In the summer of 2007 Detroit Free Press columnist Bill McGraw and members of the Free Press photo staff explored all 2,100 streets in the city of Detroit. They documented their travels in the award-winning five-part series “Driving Detroit,” originally published in the Detroit Free Press and online. McGraw and other staffers will discuss the making of the series and an exhibit of selected photos and videos will open Friday, May 30 at 7:00 p.m. at the Boll Family YMCA, 1401 Broadway, in downtown Detroit. The event is free and open to the public.
A Free Press writer since 1977, McGraw and a team of thirteen photographers and videographers traveled the city to document its many faces and activities. Artists, designers and web specialists prepared the series for publication in the paper and on freep.com. McGraw will tell the story of this four-month trek through a slide presentation while discussing the widespread response to the series. A showing of more than 1,000 still photos taken for the series opens the event. The video stories, nominated for a Michigan Emmy Award, enable viewers to experience the city and hear the people and places behind the headlines about Detroit’s simultaneous rebirth and unraveling. The exhibit runs through August.
“Driving Detroit” is presented by Y-Arts, the Arts & Humanities Branch of the YMCA of Metro Detroit, thedetroiter.com, an online arts magazine operated by Y-Arts, and the Detroit Free Press. For additional information contact YArts at 313-223-2751.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Monday, April 28, 2008
9 Parts of Desire and "In Times of War: Her Untold Story" at the Boll
The Human Cost Of War
A Message Americans Have Not Yet Heard
Detroit - There has been a wall of silence surrounding the female experience of the war in Iraq. Now metro Detroiters can experience the human cost of war told from a woman’s point of view both on stage and through an oral exhibit. Y-ARTS, the arts and humanities branch of the YMCA of metro Detroit has combined with the Arab Theatrical Arts Guild, the Water Works Theatre Company and The Arab American National Museum to present Michigan native Heather Raffo’s award winning play “9 Parts of Desire” and the oral exhibit “In Times Of War: Her Untold Story” May 9 through 24, 2008, in the Marlene Boll Theater at the Boll Family YMCA 1401 Broadway in Detroit.
Detroit-area actress Sarab Kamoo (Iraqi-Chaldean heritage) teams up with award-winning director Edward Nahhat to bring Ms. Raffo’s eye opening play to life. The play is a performer’s tour de force; one actress portrays nine different characters in a non-stop 90 minute immersion in the heartache, love, laughter and redemption these heroic women find through war. “I wanted to bring 9 Parts of Desire to downtown because it represents the type of important, exciting theatre that can also create positive dialogue in our community. We are also hosting an important exhibition from the Arab American Museum in Dearborn; it’s an additional learning opportunity for our audience,” said Y-Arts VP of Arts and Humanities, Gillian Eaton.
The Arab American National Museum gives a voice to women who have historically been marginalized, through a new oral history exhibition. “In Times of War: Her Untold Story” features the perspective of Arab-American women who have experienced war—either directly or indirectly—and have told their stories to young Arab-American women. The women’s backgrounds and stories are diverse—ranging from a survivor of genocide, to a nurse dealing with survivors of war, to a U.S. Army veteran—but they all share one thing: a Middle-Eastern heritage. “Women often have to bear the brunt of war,” says AANM Director Dr. Anan Ameri. “As men leave to fight, many of them dying, women must face the economic, physical, and most of all psychological hardships of a broken society. These women are extraordinary; they are paragons of strength.”
Tickets for Heather Raffos’s 9 Parts of Desire are on sale now. Please visit Water Works Theatre Company’s website www.waterworkstheatre.com. Performance dates are: May 9, 10, 11, 16, 17, 18, 23 and 24 (Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m., Sundays at 3:00 p.m. Tickets are $15.00 for Fridays and Sundays, $20.00 for Saturdays. The Boll Theatre is located at 1401 Broadway in Detroit, next to the Broadway People Mover Station. For further information call 313-223-2751.
A Message Americans Have Not Yet Heard
Detroit - There has been a wall of silence surrounding the female experience of the war in Iraq. Now metro Detroiters can experience the human cost of war told from a woman’s point of view both on stage and through an oral exhibit. Y-ARTS, the arts and humanities branch of the YMCA of metro Detroit has combined with the Arab Theatrical Arts Guild, the Water Works Theatre Company and The Arab American National Museum to present Michigan native Heather Raffo’s award winning play “9 Parts of Desire” and the oral exhibit “In Times Of War: Her Untold Story” May 9 through 24, 2008, in the Marlene Boll Theater at the Boll Family YMCA 1401 Broadway in Detroit.
