More than
two dozen artists with studios in the historic Pioneer Building
will open their workspaces to the public Saturday, Oct. 4,
2008, during the 8th Annual Pioneer Building Open Artist Studios
event. One
of the city’s most anticipated annual art happenings,
the Pioneer Building Open Artists Studios each year has attracted
more than a thousand art lovers, collectors, colleagues and
the simply curious. Attendees will meet and talk to the artists,
learn about their passions and discover many great pieces
of art, some at bargain prices. “It’s
always a fun day,” said Anne Fracassa, one of 30 Pioneer
Building tenants. “It’s the one time of the year
that we all are here at the same time to welcome guests and
the public. It is a fun event for the whole family with ample
parking, a variety of refreshments, and the chance to view
works in progress as well as finished art.,” she said.
“And, there is no better time to hear well-known local
artists explain what drives them and to see their work in
a setting more intimate than an exhibition.”
Participating
artists include:
·
Suzanne Andersen ·
Matthew Breneau
· Joyce Brienza
· Loralei R. Byatt ·
Jenny Chope ·
Barbara Dorchen ·
Joan Farago
· Anne Fracassa ·
Marcia Freedman ·
Joe Gohl ·
Christine Hagedorn
· Carole Kabrin ·
Paul Kowal ·
Denise Kozlo ·
Bobby Litwin ·
Gail maly-mack
· Eric Mesko ·
David Mikesell ·
Sherry Moore
· Teresa Petersen
Corinne
Pemberton
Josephine Primeau
Victor Pytko
Claudia Shepard
Sioux Trujillo
Christine Welch
Leigh Wotawa BUILDING
BACKGROUNDIn
1905, two brothers named Trippensee started a corporation
to make orreries, mechanical models of the Earth, Moon, and
Sun. In 1908, they erected their own building and shifted
manufacturing to enclosed bodies for Buick and Ford. Sometime
in the early 1920s, they sold the building to Barney Everitt
and it became home for Rickenbacker Motorcar Co. Through 1960,
the building served various tenants who made everything from
ice scrapers to hacksaws. Gerhard
Woberman bought the building in 1960, using it for his Pioneer
Office Products business. In 1985, due to age and illness,
he cut back and rented unused space to artists. In 1994, artist
Anne Fracassa and her six offspring renovated the building
and then bought it forming Fracassa Ventures Inc. They have
been renting out studio spaces in The Pioneer Building since.
--
Condensed from an article in thedetroiter.com
Located
at
2679
East
Grand
Boulevard
in
Detroit,
one
mile
east
of
Woodward
Avenue
and
just
east
of
Russell
Street
