grand opening of the shepherd
Charles McGee: Time Is Now
Library Street Collective co-founders Anthony & JJ Curis present their ambitious neighborhood-wide cultural revitalization effort in the East Village neighborhood of Detroit, known as Little Village. At the heart of this initiative lies the Shepherd, a one hundred ten-year-old Romanesque-style church, most recently identified as Good Shepherd before closing in 2016. The Shepherd has been transformed into a cultural arts center that offers multi-faceted programming, including exhibitions, public projects, and performance.
Arriving prior to the official 5P kickoff, the scene was already bustling on a perfectly warm, sunny spring day. The newly developed area is a concentrated campus where visitors can meander between the Shepherd, the skatepark and other commercial spaces allowing adults to leisurely enjoy the arts while the kiddos freely explore the grounds.
Central to this event is an extensive exhibition of the late Charles McGee’s work. The show, in collaboration with MOCAD, showcases McGee’s range from large-scale installations to drawings, illustrating the full breadth of his ingenuity. McGee Giants appear in the interior wall piece then translate to Legacy Park, which are the first figurative public sculptures for this artist.
Several signature pieces are offered. This distinctive line work representing togetherness appears in free-standing as well as wall sculptures.
The Curises, Tony Hawk and McArthur Binion collaborated on the skatepark which is open to the public. For the grand opening, Tony Hawk christened the park to the crowd’s delight.
Other enterprises include BridgeHouse, “consisting of two former residential structures aimed at the culinary arts”. Louis Buhl & Co. will be relocating from the Belt later this year. “Asmaa Walton has curated the new Little Village Library which is located within one of the Shepherd's transepts. The library is a public archive dedicated to artists of color who have made significant contributions to the arts in Michigan and beyond”. Also included on campus is ALEO, “a boutique bed & breakfast envisioned as a haven for artists and those seeking a cultural retreat in Little Village”. The footprint is further expanded off campus in a mixed-use building Lantern housing two local non-profits, Signal-Return and Progressive Art Studio Collective (PASC).
Just when you think the restored luster has reached its zenith, the city of Detroit continues to impress with multiple openings and events occurring this year celebrating the resurgence of creativity and innovation that took a beating but was never buried. Detroiters are simply waiting for the opportunity to come back stronger.
‘I discovered the power of being underestimated because if they overestimate you they get in the way. If the underestimate you, they get out of the way.’ –Quincy Jones
The Shepherd officially opened May 18th at 1265 Parkview Detroit
*images are mine unless otherwise noted
direct quote from gallery materials, also within “quotations”
I’m glad you’re here! If you are able, please consider upgrading to a paid subscription which grants you access to every audio and video recording since this newsletter’s inception—this week’s video is free to all subscribers—while supporting my mission to present a broader view of the Detroit art community, which after this Saturday got even wider! Thank you!
SHOWS OPEN THIS WEEKEND
Popps Packing several events
I opted to visit Popp's Packing, but I did pass through that neighborhood during the Shephard opening. Cars parked literally a half mile away let me know that the opening was a success. It's a triumph. However, and let's say it aloud as a challenge, we have so many "Shephard" size projects awaiting leadership and funding: the Big Art in Highland Park, the Cigar Factory of 555 Arts and Galapagos Art Center in Highland Park. How do collectives, like the Cave Collective, access financing and expertise akin to that developed by the Library Street Collective. Does every art collective have to hit the learning curve? It took a decade from LSC to advance from the creation of "The Belt" to the "Shepherd". I admire the Arts, Culture and Entrepreneurship department of the City of Detroit, and yet we have very little visibility on their effort to activate ten alleys. The Belt and Parker's Alley clearly work. So the sooner alleys open, the better. Thanks for the reporting as it helps us all reach the same conclusion. With billions of dollars of construction expected, our collectives must recreate a culture for a city of more than a million people.