Month: September 2017

THANK YOU to everyone who came out to enjoy DLECTRICITY! We couldn’t have asked for a better festival — we had amazing artists, generous sponsors, accommodating venues, resourceful volunteers, and a respectful and appreciative audience. Thanks to you all!

Over the next few days, please share your memories and images of your experience. Just use #DLECTRICITY and #DL3Bike — we’ll share our photos after we get some sleep.

DLECTRICITY would not have been made possible with out the support of the DTE Energy Foundation, The Kresge Foundation, Midtown Detroit, Inc., the Knight Foundation, the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, the William Davidson Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, the Detroit Institute of Arts, Quicken Loans, Zekelman Industries, Emily Camiener and Marc Schwartz, The Applebaum Family Compass Fund, the Richard and Jane Manoogian Foundation, Shinola, Ford Motors Company Fund, Jennifer and Brian Hermelin, Krista Berman and Rick Mark, Lauren and Eric Bean, Clark Hill, Detroit Renewable Energy, VTC Insurance Group, WH Canon Company,Henry Ford Health System, Wayne State University, Bluewater, Hyphen Advisory, Michigan CAT, The Plaza Apartments, Giffels Webster, Wheelhouse Detroit Bike Shop, The Carr Center with The Yaffe Group, UMBC, SAHA Dernegi, filmpro, TechShop Detroit, All City Electrical Contractors, Inc., Benjamin Moore, Hand Painted Signs by Nate, Up North Finish Carpentry & Displays, Gasser Bush Associates, D MET, FOX 2 Detroit, WDET 101.9FM and Detroit Metro Times.

We are sad to report that Marianne Shapero Schwartz, the mother of DLECTRICITY chairman, Marc Schwartz, and former donor to DLECTRICITY, has passed away.

Marianne was a Detroit civic and Jewish community presence for more than half a century. She presided over all she did with unmatched elegance and grace. She will be greatly missed.

Marianne was a native Detroiter. Born Marianne Shapero, she attended Liggett School in Grosse Pointe Woods. She went on to attend Wellesley College and Barnard College, where she was an art history major. She married Alan in 1950. Marianne was a dedicated volunteer, philanthropist, and leader in numerous civic, cultural, and nonprofit organizations, working together in some endeavors with Alan and separately in others. Marianne was especially involved with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and Great Lakes Chamber Music Society. No doubt inspired by her education and love of art, Marianne’s greatest involvement and most lasting legacy was at the Detroit Institute of Arts, where she took on nearly every important volunteer role in a career spanning more than 65 years. She was active in all levels of museum affairs, developing the Docent Committee, serving as chair of the critical Collections Committee, serving on the DIA Board of Directors beginning in 1970 and as secretary and a member of the DIA’s Executive Committee for decades.

Marianne and Alan were recognized by the DIA with its Lifetime Service Award in 1977. A highlight of their commitment to the DIA was their gift to establish the Schwartz Galleries of Prints and Drawings in 1980.

Together, Marianne and Alan amassed one of the world’s great private collections of works on paper, from Rembrandt to Albrecht Dürer to Picasso, with a concentration in American prints. In a 2010 interview with the Detroit Free Press, Alan explained that it all started because of Marianne. The article stated that their collection is a connoisseur’s dream and the result of Marianne’s impeccable eye and collecting philosophy.

It is suggested that those who wish to further honor the memory of Marianne Shapero Schwartz may do so by making a contribution to:

Detroit Institute Of Arts
5200 Woodward
Detroit, MI 48202
313-833-6760

or
Detroit Symphony Orchestra
3711 Woodward Avenue
Detroit, MI 48201-2444
313-576-5114

or
A Charity of Your Choice

The Dlectricity Light Bike Parade returns to Midtown on Saturday September 23^rd and is the official “Rolling Art Display” of the weekend event! It’s time to plan your bicycle light decorations and register to ride. There will be prizes for best decoration in the following categories:

• Most Creative Adult Bike Light Display
• Most Artistic Bike Light Display
• Most Creative Youth Bike Display (under 12)
• Most Unique Bicycle Helmet Decoration
• Best Team Themed Bike Light Exhibit (between 4-6 bikes)
• Most Original Family Bike Light Exhibit (Adult/Kids)

There are many options for decorating your bike with lights for the Dlectricity Light Bike Parade. The simplest is purchasing already constructed battery powered lights then securely attach them to your ride. There will be a limited number of light decorations onsite the night of the parade to help enhance your bike.

If you are a “Do It Yourself” creative type, you can convert any holiday light string to battery power. Here is a link to an article on how to convert lights to battery power for bike decorations:

http://michaelbluejay.com/batteries/dc-christmas-lights.html

Have fun decorating your bike and see you on September 23^rd!

Click here to REGISTER for the Light Bike Parade.

Find additional information about the Dlectricity Light Bike Parade here:
https://dlectricity.com/light-bike-parade/

It’s only fitting that a project at the intersection of technological creation and art will be presented at the Michigan Science Center, an institution whose mission is to inspire curious minds to discover, explore and appreciate science, technology, engineering and math.

Jennifer Steinkamp’s “Orbit” will be projected onto the facade. It highlights the cyclical nature of time through an animated, intricate digital projection of a tree.

Thank you so much to the Michigan Science Center for being an excellent partner on DLECTRICITY, and for everything you do to bring hands-on science and technology to the city of Detroit. And thanks to Jennifer and Brian Hermelin for their sponsorship of “Orbit”!

DLECTRICITY presents headlining artist Rashaad Newsome in conversation with Taylor Aldridge, assistant curator in the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) contemporary art department. The talk will take place:

Saturday, September 23
2:00 p.m.
Location:  The DIA Marvin and Betty Danto Lecture Hall

Newsome and Aldridge will discuss the artist’s origins in New Orleans and the city’s influence on his participatory, community-driven performances; multiplicity within Black culture and identity; and Newsome’s use of collage as a core to his practice, among other topics.

