July 18, 2017
MIDTOWN DETROIT, INC. ANNOUNCES RETURN OF DLECTRICITY AND UNVEILS 35 ARTISTS FOR DETROIT’S NIGHTTIME FESTIVAL OF ART AND LIGHT, SEPTEMBER 22-23, 2017
Download the full DLECTRICITY 2017 Press Release here!
MIDTOWN DETROIT, INC. ANNOUNCES RETURN OF DLECTRICITY AND UNVEILS 35 ARTISTS FOR DETROIT’S NIGHTTIME FESTIVAL OF ART AND LIGHT, SEPTEMBER 22-23, 2017
- DTE Energy Foundation announced as presenting sponsor of DLECTRICITY
- International, national and local artists to illuminate Midtown with new works of public art
- New event footprint revealed with art installations spanning from the Detroit Institute of Arts to Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit
- Light Bike Parade returns to light up Woodward
DETROIT (18 July 2017) – Midtown Detroit, Inc. (MDI) announced today details of DLECTRICITY 2017, the stunning nighttime outdoor festival of art and light with DTE Energy Foundation returning as the event’s presenting sponsor. DLECTRICITY, presented by DTE Energy Foundation, will showcase the work of 35 international, national and local artists who have been commissioned to illuminate the Woodward corridor with cutting-edge installations of light, video, performance, and other unexpected works of art on September 22-23, 2017, in Midtown Detroit from 7 p.m. to midnight. MDI also announced major funders and a new footprint for the event, spanning from the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) to the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD). A complete list of artists can be found here. Images are available here and a video is available here.
“We are incredibly grateful to DTE Energy Foundation for returning as the presenting sponsor of DLECTRICITY,” said Sue Mosey, Executive Director of MDI. “We are fortunate to have such tremendous corporate and foundation partners whose support makes it possible to bring these world-class artists and works to Midtown Detroit which has become an international arts destination.”
“The DTE Energy Foundation is committed to investing in and developing experiences that celebrate the arts and energy to bring people together,” said Faye Nelson, vice president, DTE Energy; board chair and president of the DTE Energy Foundation. “As presenting sponsor, our continued support of DLECTRICITY allows Detroiters and visitors from across the region to experience this unique arts and cultural event, and enjoy all that Midtown has to offer.”
The event features artists from Australia, the UK, Japan and Germany, as well as New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Portland, Baltimore, and Cleveland. Detroit’s own art community also will be well represented. The event is inspired by other international festivals known for bringing the best of contemporary light and technology-based arts to the streets of major cities like Paris, Sydney, Toronto, Minneapolis and New York.
“DLECTRICITY has bonded audiences in public spaces with art that has surprised, enlightened and awed us. It promotes art that is of the moment, yet speaks to timeless themes through new means,” said Benjamin Kennedy, Kresge Detroit Program managing director. “Within that context, we are particularly proud to support Midtown Detroit’s focus on recruiting and commissioning Detroit-based artists and artists of color, and elevating the legacy of the 1967 rebellion and other themes relevant to Detroit residents.”
“With arts and culture at its core, DLECTRICITY inspires connection and inclusivity, offering a unique chance to advance collisions between Detroit’s talented creative community and some of the most influential artists in the world,” said Katy Locker, program director for Detroit at the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Knight Foundation is supporting three high-caliber artists, including Rashaad Newsome, Pope.L and Apetechnology as part of the festival.
