Detroit Day 6

 

Weather: cold (in teens with wind chill factor) and clear. Fake sunny (i.e., zero warmth)

THB and DB were on an art trip to Detroit in 2012, led by DB and E. Here is a pic taken then of the Michigan Central Train Station. You can't tell, all the windows had been punched out and the buildings were in tragic decay as the vandals stole or broke everything including the handles. In 2018 Bill Ford and the Ford Motor Company put in a billion $$ to resurrect the buildings (the tall office building in back had never used and due to vandalism had to be restored .. that is still in process).

We took the tour of the updated terminal, the guide was terrific. 

then (2012) 

now (2026)

then

now

then

now

then and now, the only original staircase left

a pillar exposed to the weather for over 30 years is now pitted

preserved vandalism

preserved in 2018

Lunch at Mercury Burger Bar

A fried bologna sandwich, similar to a breakfast THB used to make when he was a kid: a one pan treat of bacon, onions, salami, boloney fresh french bread, lots of mustard and a leaf of iceberg on top to hold it all together 

thin mint shake

another pic fluke (old problem): on computer it has been corrected yet when it gets to blogger it realigns to way it looked on i-phone

Dinner at Marrow: TERRIFIC - complete with pics!

never heard of it, nice soft cab that got better the longer it was in the glass

DB and THB share plates: hanger steak with potatoes and sunchokes

Negroni with M on the ice cube

perfectly grilled cabbage

bone marrow and fluffy "biscuits" starter

Teeter-Totter, THB has full glass and DB 1/2; total for dinner $210

around town

new construction undrway

Book Review

Murder In Amsterdam, Liberal Europe, Islam, and  the Limits of Tolerance, Ian Burama (read by Shaun Grindel, pub'd 2024): a study of the 2004 murder to Theo Van Gogh (multi-talented artist, film maker) while he was out riding his bike (hey, it happened in Amsterdam and the murderer was also on a bike). Highly recommended 

Detroit Day 5: GO BIG!

 

Aaron  Rosa and his most recent sale

San Jose Iglesia Plaza

is going to its new home in the courtyard of 206 Monterey Dunes Way, all 900 lbs of him

Another cold day with rain, heavy at times, starting in the early evening. Breakfast of porridge and fruit, dinner with the Cal LA Arts team (DB and THB paid for 4 students' air fares) at the Royal Kabob restaurant in Hamtramck plus some friends of the professor of the ceramics department and BG (ED of AMOCA, she will be joining us to Akron).

Stop 1: Cranbrook

student show

student studios

Anna Gukov: she had 1/2 of a terrific piece in Fiber&Clay show

Suzanne Stephenon "cups" in Cranbrook Archives

there is a large contingent of 2nd graders being hosted this morning, here's a pic of what they are wearing this season in Detroit

more work from the archives

Ebi

Jun Kaneko taught at Cranbrook

Stop 2

show curated by Ian McDonald, the ceramics prof at Cranbrook

Ian's work: pieces with steel attached

Stop 3

a mix of new work and secondary art for sale

unusual Viola Frey work

current work  by a long-term artist represented by this gallery; his talk was very unusual in that his pieces have to be hung with deep intent (and here THB thought a white wall was just a white wall)

faint pencil marks on the wall above and below

another local artist, you can't tell because of the delicateness of the work that there are twigs and other foliage detritus glazed into the work

Jim Melchert, bay area artist recently deceased 

DB recognized the artist that made the green platter

Stop 4

more work by Ebi ; THB and DB liked Marie's subtle pieces

Ebi

Marie

Ebi and Marie

Stop 5

there are more figures lost in the greenery

Stop 6 (next door to 5)

Kaneko on secondary market

Stop7: Back to the Convention  Center, with shipping and crating, around $4-5k...great price by the pound (lots of paintings are sold by the sq inch)

Stop 8 Dinner