Artists are moving into troubled neighborhoods across the Midwest by taking advantage of low property prices and local and regional government and non-profit programs.  Artists in Blight Wall Street Journal article

Having spent most of my life in close proximity to Detroit, my first inclination is to applaud any action that puts old buildings back to use, and contributes to active people engaged in the community.  Detroit still needs this.  This will help bring more people. 

 I know people who never go to Detroit and are frankly afraid to do so.  Arts organizations, like The Detroit Symphony Orchestra, are suffering from lower attendance and subscriptions, on top of losing some of their funding from the automotive companies.  The presence of artists seems like it can only be helpful for an ailing area. 

 There are some who disagree.  The WSJ article linked above mentions possible future implications for a neighborhood that welcomes artists; gentrification.  A great example of this is Bucktown, in Chicago.  Once a recovering community that attracted artists and became home to cool bars like the Double Door, Bucktown is now more of a commercially-oriented restaurant haven with an artsy flavor.  A bad thing?  The trouble is that the very people who helped revitalize an area can later be pushed out due to rising property values (as well as the rising tax rates that follow).

Creating neighborhoods with equal accessibility for people with a wide range of economic means has been difficult since the beginning of time.  My opinion is bring the artists into these neighborhoods, and establish this challenge as one they can help brainstorm to overcome.

By Kimberley Brown

Tonight we watched All That Jazz. The movie stars Roy Scheider as Joe Gideon in a loose autobiography of director Bob Fosse’s life (stage director/ choreographer of “Pippin,” and “Chicago,” and film director of “Cabaret,” to name a tiny sliver of his work). I had some observations to share.

First, Ben Vereen is great. Second, the 70s, the era of my birth, make more sense to me as I age and also as I explore the popular culture of the time. There was a great deal of emotional exploration. Perhaps there was a quest to define what creates lasting emotional security, how to obtain instanteous emotional gratification, and understand the boundary or crossover between the two.

I found the last scene of the movie really inspirational. (What scene with Ben Vereen isn’t inspirational?)  Sorry, cover your eyes / stop reading if you haven’t seen the movie and plan to.  At this point in the movie, Roy Scheider’s character is dying. His experience is displayed larger than life dancing on a stage to George Harrison’s “Bye Bye Love.” Scheider is joined by Vereen in a scene that includes all the people important to Gideon’s life. It’s a celebration of lights, drama, beauty and flair.

It struck me how the experience of death and dying can be so different from the experience of everyday life. We have the energy and wherewithal when we are fully living to create something like Gideon’s last dance. In death we rarely have this chance. It reminded me how someone at a funeral usually remarks, “{Insert name} would have loved to see everyone here.” This is our chance to celebrate and our chance to dance. We have to do it now!

By Kimberley Brown

Hello, I am planning to revisit the UMMA to see their newly-unveiled presence! I’ve heard it’s wonderful. One friend said it rivaled the MoMA! Busy-ness made it impossible for me to get there for the grand reopening last weekend but I’m going to get there as soon as I can and report back.

I reflected on an interview with University of Michigan Museum of Art Director James Steward from Summer 2005 where he discussed the plans for the new museum renovations. I was inspired by him then so you can imagine how eager I am to visit!

Below is the article from 2005.

Sailing the Seas of Change

by Kim Brown July 2005

University of Michigan Museum of Art Director James Steward transcends old perceptions about art museums, introducing new and exciting exhibits from far away lands.

If you’ve been to Ann Arbor’s University of Michigan Museum of Art (UMMA) recently, you have probably noticed an ever-increasing diversity of art collections and exhibitions. Art from Korea, Africa, the Middle East, Russia and beyond has made its way to this small Midwestern town under UMMA Director James Steward’s leadership. “What we offer is attractive and varied, particularly relative to the scale of the museum,” said Steward.

Increasing the geographic scope of art acquisitions and programs helps fulfill the museum’s purview — to develop exhibits that appeal to the lay community and enhance their interest in art, and simultaneously to challenge University art students and stimulate seasoned art professors. Not accidentally, the art exhibits found at the UMMA are also a big part of the cultural cornucopia that draws people to visit Ann Arbor, or to relocate here for work or study.

“We serve as both an anchor and a magnet for visitors, particularly to this part of Ann Arbor,” said Steward. “This location is an intersection between the city and the University. It has the vibrancy of two worlds coming together.” (more…)

Coming soon…