Carol was struck by the lecture by Detroit Symphony Orchestra’s Maestro Leonard Slatkin.  He talked about how an arts education shaped his life, and he talked about the overall importance of an arts education. 

WDET’s Rob St. Mary wrote a great article about the lecture here. 

This lecture made Carol think about her program, and she shared the following observation with us:

Why support the Arts?  Just Do It!  While I  listened to Leonard Slatkin speak about the need for people to demand arts programming, students were in an art class because of Art Road Nonprofit.  Art Road brought art to students just like Maestro Slatkin’s art teacher Mrs. Otto inspired him.  Our students were being taught by Ms. Carrie, who is a Fulbright Scholar and Cranbrook Academy of Art Graduate.  At that very moment in time at the TEDx, Ms. Carrie taught the students how to paint Starry Night by Van Gogh, and the students’ teacher said he was so proud of the art that he was going to hang all of the artwork in the hall for all to see.  Another teacher told Ms. Carrie that she had no idea how talented her students were.

Just Do It!  What ever your passion is, just do it.  This is my take away from the TEDx Detroit speakers yesterday, they are all having fun filling a need and just doing it in their own way.

    Fresco refers to the technique of painting with pure pigments onto a wall made of wet plaster. The pigment bonds chemically with the plaster, making the painting extremely durable. Five layers of different mixes of plaster must first be troweled onto the surface. Visitors to the workshop had a hand in mixing the plaster, while George Arnold laid the plaster. Halima Cassells and Pryncess assisted in showing the audience how to transfer a drawing to the surface.
    All pigments were mixed on the spot as well. Massey demonstrated the mixing technique and let visitors try their hand at mixing with the large glass mauler. Although the glass mauler was people friendly, note, the art of Fresco is a tedious, grueling undertaking, not for the faint at heart. It is important to keep knowledge of antique processes alive, and all were grateful to Hubert Massey that day, for imparting his mastery of the art of fresco.

http://www.hubertmasseymurals.com

What’s the next interesting special event coming to the DIA?
Wednesday, December 8th at 7 PM
“Glenn Adamson – Affective Objects: Crafting Intimacy in Contemporary Design”

“How do the objects that inhabit our world determine our relationship to them and our perceptions of space? Glenn Adamson, head of graduate studies at the Victoria and Albert Museum, is noted for introducing new critical thought about decorative arts and design in his books Thinking through Craft and The Craft Reader and as co-editor of the Journal of Modern Craft. At the DIA, Dr. Adamson will consider how makers attempt to structure an intimate connection between the viewer/ user and an object. ”

Anne Fracassa, Detroit artist and Juror for the Green Show will deliver a talk about her work and the Green Show on Friday April 30, 7:00pm at the Grosse Pointe Art Center.

The Green Show is the current exhibition at the Grosse Pointe Art Center. Anne Fracassa will offer her views on the featured artist’s work. While the theme of the show she juried was green, Anne’s work is a colorful “visual feast” depicting Detroit scenes. Anne will be sharing some of her work with us on Friday. This is a special community event and everyone is encouraged to attend.

Grosse Pointe Art Center
www.grossepointeartcenter.org
16900 Kercheval
Grosse Pointe
MI 48230
313 821 1848

Niels Diffrient is a preeminent American designer who holds more than 48 mechanical and design patents on furniture alone. His award-winning furniture designs have been produced by Knoll International, Sunar Hauserman, Howe Furniture Company, KI International, and currently, Humanscale Corporation.

After graduating from Cass Technical High School in Detroit, he began his studies in the field of aeronautical engineering before changing to painting, followed by design and architecture, for which he received his degree from Cranbrook Academy. He was then granted a Fulbright Fellowship to live and work in Milan, Italy. While there, he designed a sewing machine with the architect Marco Zanuso, which won the Compasso D’Oro at the Milan Trienalle. Diffrient also worked with architect Eero Saarinen, assisting in the design of office seating for Knoll, which remains in production after 50 years. He subsequently partnered in the office of Henry Dreyfuss, producing designs for long-term clients Bell Telephone, John Deere, Polaroid, Singer Sewing Machine, American Airlines, Lockheed Aircraft, Honeywell, Gates Learjet, Hyster Lift Trucks, and more. In 1981 he initiated his own practice for consulting and developing licensed designs in the commercial furniture field.

Diffrient has been published broadly in the fields of design and ergonomics, most notably the three-volume compendium Humanscale. He taught design at UCLA for eight years and at Yale University School of Architecture for two years. In addition, he has been the recipient of four research grants from the National Endowment of the Arts and the Graham Foundation.

Diffrient has received many honors among which are: Fellow of the Industrial Designers Society of America; Honorary Doctorate from Art Center College; Honorary Royal Designer from the Royal Society of Arts, London; Institute honors from the American Institute of Architects; Honorary Doctorate from the College of Creative Studies; the Daimler Chrysler Award for Innovation; the National Design award in product design from the Cooper Hewitt Museum; Legend Award from Contract Magazine and Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Interior Design Institute.

