Small organization reveals MassiV growth:
2 years in the making, the Contemporary Art Institute of Detroit opens 4 galleries with 4 curators, 5 jurors, 21 artists, 1 Eco Village, 7 bands, 2 art shuttles and 1 MassiV kick off party
Opening Reception (kick off party): May 10, 6 pm-11 pm
Exhibitions run: May 10 – August 10, 2008
DETROIT (April 29, 2008) – Founded in 1979, the Contemporary Art Institute of Detroit (CAID) and its half dozen members moved into its first home on Rosa Parks Blvd after 25 years of nomadic existence. Now only 3 years after that move, CAID operates four venues throughout Detroit and has over 500 members and growing.
May 10th brings the debut of CAID’s 2008 exhibition season with shows at all four venues: CAID, the Carriage House Gallery, Ladybug Gallery and Studios and the newest addition to CAID’s family of galleries, MassiV.
The Opening Reception festivities start at 6PM on Saturday May 10th. CAID recommends parking at either CAID (5141 Rosa Parks Blvd., Detroit 48208) or MassiV, located in the Russell Industrial Center (1604 Clay Avenue, Third Floor, Detroit MI 48211) and enjoy the relaxing – and entertaining – free shuttle service to all four galleries.
Each of the four galleries offers a completely different perspective of the CAID exhibition and education vision and mission.
CAID Main offers the Eco Village Student Design Competition. Eco Village is part of the City of Detroit’s latest green initiative. The exhibition includes cutting edge solutions to vacant land usage including the potential of developing eco-villages. A faculty led studio of architecture students from Lawrence Tech, University of Detroit Mercy and University of Michigan consequently generated ideas about how to create new forms of urban living. Guests at CAID on May 10th will also have the opportunity to attend the Sonic Lullaby 3.0 festival featuring live musical performances by Auburn Lull, Soundpool, Elika, Indian Guides, Crash City Saints, Sunlight Ascending, and Sey Lui. The performances begin at 9pm with a modest admission charge of $8. Admission to the exhibition is free.
The Carriage House Gallery features the work of Madeleine Barkey, Jeanne Bieri, Teresa Petersen with their collaborative exhibition, The Harvest Gold Club: COLLECTING, CREATING and CLEARING OUT. The exhibition will display artwork within an environment that imitates a typical living room or clubhouse. The artists created this environment using material found on the curbside, including furniture, books, appliances, and knick-knacks. These cast-off items are sometimes antique, sometimes charming, sometimes utilitarian, but always worth more than their curbside appearance would indicate.
Ladybug Gallery and Studios, which opened last fall in Southwest Detroit’s Whitdell Building, hosts the Curator’s Choice exhibit. This show features the work of Sandra Cardew, Simone DeSousa, Bill Dolson, Tirtza Even, Tom Humes, Curt LaCross, Jayson Lowery, Azucena Nava-Morena, Teresa Petersen, Don Pollack, Len Puch, Sam Wolf, Sharon Que, Daniel Timlin, Ram Singh Urveti, Tiffany Sayre, Ropert Showalter & Stage 3 Productions. Curated by CAID curatorial committee members, Jenevieve Dotterer, Oneita Porter, Dennis Summers, and Hugh Timlin, this exhibition includes paintings, sculpture, photography and video. CAID board member Dennis Summers says, “Looking at establishing CAID and its 4 exhibition spaces, those of us on the curatorial committee wanted to give the public some insight into our aesthetic strategies. By no means exhaustive, the Curator's Choice exhibit allows us to select artists -some familiar, some not -that will give viewers an idea of where we're coming from, and where we're going to.”
MassiV is the latest addition to the CAID family of galleries. The inaugural exhibition, Chido Johnson: Domestified angst – first recording, includes a major solo installation of new work. Born in Nyadiri, Zimbabwe and currently the chair of Sculpture at the College for Creative Studies, Johnson’s work explores his own state of cultural negotiations. Living between two cultures, the Euro-American and Southern African, has led the artist’s work to persistently address transformations within identity and place.
Important Date and Time Information:
Exhibitions at the four galleries (CAID, Ladybug, Carriage House and MassiV) will open on May 10 and run through August 10, 2008. The opening receptions on May 10, from 6 pm to 11 pm are free and open to the public and will include free shuttle service to and from all four venues from New Center to Woodbridge Historic District to Southwest Detroit. Guests are encouraged to tour all of CAID’s galleries and programs during the public reception.
All four galleries will be open from Saturday through Sunday from 12pm to 6pm or by appointment, with the exception of the Carriage House Gallery which is open Saturdays from noon to 6 pm and Sundays from 2pm to 6pm. Groups and classes are welcome. Please see below for each venue’s address and purpose.
Contemporary Art Institute of Detroit (CAID): in Historic Woodbridge
5141 Rosa Parks Blvd, Detroit MI 48208 (http://www.thecaid.org)
- 2000 square feet of gallery space showcasing local and international artists
- An additional theatre gallery that features local and international musicians, poets, filmmakers, and performers
- Currently developing a master plan that will include expansion of current facility, new artist housing, urban farming, sculpture gardens, playgrounds and other green spaces, and a cultural retail development offering aid and assistance to revitalize and empower the impoverished neighborhood
Ladybug Gallery and Studios:
1250 Hubbard, Detroit MI 48209 (http://www.ladybuggallery.org)
- Children’s education center to include ceramic studios, fiber arts, drawing and music classes among other K-12 hands on arts programs, with a gallery to showcase children’s work
- Artist resource center including 10-12 computer workstations for artists to learn to build websites, create on-line and digital portfolios, scan slides and photos of work into digital format, email and much more.
- 1800 sq. ft. professional art gallery showcasing the work of local and international artists along with lectures, artist’s critiques and more.
Carriage House Gallery:
1350 East Warren, Detroit MI 48208 (http://www.carriagehousegallery.org)
- Installation specific exhibit site in newly-restored historic carriage house where featured artists are encouraged to manipulate the space to suite their installation vision, while maintaining the integrity of the original historic structure.
- An educational and community service component is included with each installation by way of artist lectures, tours or individual programs that reference the specific installations such as the recent felt making workshop and neighborhood cleanup and community recycling activities.
MassiV at Russell Industrial Center:
1604 Clay Avenue, Third Floor, Detroit MI 48211
- Will feature an extensive art library bequeathed to CAID
- A 5000 sq ft gallery space that will feature the work of both local and internationally based visual artists with an emphasis on large solo shows.
- Architectural Design Studio: Global Network of designers, innovators and strategists. The cross-section of work engaged in this studio will range from architectural, urban, product, graphic, and environmental design as well as community development. This think tank will be coordinated by Amy Green Deines, Board Chair.
CAID will offer workshops for artists by outsourcing the various studios located at the Russell. Courses will include glass blowing at Michigan Hot Glass, foundry and metal work through Salt-Mine Studios and woodworking through one of the woodshops at Russell.