DLECTRICITY will host internationally acclaimed artists including Rashaad Newsome, Pope.L, Klip Collective, among others to the festival to show a range of high-quality light-based projects, video projections and more. Artists include:
- Rashaad Newsome | Shade Composition Performance, King of Arms Procession, and a newly commissioned video | DIA
- Pope.L | Reenactor | Video with Live Music Performances | Detroit Historical Museum
- Klip Collective | The Librarian | 3D Video Mapping Projection | Detroit Public Library
- Amanda Parer | Intrude | Inflatable Light Sculptures | Josephine F. Ford Sculpture Garden at the College for Creative Studies
- Jennifer Steinkamp | Orbit 10 | Three Channel Video Projection | Michigan Science Center
- Martin Creed | EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE ALRIGHT | Neon Sculpture | MOCAD
- Dawn of Man | Graffiti Grandma | Mobile Video Projection | Mobile Projection throughout Midtown
- Apetechnology | The Shadows of Slendrotron (The Monkey God’s Great Leap) | Robotic Shadow Puppet Show | Detroit Institute of the Arts – Outside the Detroit Film Theatre
- Cuppetelli + Mendoza | in::Sequence | Audiovisual Sculpture | Woodward/Warren Corner
- D MET DESIGN | {The Amazing!} House of Fog: il Cinema Nebbioso | Architectural + Video Installation | “Electric Park” Family-Friendly Zone at the DIA
- Michaela Mosher | PRIMETIME | Curated Video Art and Performance Show | The N’Namdi Center for Contemporary Art
- Facing Change | Documenting DETROIT | A Documentary Photo Slideshow| The Wright Museum
- Bluewater Technologies | LUMINARIA MAGNA – “GREAT LIGHT” | Large-Scale LED Wall and Sound Station | Woodward/Warren Corner
The 22 artists selected from the DLECTRICITY Open Call:
- Kelley Bell | Baltimore, MD | Project: Wild Kingdom | Location: Meyer L. Prentis Cancer Center, 110 E Warren Ave, Detroit, MI 48201
- Mayer + Empl | Munich, Germany | Project: Architectural Space Intervention | Location: Mike Kelly Mobile Homestead, MOCAD, 4454 Woodward Ave, Detroit, MI 48201
- Philipp Artus | Berlin, Germany | Project: FLORA | Location: Kresge Court, Detroit Institute of Arts, 5200 Woodward Ave, Detroit, MI 48202
- Cooper Holoweski | Detroit, MI | Project: As Above, So Below | Location: Detroit Institute of Arts, 5200 Woodward Ave, Detroit, MI 48202
- Carrie Morris | Detroit, MI | Project: Interactive Shadow Puppet Circus Sideshow| Location: “Electric Park” at Detroit Institute of Arts, 5200 Woodward Ave, Detroit, MI 48202
- Arts & Scraps | Detroit, MI | Project: Arts & Scraps presents Light as a Shadow | Location: “Electric Park” at Detroit Institute of Arts, 5200 Woodward Ave, Detroit, MI 48202
- Laura Heit | Portland, OR | Project: Hypothetical Stars | Location: Detroit Institute of Arts, 5200 Woodward Ave, Detroit, MI 48202
- Jason Isaacs | Brooklyn, NY/UK | Project: The Black Love Project | Location: The Wright Museum, 315 E Warren Ave, Detroit, MI 48201
- Aaron Jones & Wesley Taylor | Detroit, MI | Project: The Underground | Location: Rackham Building, 60 Farnsworth St, Detroit, MI 48202
- Wire-Car Auto Workers Association of Detroit (WAWAD) | Detroit, MI | Project: Detroit Woodward Light Cruise | Location: Detroit Institute of Arts, 5200 Woodward Ave, Detroit, MI 48202
- Jake Chidester + Alisyn Malek | Detroit, MI | Project: The Expanded Seussian Arkestra | Location: The Rackham Building, 60 Farnsworth St, Detroit, MI 48202
- FaShon Vega for Three13 Action Design | Detroit, MI | Project: STAR TOURS™ | Location: Mobile Roaming Performances in Midtown Detroit
- Nikola Dicke | Germany | Project: Light-Graffiti | Location: Cathedral Church of St. Paul, 4800 Woodward Ave, Detroit, MI 48201
- Akiko Nakayama | Japan | Project: Alive Painting | Location: Cathedral Church of St. Paul, 4800 Woodward Ave, Detroit, MI 48201
- Gary Schwartz | Detroit, MI | Project: Speramus Meliora, Resurget Cineribus | Location: The Hannan House, 4750 Woodward Ave, Detroit, MI 48201
