Arts, Culture & Entrepreneurship

ACE, GM partner on first annual repainting of "Power to the People" street mural in celebration of Juneteenth

Acclaimed muralist Dr. Hubert Massey will once again join high school students on Juneteenth for an annual repainting of the City’s first street mural “Power to the People.” The west side of Lower Woodward Avenue will be closed on June 19 and 20 for the project one year after its initial unveiling garnered national attention.

The Detroit Office of Arts, Culture and Entrepreneurship project, in partnership again with General Motors (GM), is designed to teach the students about art, about history and about careers in both. GM funding will provide stipends for the artists and offset costs of the project. Additionally, a team of GM designers are hosting a luncheon for the young painters to learn about career paths and discuss their futures in art. “General Motors is proud to again support this inspirational project and the young people who are creating it,” said Terry Rhadigan, GM’s executive director of corporate giving. “Juneteenth commemorates a defining moment in our nation’s history, and we are honored to help preserve this mural, which captures the spirit and heart of the city of Detroit.”

The mural is one of five in the City of Detroit’s Street Murals project. Thanks to the Kresge Foundation, artists and students will paint three more major street murals in the next year.

The project is part of the City’s commemoration of Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, Liberation Day and Emancipation Day celebrating the emancipation of the formerly enslaved in the United States.

Led by the Civil Rights, Inclusion and Opportunity Department and Detroit ACE, the city will host a Citywide Virtual Juneteenth Celebration on June 19 featuring prayer, libations, drums, dance, spoken word and remarks by Mayor Mike Duggan and other elected officials and Kim Rustem, Director of the CRIO Department.

President Abraham Lincoln signed the proclamation to abolish slavery “in the rebellious states” in 1863. Juneteenth honors the day in 1865 that Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas and the last of America’s enslaved were finally freed.

Detroit ACE also is partnering with the Charles Wright Museum of African American History on two events:

• June 16:   A Reading of The Emancipation Proclamation that will be available for viewing at 7PM Friday, June 18 on Channel 22 and on YouTube.
• June 19:   Children and families are invited to participate in the first citywide Juneteenth Treasure Hunt. The hunt will connect participants to the great history of freedom and freedom workers from the City of Detroit. Treasure Hunters will be guided to visit sites around Detroit based on clues provided by the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History. The clues are virtual; the hunt is real. Hunters can find the clues at www.thewright.org. The prize: Knowledge is the Treasure! But Detroit ACE is encouraging youth to write or draw about what they saw. Their treasures will be featured in a virtual exhibition on the ACE website and included in the July Art Undefeated Showcase celebrating artistic excellence all year. The hunt is being co-sponsored by the Wright, Chase Bank and ACE.

How it works:

1. Families go to The Wright Museum's website, thewright.org, to get clues.
2. Families follow the clues to find the historic locations.
3. Kids draw or write about their experiences from The Hunt and send them to Detroit ACE at [email protected]. to become part of a future exhibition and showcase.

Visit detroitmi.gov/crio for details about other CRIO programming. Visit detroitartsandculture.com for details about the Treasure Hunt.

Art Undefeated

The City of Detroit is celebrating our creative community's collective genius in all genres: dance, spoken word, music theatre, film, storytelling, fine arts, comedy and everything else. Our showcase is called Art Undefeated.

If you would like to be included, please send your submission to [email protected]. For videos, they must be in mp4 format (shot horizontally). Artwork and photos should be sent as jpegs. Please include your name, email address and phone number and cost of item or cost to hire. 

The deadline for the Art Undefeated Showcase is June 15. The current April showcase is airing at 7PM nightly on City Channel 22 and online on the City's cable cast. Questions? Ask Rochelle Riley, Director of Arts and Culture at [email protected]. 

DETROIT HISTORIAL SOCIETY SEEKS METRO DETROITERS’ STORIES FOR ORAL HISTORY COLLECTIONS

DETROIT-  As part of its award-winning Detroit 67 Project, the Detroit Historical Society launched an oral history project to collect more than 500 firsthand accounts of the summer of 1967, the largest archive ever assembled on the topic. Now, the Society has expanded its oral history efforts with two ongoing projects:

• For Neighborhoods: Where Detroit Lives, the Society seeks current and former Detroit residents, as well as business owners and employees, to record their experiences in different areas the city. As the city changes, these personal stories will ensure that the character of Detroit’s many enclaves is preserved. The project is supported by Michigan Humanities and PNC Bank.
• For Detroit Responds: Stories from the Time of COVID-19, the Society seeks Metro Detroiters’ firsthand experiences with the current pandemic. Whether confronting social, economic, educational or health challenges, everyone has a story from the past year. Help others to learn more about this moment in history by contributing to the archive. This project is supported by the generosity of Sarah and Chip McClure.

What is an oral history? An oral history is the collection of history through recorded interviews of people with firsthand experiences of events. Every story adds perspective and context to Detroit’s history and none are too “small” to contribute.

Find more information and prompts to guide your submission at oralhistory.detroithistorical.org. Audio recordings or written stories can be sent through the website. Interested participants may also call 313-833-7912 or email [email protected] to schedule a one-on-one interview with an oral historian.