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MOCAD announces Martin Creed installation for DLECTRICITY

Here is a sneak peek at one of the artists who will have work on display at this year’s DLECTRICITY. We’re super pleased to support the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit – MOCAD and their efforts to re-install Martin Creed‘s exterior neon artwork Work No. 203: EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE ALRIGHT (2007) on their Woodward facade.

Check out the press release HERE.

DTE Energy Sponsors DLECTRICITY 2017

Thanks to DTE Energy for their generous presenting sponsorship of DLECTRICITY. We couldn’t ask for a better partner to energize Detroit with public art and light! DTE is returning as a major sponsor for this year’s festival and joins a growing list of returning and new funders for DLECTRICITY, including The Kresge Foundation, The Knight Foundation, The National Endowment for the Arts, the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, the Detroit Institute of Arts, Bluewater, Wayne State University, and Hyphen Advisory.

We encourage you to check out the development of DTE Energy’s new “Beacon Park” located on Cass Avenue and Grand River in Detroit – adjacent to DTE’s headquarters campus. Beacon Park will open to the public on Thursday, July 20, 2017, kicking off four days of grand opening events that include live music, a night market and family entertainment. You can check out lighting activations developed by former Dlectricity artist Mindfield that will illuminate the park after dark. Learn more here: https://goo.gl/y9QFH6.

CASTING CALL for African American Female Performers! Auditions this week for Rashaad Newsome’s ‘Shade Compositions’ at DLECTRICITY!!

Auditions this week, June 5 – 9! Casting call for African American Female Performers!

WHO:
Renowned New York based artist Rashaad Newsome is seeking charismatic and energetic self-identifying Black females between the ages of 18-35 who are serious, highly committed and professional. Artists, singers, performers, models and actresses are strongly encouraged to participate. Auditi.ons are June 5 – 9 at the Detroit Institute of Arts Film Theater

WHAT:
‘Shade Compositions’ is an ongoing performance project by Rashaad Newsome. The artist assumes the role of conductor and vocal choreographer leading an ensemble of female performers whose individual voices and gestures are combined and synthesized to form improvisatory orchestral music. The artist transforms isolated, culturally-specific gestures and patterns of speech into music, a universal language and form of expression. The set of polyrhythmic, serial compositions arranged by Newsome reveals an expressive power that leaves these coded gestures open to interpretation, rather than fixed to the associations from which they were removed.

Newsome’s praxis incorporates a blending and collaging of high and low culture. His work pertains to dance, music, fashion, history and technology. The artist is driven to create work that serves as an invitation to the art world as well as mainstream audiences to consider elements of cultural production derived from the vernacular of Black, Latino, and LGBTQ subcultures.

Voguing and the queer ballroom scene served as early inspiration for Newsome whose art offers a platform to individuals and groups of people whose lives do not often intersect with the art world. Newsome draws attention to the contributions of marginalized communities whose culture is absorbed through pastiche by mainstream audiences within a modified or commercially acceptable framework. Through his visually engaging and dynamic style of live performance and video, Newsome explores the complexities of social power structures and questions of agency.

‘Shade Compositions’ will take place at the Detroit Film Theater on Saturday, September 23rd, 2017.

Presented as part of DLECTRICITY™, September 22 & 23, 2017 in Midtown Detroit.

THIS IS A PAID PROJECT, WHICH ALSO PROVIDES YOU WITH THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK WITH OTHER TALENTED CREATIVE INDIVIDUALS IN THE INDUSTRY OF ART, FASHION AND PERFORMANCE.

CASTING SCHEDULE:
Auditions will be on a first come first serve basis.
Monday June 5: 3 PM – 8 PM
Tuesday, June 6: 10 AM – 8 PM
Wednesday, June 7: 10 AM – 8 PM
Thursday, June 8: 10 AM – 8 PM
Friday, June 9: 10 AM – 2 PM

VENUE:
The Detroit Institute of Arts
5200 Woodward Ave, Detroit, MI 48202
(Enter through John R entrance)

PLEASE NOTE:
Selected participants would need to be available during the following times:

September 23rd, 2017 is the date of the performance. They must be available from 11 AM until after the performance.
Rehearsals may be held on these dates during the evenings (after 6 PM):
September 1 & 2
September 4 & 9
September 11 through 16
September 18 through 20
AND
September 21: Full Run Tech and Dress Rehearsal: 11 AM – 10 PM – actors must be available all day.

EMAIL: 
[email protected]

THANK YOU FOR APPLYING!