Benjamin Pardo, Senior Vice President and Director
of Design at Knoll

Each year, Cranbrook Academy of Art presents the annual Knoll Lecture on Design thanks to a generous gift to present prominent designers in a public forum to students and the community of southeast Michigan.



The relationship of Knoll Inc. and Cranbrook Academy of Art dates back to the early 1940s. It was at this time that Florence Schust, who was a student at the Academy, first met her husband, Hans Knoll, who founded Knoll Inc. in 1938. Together they would change the face of modern design in the 20th century.



Since 2005, Benjamin Pardo has led Knoll through a period of record growth and the development of innovative new products. His work at Knoll continues to pave the way in the world of design, much as it has since the innovative days of Florence Knoll.

Cranbrook Academy of Art & Art Museum
39221 Woodward Avenue
Bloomfield Hills, Michigan 48303-0801

Christopher K. Ho

Cranbrook Academy of Art has announced the appointment of the critic, curator and artist Christopher Ho as the Critical Studies Teaching Fellow for the 2010-2011 academic year. Operating as a critic at-large, the fellow meets with students and faculty in their studios to promote dialogue on issues of prominence in the world of art and design. The general public is invited share in this experience during two lectures presented by Ho under the theme  “Critical Curating and Contemporary Modes of Collaboration” scheduled on September 21 and October 26, 2010 at 6 pm (see full schedule below). Admission is free.
 
Christopher K. Ho is a critic, curator, and artist who lives and works in New York. Since 2000, he has taught at the Rhode Island School of Design in the departments of History of Art and Visual Culture, Painting, and Graduate Studies. His many reviews and articles have appeared in Modern Painters, Flash Art, PAJ, and Arco Magazine. Recent curatorial projects include El Museo del Ghetto: Jefferson Pinder and José Ruiz at G Fine Art, Washington, D.C.; JamaicaFlux at JCAL, New York; The Shallow Curator at Winkleman Gallery, New York; Points of View at DAC, New York; Dynasty at Gallery MC, New York; and Jack, at Cuchifritos, New York. He has lectured at Columbia University, Yale University, and NYU, among others, and has served on the boards and committees of the Bronx River Art Center, the Center for Book Arts, apexart curatorial program, Art in General, the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, and the Asian American Arts Center, all in New York. His collaboratively produced art has been featured at the Queens Museum, the Delaware Center for Contemporary Art, the Dallas Contemporary Art Center, as well as internationally at the Freies Museum, Berlin; the Museum of Contemporary Art, Srpska; the Incheon Biennial, Korea; the Busan Biennale, Korea; and the Chinese Biennial, Beijing. He is represented by Winkleman Gallery in New York and Galeria EDS in Mexico City. He received his B.F.A. in Architecture and B.S. (Hons) in History of Architecture and Urbanism from Cornell University and his M.Phil in Art History from Columbia University.
 
 
The Critical Studies Teaching Fellow position at Cranbrook Academy of Art was launched in 2009 in conjunction with the annual Critical Studies academic program. The program is developed each year to respond to the most current intellectual climates within contemporary art, design and architecture.  The addition of the one-semester Critical Studies Teaching Fellowship creates an opportunity for students to have a sustained and active role in exploring the ideas of a noted scholar, artist and critic from outside the Cranbrook community.
 
“This Fellowship position is envisioned as one with a general, rather than a specific portfolio; a wandering critic whose role it is to engender spirited critical engagement and conversation,” says Reed Kroloff, Director of Cranbrook Academy of Art and Art Museum.  “The Fellowship offers a challenge, but also offers a chance to experience teaching in its purest form.”
 
On Tuesday, September 21, 2010 at 6:00 pm in the Auditorium at Cranbrook Institute of Science, Ho will present his first public lecture, “Curating.” As the Critical Studies Fellow, Ho will present two public lectures during the fall 2010 semester (see schedule below) and he will also conduct a series of discussion sessions with Academy students. His theme for the semester lectures and discussions is “Critical Curating and Contemporary Modes of Collaboration,” which he says will “look at how both practices demand, and allow for, subtle, even paradoxical, combinations of theory and practice” 
 

Saturday, April 24th, 2010 9 am-1 pm

Do you have a nagging feeling you can manage your images better and faster? Are you insecure about your archiving and backup systems? Are you ever disappointed in the final output of your work? Join ASMP and learn about dpBestflow, the definitive digital imaging resource for gaining efficiency, profitability and excellence.