The discussion will be followed by a short Q & A session.

Rashaad Newsome presents three projects at DLECTRICITY – King of Arms Procession, Shade Compositions performance, and “Phantasm” video projection in the DIA Great Hall.

For more information, times and locations, please visit here.

Join DLECTRICITY for live music at the Bluewater “Luminaria Magna” Lightbox at the corner of Woodward and Warren. DJs perform on the hour each night of the festival. We’re proud to showcase Willy Wompa, Ian Finkelstein, Mike Medow, Anthony Jasper, Pirahnahead, Haintso, SHIGETO, Charles Trees, and Ryan Dahl. Thanks to FaShon Vega for curating the music schedule!

Friday, September 22:

7:00 p.m. – Willy Wompa | Sponsored by Bluewater Technologies
8:00 p.m. – Ian Fink (Live Set_) | Sponsored by the The Carr Center with the The Yaffe Group
9:00 p.m. – Mike Medow with FaShon Vega’s Star Tours
10:00 p.m. – Anthony Jasper
11:00 p.m. – Pirahnahead

Saturday, September 23

7:00 p.m. – Haintso of the Seraphine Collectice
8:00 p.m. – Ian Fink (Live Set_) | Sponsored by the Carr Center with the Jaffe Group
9:00 p.m. – Shigeto with FaShon Vega’s Star Tours
10:00 p.m. – Charles Trees
11:00 p.m. – Ryan Dahl:

DLECTRICITY Light Bike Parade Staging Area:
6:00 – 8:00 p.m. – Sophia Softky DJs
Location: Wayne State University Gullen Mall near the Undergraduate Library and the Student Center.

For more info about the DJ line-up, go here.

There’s no doubt that the Detroit Public Library Main Branch is often called the most beautiful building in Detroit. It was designed in the Italian-Renaissance style by Cass Gilbert—the same architect who designed the US Supreme Court Building in DC and the Woolworth Building in NYC, one of the country’s first skyscrapers.

Check out 7 wonders of the space here.

The Detroit Public Library system contains over 4.1 million items spread across 23 branches, the largest library system in the state. DPL hosts book clubs, offers career and employment assistance and computer skills classes, and houses a teen center at the main branch to provide an inspiring environment for learning.

We are so excited for Klip Collective’s 3D video mapping project, “The Librarian,” to illuminate the Woodward façade and highlight the essential work of librarians.

Thank you so much to the Detroit Public Library for your partnership in Dlectricity. We would not be here without you!

The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History is home to the largest single exhibition on African American history in existence in the world.

The Wright hosts over 300 public events annually and is one of the most integral sources of arts and culture programming in the city. The building itself is an impressive architectural feat; the glass dome is only one foot shy of the width of the US Capitol Dome.

Be sure to check out the museum next weekend and then catch both projects they are hosting for DLECTRICITY: Jason Isaacs’ “The Black Love Project” and the 2016 and 2017 Fellows Photo Story Premiere from “Facing Change: Documenting Detroit.”

Thank you so much to the Wright Museum for being a fixture of art and culture in the city of Detroit and for hosting these two projects. We would not be here without your support!

The Dlectricity Light Bike Parade returns to Midtown on Saturday September 23^rd and is the official “Rolling Art Display” of the weekend festivities! It’s time to plan your bicycle light decorations and register to ride. There will be prizes for best decoration in the following categories:

• Most Creative Adult Bike Light Display
• Most Artistic Bike Light Display
• Most Creative Youth Bike Display (under 12)
• Most Unique Bicycle Helmet Decoration
• Best Team Themed Bike Light Exhibit (between 4-6 bikes)
• Most Original Family Bike Light Exhibit (Adult/Kids)

Where to get Bike Lights

You can purchase battery powered holiday light almost anywhere! Here are some popular items or simply search the Internet for Battery Powered LED Christmas Lights. You are sure to find something that fits your budget and style!

We will also have a limited number of light decorations onsite the night of the parade to help enhance your bike!

• http://www.homedepot.com/b/Holiday-Decorations-Christmas-Lights/Battery/N-5yc1vZc3tbZ1z0z3q1
• https://www.walmart.com/c/kp/battery-operated-string-lights
• https://www.1000bulbs.com/product/56292/S4-INVIS18MULBO.html
• https://thirdkindlights.com/product/bike-accessory-lights/

Always remember to think about safety when adding lights. You don’t want them to fall off and interfere with your wheels or steering! Here’s a link of how to add lights to your bike: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnBh284xw2g

Have fun decorating your bike and see you on September 23^rd!

Since 1885, The Detroit Institute of Arts has been a fixture of art and culture in the city of Detroit.

The DIA’s collection is one of the top six in the country (out of over 35,000 museums nationwide). Diego Rivera’s “Detroit Industry” frescoes and Vincent van Gogh’s “Self-Portrait,” the first van Gogh painting to enter a US museum collection, make the DIA one of the most impressive museums in America.

But it’s more than just the collection that makes the DIA one of the country’s greatest gems. Installed in its current location on Woodward Avenue in 1927, the DIA has continued its mission to bring art to everyone through its extensive community outreach and arts programming.  Check it out here!

We certainly could not have Dlectricity without the energy, dedication and support of the DIA. Thank you so much for hosting a remarkable 8 Dlectricity projects, including the Electric Park Family Friendly Zone presented by The Kresge Foundation, on your grounds! And for keeping parts of the museum open late during the festival.

In the true spirit of Dlectricity, be sure to enjoy this gem of Detroit at night!