- Luxloop | Los Angeles, CA | Project: If The Walls Had Eyes | Location: The Detroit Artists Market, 4719 Woodward Ave, Detroit, MI 48201
- Sebastian Duncan-Portuondo, Angela Eastman + Maxime Robillard | Detroit, MI | Project: Every Side of Here: Searching for the Sacred | Location: First Congregational Church, 33 E Forest Ave, Detroit, MI 48201
- E.S.P. TV | Brooklyn, NY | Project: You Don’t Say Much, Do You? (Detroit) | Location: MOCAD, 4454 Woodward Ave, Detroit, MI 48201
- Jasmine Murrell | Brooklyn, NY | Project: Ancient Future / Immortal Uterus | Location: The N’Namdi Center for Contemporary Art, 52 E Forest, Detroit, MI 48201
- Lauren Strohacker & Kendra Sollars | Arizona | Project: Animal Land: Detroit | Location: Garfield Lofts, 4600 Woodward Ave, Detroit, MI 48201
- Zeynep Dagli | London | Project: Negotiation between Madness & Sanity | Location: MOCAD, 4454 Woodward Ave, Detroit, MI 48201
- Jeffry Chiplis |Cleveland, OH | Project: Neon and Argon Repoetry | Location: The N’Namdi Center for Contemporary Art, 52 E Forest, Detroit, MI 48201
Produced by MDI, DLECTRICITY will feature a condensed event footprint from the DIA to MOCAD to create a more walkable experience. The event map is available here. DLECTRICITY debuted in 2012 and in its return in 2014, 150,000 people attended and over 3,400 cyclists participated in the signature Light Bike Parade, which is returning this year for an exciting ride through Midtown. Cyclists are invited to participate and encouraged to register in advance at: DLECTRICITY.com.
In addition to announcing DTE Energy Foundation as the presenting sponsor, MDI announced sponsors including: Knight Foundation, The Kresge Foundation, Midtown Detroit, Inc., The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, William Davidson Foundation, The National Endowment for the Arts, Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, Detroit Institute of Arts, Shinola, Marc A. Schwartz, Ford Motor Company Fund, Bluewater Technologies, Wayne State University (WSU), WSU Police, Cranbrook, The Plaza, Wheelhouse Detroit, Hyphen Advisory, Michigan CAT, Fox 2 Detroit and WDET 101.9 FM. As our official ridesharing partner, Lyft is offering 25% off a ride to DLECTRICITY using the code DL317.
DLECTRICITY is chaired by Marc Schwartz, Founder, Art Detroit Now. The DLECTRICITY Curatorial Committee, including Detroit-based curators and arts professionals, consists of George N’Namdi, Committee Chair and Owner, N’Namdi Center for Contemporary Art; Michelle Perron, Director, Office of Exhibitions & Public Programs, College for Creative Studies; Marsha Miro, Founder, MOCAD; Elysia Borowy-Reeder, Executive Director, MOCAD; Lawrence Baranski, Director of Public Programs, Detroit Institute of Arts; J. Fiona Ragheb – Curator, Designer, Writer; Chrisstina Hamilton, Director of Visitor’s Programs, Stamps School of Art & Design; Annmarie Borucki, Special Projects Manager, Midtown Detroit, Inc.; Alivia Zivich, Partner, What Pipeline Gallery; and Marc Schwartz.
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Press Contacts: Heather George, 313-832-2210, 248-417-5773 (mobile), [email protected]
Sara Campbell, 313-832-2210, 315-727-3280 (mobile), [email protected]
Annmarie Borucki, Midtown Detroit, Inc., 313-420-6003, 248-860-9351 (mobile), [email protected]
Midtown Detroit, Inc. is a nonprofit planning and development organization that supports the physical maintenance and revitalization of the Midtown Detroit neighborhood, while working to enhance public awareness, appreciation and use of the district. Its predecessor organizations, the University Cultural Center Association (UCCA) and New Center Council, have been working to encourage new mixed income housing, increased visitorship to area attractions, new commercial activity, and infrastructure investments throughout the Midtown/New Center districts. More details here: http://midtowndetroitinc.org/who-we-are
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