State House's Detroit Bailout Bill Would Block DIA from Seeking Millage Funding

[Gistok]

And the last few MOSAIC youth plays we saw there were so unnecessarily and aggressively "hate whitey" that we vowed never to return.

That seems rather narrow minded... MOSAIC only rented the space to perform at the DIA. It sort of reminds me of going to see Keith Richards at the Fox, only to hate the show, and vowing never to return to the Fox because of it??

[Hermod]

Hell, if you live in Detroit you get hit for state, county, HCMA and city parks. And for all of this, we get pretty crappy parks or parks that are far, far away.

Detroit was the driving force on establishing all of those parks out in the boonies so that the city residents could get out of their teeming slums and rusticate in the clean country air. When I was in a Detroit Boy Scout Troop, we always went out there for camping.

[Honky Tonk]

although there is no way to test this, I would bet that if you openly asked every tax paying Detroiter for five reasons why they chose to live in Detroit, the DIA would amount to less than 1% of their answers.... likewise, if you polled every taypaying person living within 50 miles of the DIA, the answer would again be less than 1%...... its tax funding for something that very few appreciate or care about......

What part of "voted in" do have trouble comprehending?

[Gistok]

There have been some seriously uninformed comments about the DIA on this thread. PBS is hosting a documentary on the DIA, that includes discussions about the expansion program, the "re-installation" of the artwork, and even the discussions about the effect that the Detroit bankruptcy has on the institution. Here's a chance for those folks who think that the DIA is behind the times to get up to snuff and find out what a world class institution does to remain competitive and keep up with the times... shown this Thursday June 5, at 8PM... http://www.dptv.org/programs/documen...roit-art-city/

[SDCC]

The Detroit Institute of Arts has a rich and storied history; its collections and works are a tour de force among museums in America. Side by side against any other museum, the DIA should stand tall and proud, the art entrusted to the museum are treasures, and priceless – protect it at all costs.

[downtownguy]

You do know the Mosaic Youth Theatre was founded and is run entirely by white people who most likely live in places like Auburn Hills, Canton and Shelby Township, yes?

The plays are also written and directed by them.

http://www.mosaicdetroit.org/about-staff-sperling.htm

If we're going to bitch about something, at least have our facts straight.

Yes, let's get the facts straight. Rick Sperling, the [[white) founder of Mosaic was born and raised in Ann Arbor. During Mosaic's existence, Rick has lived in the city and its suburbs. He worked with the old Attic Theatre [[in Detroit) and developed the idea for a mulit-racial, diverse young people's theater company which, in it's more than two decades of existence, has received acclaim from around the world.

Some of Mosaic's current and past staff members began as members of the acting/singing/technical company when they were in secondary school. Kids in the program have an extraordinarily high
rate of acceptance into higher education. Some have gone on to professional careers in entertainment.

The production of the plays are a collaborative effort of all members of the organization [[young and old). As such, they often interpret the world through younger eyes. They are not afraid to take on -- and satirize -- all kinds of stereotypes. To say they "hate whitey" is ridiculous. Perhaps, believe14, it was not at all about the color of your skin, but rather how thin it is.

I was proud to be a member of the board of directors' of this organization for several of its early years. It was one of the most enriching experiences of my life.

[corktownyuppie]

It looks like the point is moot. The Detroit settlement package is passed, except the DIA bill, which is dead. As I've said before... The times are changin'.