Thank you to everyone who applied for the DLECTRICITY™ 2017 Open Call for Entries! We received applications from 29 different countries and all across the U.S. We’re excited to now dive in and read your proposals. An announcement about the winners will be made in June! So stay tuned…

 

DLECTRICITY OPEN CALL IS BACK!

DLECTRICITY needs your art! In addition to inviting world-class artists working in mediums like video and technology, DLECTRICITY presents the best of local, regional and international artists selected from our Open Call for Entries!

Check out the DLECTRICITY Open Call Guidelines and FAQ for complete information about the event. Apply online via Slideroom here.

More questions? Ask us in person at our Info Session at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD) on Saturday, January 28, 11 AM.

The deadline is February 28 so don’t delay, get ready to APPLY NOW!

DLECTRICITY Brings 150,000 Visitors to the Streets of Midtown Detroit

This year’s edition of DLECTRICITY, presented by DTE Energy, brought 150,000 visitors to experience an illuminated Midtown Detroit, where more than one-mile of the Woodward Corridor shined with nearly 40 installations of art and light for the nighttime festival on September 26 and 27. Produced by Midtown Detroit, Inc., DLECTRICITY doubled attendance from its debut in 2012 and the Light Bike Parade on Saturday night attracted 2,500 cyclists for the four-mile ride, four times more than the inaugural parade.

“We were thrilled to see thousands of people walk our neighborhood in Midtown to experience two spectacular nights of art and light,” said Sue Mosey, president of Midtown Detroit, Inc. “From DTE Energy, our funders, the cultural institutions and our incredible artists to Wayne State Police and hundreds of volunteers, many came together to make DLECTRICITY possible. We are grateful to have partners who support the arts and creative place-making in Detroit.”

DLECTRICITY is modeled after other Nuit Blanche festivals known for bringing the best of contemporary light and technology-based arts to the streets of major cities like Paris, Rome, Toronto, Minneapolis and New York. The event featured more than 35 internationally-acclaimed, local and emerging artists from around the world, including Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy, Sweden, New York, Boston, Los Angeles and Detroit.

Venues that hosted installations included cultural gems such as the Detroit Institute of Arts, College for Creative Studies, Michigan Science Center, Detroit Historical Museum Plaza, Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, Detroit Public Library, C.H. Wright Museum of African American History, Detroit Symphony Orchestra and more.

Debuting in the fall of 2012, DLECTRICTY attracted 75,000 people to Midtown. Highlights from this year’s DLECTRCITY presented by DTE Energy may be found at dlectricity.com

DLECTRICITY is presented by DTE Energy, and supported by the following foundations and organizations: The Kresge Foundation, The Knight Foundation, The William Davidson Foundation, Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, The Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation, Quicken Loans, Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs and The National Endowment for the Arts, Detroit Institute of Arts, MASCO Foundation, the Marcia and Eugene Applebaum Family Foundation, Lauren and Phillip Fisher, Shinola, Flagstar Bank, Northern Trust Bank, College for Creative Studies, the Detroit Medical Center, Wheelhouse Detroit, Marc A. Schwartz, Alan and Marianne Schwartz, The Kaufman Memorial Trust, Wayne State University, Midtown Detroit, Inc., Fox 2 News, The Metro Times, and WDET.

How to Park at DLECTRICITY

DLECTRICITY is an exciting evening and we expect record-breaking crowds. This may lead to heavy traffic, congested streets and confusion about parking. To make the experience easier, we have a few recommendations for the best parking structures throughout the area, listed below. However, we strongly suggest visiting Wayne State University’s link, here, which features an interactive and highly detailed map for more parking options.

– Structure 1 on Palmer (at the corner of Cass)
– Structure 3 on Warren Ave. (at Woodward Ave. & John R)
– Structure 6 on Putnam (at Cass Ave. & Woodward Ave.)
– Structure 8 on Forest Ave. (at Cass Ave. & Woodward Ave.)
– The Detroit Symphony Orchestra Structure (on Parsons St.)

Parking will range from $7- $10, so please be prepared with cash and in some circumstances, credit card. As a reminder, there will be no parking along Woodward Avenue due to M1-Rail construction. For more information about this process, please refer to the M1-Rail website, found here.

We do have a map of the DLECTRICITY projects which also indicates parking structures, restroom locations, ATMs, and the Light Bike Parade Route. You may find it beneficial to park close to the Zone you would most like to explore or the project you would most like to see; you can find this map here.