized, encyclopedic museum with A+ examples of works of art throughout the ages and cultures. Highlights include works by Breugel to Tintoretto to Van Gogh to Picasso to Matisse to Rothko to Warhol to Sarah Sze and oh, yeah, then there are those murals.

Diego Rivera came to Detroit in 1932 commissioned to paint The Detroit Industry fresco cycle.  The murals are comprised of 27 panels depicting industry and technology at the Ford Motor Company. When revealed, they were not without controversy but it didn't take long for them to be considered Rivera's greatest work.

Rain Drops Keep Fallin' on My Head (even though they're not supposed to)

Random International's immersive environment entitled "Rain Room" has caused quite a stir in New York City.  The interactive installation (on view at MoMA) consists of a room-sized grid of falling water that pauses whenever a human body is detected.  Hopeful visitors wait for hours in lines stretched around the block.  I awoke this morning at 6:00 and took my place in line at 6:45.  The doors opened at 8:00 for museum members, and I made it in at 9:30. Not too bad given reported wait times of up to 8 hours.

Only 10 people can experience the Rain Room at a time and once in the room visitors are encouraged to stay no more than 10 minutes.  A MoMA employee reported that four marriage proposals had taken place in the Rain Room and one visitor was rushed to the hospital after a handstand attempt went terribly wrong.  Most visitors spent their 10 minutes posing for pictures with their friends or significant others; I was no exception.

One couple decided to dance.  They were having the time of their lives.

They attempted the signature lift from "Dirty Dancing" but didn't quite stick it.  Still it was fun to see art taking place within art.

Despite the advanced technology involved in the work, everyone seemed to get a little bit wet.  Perhaps a sign that technology cannot control nature or mirror perfectly the actions of humanity?

As I exited Rain Room those behind me in line asked, "Was it worth it?"  For me, the answer is a resounding YES, but you know how much I love interactive art.  And I can't think of a more Art Girl way to beat the New York City heat.

For a humorous take on Rain Room, check out this Gallerist NY blog post.

MoMA encourages visitors to take photographs (finally!) and post them on Instagram.  You can view a live stream on the MoMA/PS1 website (click here).

Downtown Detroit - More Shinola, Less Shit

I arrived in Detroit on the exact day the city officially declared bankruptcy and there has been a lot of speculation about what that means.   Despite this news, I saw lots of signs of re-birth.  Motor City Brewing Works, Shinola, The Butcher's Daughter Gallery and Avalon Bakery are all businesses that are breathing life into downtown Detroit.

Shinola produces beautifully made watches, bicycles and leather goods, all products of Detroit design students and was recently seen in the Style section of the Sunday, New York Times.     www.Shinola.com

Avalon Bakery features organic artisinal breads was recently voted one of the 100 top inner city businesses in the United States.    Their motto is "Eat Well / Do Good."    www.avalonbreads.net

Monica Bowman's gallery The Butcher's Daughter Gallery just opened in this new development on Cass Avenue.
www.TheButchersDaughterGallery.com

Motor City Brewing Works, the name says it all.

City Bird and Nest are terrific boutiques featuring Detroit-centric merchandise located in a mixed use building with lofts for rent on top.

Turrell Transforms the Guggenheim

This is the summer of artist James Turrell. Gentle readers may remember our earlier posts on this Light and Space artist's retrospective at LACMA and show at Kayne Griffin Corcoran Gallery.  A monumental site-specific installation at New York City's Guggenheim Museum has visitors lined up around the block.  

The Guggenheim rotunda in its natural state:

The Guggenheim rotunda Turrell-ified into an oval of tiered, shifting natural and artificial light:

As with Turrell's skyspaces, the museum installed a reclined bench along the edge of the room for visitors to sit, look up and experience the 60 minute cycle of changing colors.  From the point of view of the bench, however, one could not see the entire space.

View from the bench

Visitors populate the benches and floor

As you can see in photo above, some visitors took to the floor in the center of the space in order to be able to view the work in its entirety.  I resisted at first (floors are dirty...think of how many people have walked around there today...germs...yuck) but the temptation was too great.  I threw caution (and hygiene) to the wind and lay down on Frank Lloyd Wright's floor.

"Self-Portrait on Floor with Purse Pillow and Foot"

Interconnected rings lined with LED fixtures form concentric ellipses that echo the banded pattern of the museum's iconic architecture leading up to the oculus of daylight.  Here are a few photographs showing the radiating waves of vibrant color:

The museum also presented a few of Turrell's other works.

Again the museum guards scolded me for taking photographs!  This Art Girl can't catch a break!

"Excuse me, Miss - no photography, NO PHOTOGRAPHY!!!!"

The Heidelberg Project

With so much being reported about the city of Detroit these days, I was eager to experience the urban soup of this once great city. The Heidelberg Project seemed like a good place to start.

The Heidelberg Project is an outdoor, urban art environment begun by Detroit artist Tyree Guyton. Named for Heideberg Street where Tyree grew up, it is comprised of many houses and abandoned lots and utilizes recycled and found objects discarded on the streets of Detroit. The project began in 1986 as a response by Tyree to the ongoing blight and decay that exists in many discarded Detroit neighborhoods. Twice it has been destroyed by the city government and each time, Tyree has re-built.

No tour of downtown Detroit is complete without viewing the most beautiful, desolate abandoned train station in the world, The Michigan Central Station. One can only hope someone can do for this beautiful structure what the people of New York did for the High Line.

Michigan Central Station during better days.

For some interesting reading on the state of this magnificent building, check out the following articles:

http://www.theatlanticcities.com/neighborhoods/2013/05/detroits-famously-decaying-train-station-has-5-new-windows-and-no-one-knows-why/5766/

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/06/us/06station.html

A few other sites from Downtown Detroit.

It was quite a moving experience to see how nature is re-claiming this city and how the people who call this neighborhood their home are existing within it. I can tell you that within 10 minutes we were in a newly gentrified area where galleries, restaurants and boutiques are opening and lofts and studio spaces are being rented by people that are hopeful that Detroit will rise again.

To learn more about the Heidelberg Project, go to:
www.heidelberg.org