• Article

    Makai rocks The Rock Shop on South Beach

    Published July 18, 2011 by

    I've heard the local music scene is tough, especially for local musicians. This may be true, but so is life. Last night beneath red stage lights and bursts of green laser lights, Makai performed from its latest album, "Luz al Instante (Instant Light)"at The Rock Shop — a South Beach...
  • Article

    Online stories of courage draw Juarez residents outdoors

    Published July 15, 2011 by

    One mark of a successful online project intended to foster community is when that community finally responds – and extracts the content for its own use. For the website Crónicas de Héroes, archiving positive stories of the everyday heroes of Juarez, Mexico, this moment happened when a group of street artists asked permission to paint some of the accounts as murals. It wasn’t easy to get to that place. For six months the tireless Yesica Guerra, a Juarez resident, with the help of two others, talked to small groups and hosted workshops to encourage members of her city to tell their positive stories. As she worked on plans for the project from MIT’s Center for Civic Media, which is funded by Knight Foundation, she sent streams of...
  • Article

    Brandished at Re:View Contemporary

    Published July 15, 2011 by

    The eye that delights in detail will have a field day with “Brandished,” a two-person show on view at Re:View Contemporary. Featuring work by recent Cranbrook Academy of Art graduates Wes Taylor and Chitra Gopalakrishnan, “Brandished” presents digital prints, drawings and screen prints that explore the contrasting subjects of simplicity...
  • Article

    The power of poetry

    Published July 14, 2011 by

    The Philadelphia Youth Poetry Movement (PYPM) has been helping the youth of Philadelphia discover the power of their voices through spoken word & literary expression since 2006. This week CNN profiled the Knight Arts grantee, following the story of  19-year-old Alana Gooden, who credits PYPM with saving her life: “If PYPM didn’t exist, Gooden said she and her fellow members might not be where there are right now. ‘We wouldn’t be performing, we wouldn’t be promoting positive change, we would be out there with them downtown, flash mobbing, running around, fighting, cursing, getting arrested, shooting, dying,’ she said.”
  • Article

    Puppets visit the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit

    Published July 14, 2011 by

    By Meranda Stuart, Matrix Theatre Against a backdrop of sun, the sweet beats of Motown, community art projects and activities, the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit’s block party was the perfect place for families and community members. The Matrix Puppetry Department provided children with a variety of puppets. Puppets varied...
  • Article

    Summer camps at Matrix Theatre

    Published July 14, 2011 by

    By Meranda Stuart, Matrix Theatre Matrix Theatre Puppetry and Theatre Department work together every summer to create a unique Matrix camp experience for youth. Weaving themes of wildlife and water through our camp activities, children learn about pressing environmental issues and how they can help in our community. So far...
  • Article

    Matrix puppetry department at Riverdays

    Published July 14, 2011 by

    By Meranda Stuart, Matrix Theatre For the third year in a row, Matrix Theatre set up their tent at the Riverdays June 24-26, 2011. Riverdays is a four-day festival that celebrates the environment of Detroit, and most importantly the Detroit River. It is a festival of performances, rides, and games...
  • Article

    ArtWorks 945 is saving the homeless

    Published July 14, 2011 by

    Synonyms for the word “homeless” are unhoused, nomadic, outcast and desolate. Folks struggling with reliable and safe places to sleep may feel this way sometimes. This economy’s impact on so many is an opportunity to approach homelessness with new ideas and look at programs that are working. One of Charlotte’s...
  • Article

    Deliberative Democracy to help Akron residents build community engagement

    Published July 14, 2011 by

    Akron's Community Learning Centers will be transformed into spaces for engagement with a recently announced Knight Foundation grant to the Akron Neighborhood Trust.  The $674,000 grant will train residents in a process called Deliberative Democracy, which will allow them to plan and implement needed services at the centers with input from many voices in the community. We’re proud to take part in this effort to transform the community, and hope the news will spread quickly. So far, the story has been picked up by the Akron Beacon Journal, which explained the initiative, saying, “Over the next three years, residents will set priorities and design action plans for programming and services to be offered in the Community Learning Center.” Crystal Jones, who co-manages The Akron Neighborhood Trust with Susan Vogelsang, shared our excitement about the award, saying...
  • Article

    Absurdity for the sake of …

    Published July 14, 2011 by

    This month at Marginal Utility, Eric McDade displays the dregs of art, professionalism and effort with a result that is both absurd and challenging. The show’s lackluster sign — a piece of 8-and-a-half -inch by 11-inch printer paper — states the name of the artist and show in no-larger-than-14-point font....
  • Article

    Arts thrive in Charlotte with support from ASC and Knight Foundation

    Published July 14, 2011 by

    This week’s story in The Charlotte Observer was welcome news to arts lovers and supporters in the community.  After a couple of really challenging years for both established and emerging arts organizations, this year's Arts and Science Council (ASC) stable support is greatly appreciated. “The ASC will give $7.6 million to more than 60 cultural organizations during the budget year that starts this month,” wrote The Charlotte Observer.  “Most of the 25 groups that get the bulk of the money will receive the same amount they did last year - a welcome change after two years of squeezes.”
  • Article

    The power of poetry

    Published July 14, 2011 by

    The Philadelphia Youth Poetry Movement (PYPM) has been helping the youth of Philadelphia discover the power of their voices through spoken word & literary expression since 2006. This week CNN profiled the Knight Arts grantee, following the story of 19-year-old Alana Gooden, who credits PYPM with saving her life: "If...