Detroit-area actress Sarab Kamoo (Iraqi-Chaldean heritage) teams up with award-winning director Edward Nahhat to bring Ms. Raffo’s eye opening play to life. The play is a performer’s tour de force; one actress portrays nine different characters in a non-stop 90 minute immersion in the heartache, love, laughter and redemption these heroic women find through war. “I wanted to bring 9 Parts of Desire to downtown because it represents the type of important, exciting theatre that can also create positive dialogue in our community. We are also hosting an important exhibition from the Arab American Museum in Dearborn; it’s an additional learning opportunity for our audience,” said Y-Arts VP of Arts and Humanities, Gillian Eaton.
The Arab American National Museum gives a voice to women who have historically been marginalized, through a new oral history exhibition. “In Times of War: Her Untold Story” features the perspective of Arab-American women who have experienced war—either directly or indirectly—and have told their stories to young Arab-American women. The women’s backgrounds and stories are diverse—ranging from a survivor of genocide, to a nurse dealing with survivors of war, to a U.S. Army veteran—but they all share one thing: a Middle-Eastern heritage. “Women often have to bear the brunt of war,” says AANM Director Dr. Anan Ameri. “As men leave to fight, many of them dying, women must face the economic, physical, and most of all psychological hardships of a broken society. These women are extraordinary; they are paragons of strength.”
Tickets for Heather Raffos’s 9 Parts of Desire are on sale now. Please visit Water Works Theatre Company’s website www.waterworkstheatre.com. Performance dates are: May 9, 10, 11, 16, 17, 18, 23 and 24 (Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m., Sundays at 3:00 p.m. Tickets are $15.00 for Fridays and Sundays, $20.00 for Saturdays. The Boll Theatre is located at 1401 Broadway in Detroit, next to the Broadway People Mover Station. For further information call 313-223-2751.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Finding Local Treasure
Not everyone interested in digital media has the time, resources or inclination to take advantage some of our venerable purveyors of higher learning. Sure, a degree from the College Of Creative Studies, University Of Michigan, Wayne State or Michigan State will boost your employability and earning power but some folks follow different patterns of growth and transition. If you are a high school senior preparing for college or a print graphics designer wanting to apply your talents to the web, what are your choices?
One developing treasure is the YArts Digital Media Lab at the Boll YMCA in downtown Detroit. The Mac Lab features 12 PowerMacs augmented by 25 Powerbooks loaded with the best multimedia software, including Adobe Creative Suite for digital imaging and Web design and Final Cut Studio Pro for video editing. Director Of Digital Media Development, Tony Hepp is planning an assortment of community resources including a web design class that helps designers work on their own interactive Web projects while learning about HTML, CSS, and Flash. “ This program is exceptional because it allows students to work on real projects not just exercises”, says Mr. Hepp. For more varied skill sets there is an Open Mac Lab with instructional support. The web design class is held one day per week for seven weeks with one 1 ½ to 2 hours lab access each visit. The fees are $75.00 for YMCA members and $125 for non-members. The open lab is $10.00 per visit for members.
Anthony McCallum, Creative Director for Creative Mutt and an instructor for the InsideOut Literary Arts Project uses the YArts Media Lab to bring high school sophomores and seniors up speed using current graphic design software. Many students have limited or no access to this kind of technology or information and Anthony makes sure they begin by understanding the history and role of graphic design in shaping our society. He is a graduate of The College For Creative Studies who has observed the, often negative, effects graphic communication has had on our communities and would like to make more people aware of it. “ The influence of graphic design can be a double edged sword”, says Mr. McCallum. “ Like any tool it can be used for good or evil”. InsideOut develops writing and publishing projects with Detroit area public school students.
For more information about the insideout Literary Arts Project call 313-965-5332. For more information about the YArts Digital Media program call 313-223-2751.
Friday, November 2, 2007
Genesis
Y-Arts Detroit is up to some very interesting things of late. Under the direction of the amazing and talented Gillian Eaton, Y-Arts is becoming a whole new kind of community resource for the arts and humanities in and around Detroit.
We aren't going to spill the beans all at once, but if you're an artist in Detroit, or know an artist in Detroit, or even thinking the words "artist in Detroit" as you read this, we will have something for you.
Check back here at our blog often, and we hope you'll visit us soon at our downtown location:
Boll Family YMCA
1401 Broadway
Detroit, MI 48226
Prepare to be amazed.
We aren't going to spill the beans all at once, but if you're an artist in Detroit, or know an artist in Detroit, or even thinking the words "artist in Detroit" as you read this, we will have something for you.
Check back here at our blog often, and we hope you'll visit us soon at our downtown location:
Boll Family YMCA
1401 Broadway
Detroit, MI 48226
Prepare to be amazed.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)