Seminar Topics
* Make informed decisions about choosing the best workflow for your needs
* Maintain the color intent and quality of your work
* Preserve your digital image files (and the work that you do to them) for the short and long term
* Communicate more effectively with clients, printers, digital labs or anyone else handling
your files
* Work more efficiently so you can focus on creating great images and growing your business

The Presenter
Prolific author, provocative speaker and Adobe Photoshop Certified Expert trainer Jay Kinghorn guides companies in strengthening their workflow processes and envisioning creative uses for photography. The second edition of his book Perfect Digital Photography, which he co-authored with Pulitzer-prize winner Jay Dickman, was released in June 2009.

Details of the seminar

This event is free of charge, but space is limited to the first 100 people who register. Register for the seminar.

Saturday, April 24, 2010
9:00 AM to 1:00 PM
Doors open at 8:30 am

Regular Gallery Hours:
Wednesday-Sunday, noon-5 pm
www.scarabclub.org
313.831.1250

The Scarab Club, 217 Farnsworth St.
Detroit, MI 48202

Wednesday, April 21, 6:00pm – 9:00pm

RoseLee Goldberg

Acclaimed art historian, author, critic and curator RoseLee Goldberg will provide an authoritative introduction to the history of performance art on April 21 at 7 p.m. at the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA). The talk is free and will take place in the DIA Auditorium (John R Entrance).

In addition to sharing her knowledge about performance art’s history, Goldberg will talk about the ideas behind the hugely successful Performa biennial, which she launched in 2005. Her presentation will be largely based on works recently commissioned for Performa, an organization she founded in 2004 that presents the acclaimed New York City performance biennial, and will feature a vast array of works by visual artists from around the world. Goldberg will show excerpts from recent Performa commissions by Isaac Julien, Francis Alys, Laurie Simmons, and Nathalie Djurberg, among others.

With the publication of her groundbreaking book Performance Art: From Futurism to the Present in 1979, Goldberg became recognized as the preeminent scholar of performance art, and she has continued to chronicle the genre for more than 30 years since. Her experience as director of the Royal College of Art Gallery in London eventually prepared her to serve as curator at The Kitchen, one of New York’s premiere venues for video, music, dance, performance, film, and literature.

Performance art, recognized as an art form for more than 40 years, consists of the actions of an individual or a group at a particular place and time, essentially, as Goldberg defines it, “live art” presented by visual artists. It often includes four basic elements: time, space, the performer’s body, and a relationship between performer and audience. In the 1960s, artists began to make performances as a way to challenge commodity-based art.

Wednesday, April 21
Lecture 7:00 p.m.
DFT Auditorium
John R Door opens at 6:00 p.m.
Cash valet available
Must reserve FREE pass for admission: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/633322284
Arrive early and enjoy light refreshement and beverages in Crystal Gallery (cash sales)
Detroit Institute of Arts, 5200 Woodard Avenue, Detroit MI 48202

College for Creative Studies will host a Toyota Lecture on Design by film and television production artist and CCS Alumnus Tim Flattery on Tuesday, April 6 at 6 p.m. In a landmark and unique career that has spanned over two decades, Tim Flattery is a modern day renaissance man in film and television production art. All the information on the lecture is below and two images of his recent work from “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra” are on the right

From concept artist, costume & creature designer, to futurist & visual effects art director, to overseeing the design and in some cases the full-size construction of custom vehicles for films, including the memorable futuristic craft for “Back to the Future II,” “A.I. Artificial Intelligence” and the dynamic Batmobile for “Batman Forever.”

Since 1988, Flattery has raised the creative bar with his acclaimed design work on such classics, cult and blockbuster films as “Batman
Returns,” “Unbreakable,” “Total Recall,” “Child’s Play III,” “Men in Black,” “X-Men,” “Spiderman II,” “The Chronicles of Riddick,” “Transformers,” and “The Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Man’s Chest,” among others. Although Flattery has firmly established himself in the pantheon of production artists who specialize in Science Fiction/Fantasy and Superhero themed projects, his visionary talents have also played a role in such motion pictures as “Saving Private Ryan,” “The Client,” “Mission Impossible II” and “Flightplan.”

Flattery continues to enhance his already stellar career with the upcoming and highly anticipated genre films “The Green Lantern,” “Creature from the Black Lagoon” and “Real Steel.”

The lecture is free, open to the public, and held at CCS’s Wendell W. Anderson Jr. Auditorium located in the Walter B. Ford II Building on the Walter and Josephine Ford Campus (201 East Kirby, Detroit, MI 48202).

To RSVP online visit www.collegeforcreativestudies.edu/events/toyota (link) or call 313.664.7465.

CCS’s TOYOTA LECTURE SERIES ON DESIGN is sponsored by the Toyota Motor Company. Toyota Lectures occur throughout the year and cover all major areas of design.

13 March – 24 April 2010
Artist Talk Saturday 3 April 1 pm

John Corbin

Susanne Hilberry Gallery
www.susannehilberrygallery.com
700 Livernois Street
Ferndale, MI 48220-2307
(248) 541-4700