Detroit Art Scene Explosion - Another Big Bang

[Lowell]

The explosion of the the Detroit art scene in the past 5 or so year is nothing short of astonishing to long-time participants like me. Now comes yet another. Detroit had long been and still is about gritty pop-up galleries and quality co-ops like the legendary Willis and Michigan galleries. But these slick big-bucks-backed arrivals are new level. Some old-timers grumble but I say 'bring it on!'

“Moran Bondaroff gallery opens its inaugural exhibition Thursday in a 50,000-square-foot abandoned cathedral along a gritty stretch of the city's near west side on Webb Avenue at Rosa Parks Boulevard. Johnson, the New Yorker, bought the former Woods Cathedral, built in 1925 as the Visitation Catholic Church, for $6,700 at public auction in 2014. He has poured $250,000 into renovations.

There has been an explosion of artistic activity in Detroit in recent years as artists and young creatives, attracted by cheap studio space, the promise of endless opportunity and the percolating energy of the city, have moved here in droves. Suburban Detroit gallery owners such as David Klein and Gary Wasserman have opened new spaces in the city, national art and design conferences keep landing here, the street art scene is burgeoning, and the Galapagos Art Space, a commercial entity formerly of Brooklyn, N.Y., is in the process of relocating to Detroit.

The project reaffirms that the art world's infatuation with Detroit shows no sign of waning. It also offers another example of the way artists and galleries are often urban pioneers, planting roots in neighborhoods where population, businesses and amenities are sparse but real estate is plentiful and inexpensive."
-Mark Stryker Freep.com http://www.freep.com/story/entertain...lery/84996282/”

He could also throw in Red Bull, N’namdi, 333 Midland and Inner State.

[Lowell]

This space along with 333 Midland and the Galapagos site [former 'old' Highland Park High School on Glendale] are outside the Green Zone. When that occurs I am curious as to what the gallerists attitudes and sensitivities are. I found this encouraging.

Still, Johnson and Moran avoid rah-rah rhetoric. They are sensitive to their position as outsiders and know that many Detroiters have grown weary of newcomers [[mostly white) blithely treating the city as a blank canvas without regard to the needs and wants of longtime residents who are mostly black. Moran is telling his curators to avoid exhibitions that specifically address Detroit history or the issues facing the city as it pivots toward the future.

"We don't know anything about the city, so we can't come in here and make judgments or criticisms," said Moran. "The reality is that if Paul had said 'I have a church in Alaska,' I would be there. But I do feel that coming here in this last year and engaging with people has been a wonderful gift. To be able to see what is happening here and meet people doing interesting things has been a happy by-product.

"My hope is that we do this as we would any other project in any other city and that good things happen from it. I'll let other people pass judgment on how this helps or hurts the city."

Grand opening exhibition: 'War Games'
6-8 p.m. Thursday
Regular hours: 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday
1945 Webb Ave., Detroit
Information: 310-652-1711 or www.moranbondaroff.com

[Gistok]

Love that cathedral building Lowell!!

Found this webpage with some outside and inside details... wow!!

http://www.nailhed.com/2014/01/visitation-rights.html

[Baselinepunk]

Sorry, but while there may be an increase in the amount of art, the quality of art is not even close to the mid 70s-mid 80s Cass Corridor.

While art is in the eye of the beholder, and everyone's a critic, IMHO the vast majority of art created / produced in this area seems stuck in neutral.

[Jason]

I'm kind of confused about what exactly is going on.

The article says that it's not a "quick-hit pop-up" but rather "yearlong projects" and that this will be a "yearlong residency with three ambitious exhibitions". There's also no running water.

But he's spent over $250,000 on it and invested quite a lot of his valuable time in it. While it'll be around longer than a quick hit popup it seems like an awful a lot of investment for a one year project. He also bought a small industrial building in Highland park.

Either way though it's good, and their attitude towards the city is refreshing.

[WKL]

I have vague memories of the church back when it was Visitation. It was my mother's grade school back in the 40s.