winter / spring 2015 - Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit

WINTER / SPRING 2015
PROGRAMS
+ EVENTS CALENDAR
MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART DETROIT
4454 WOODWARD AVE. DETROIT, MI 48201
www.mocadetroit.org | 313.832.6622
MOBILE HOMESTEAD
Mobile Homestead is a permanent art work by the late
Mike Kelley, located on MOCAD’s grounds. It’s both a
public sculpture and a private, personal architecture—
based on the artist’s childhood home in Westland, a
suburban Detroit neighborhood. MOCAD’s Department
of Education and Public Engagement programs the
ground floor of Mobile Homestead as a community space,
as Kelley intended. It is home to events, gatherings,
conversations, and displays that are created by and for a
diverse public audience.
EXHIBITION
Radical Scavengers: The MOCAD Quilting Bee Project
January 25, 2015 to May 24, 2015
This winter the Mobile Homestead transforms into a
contemporary quilt making workshop. Special guest
artists will share quilting techniques and teach basic
hand stitching to those who are new to the practice. All
levels of quilting experience are welcome. Bring your own
sewing project or help create a new community quilt for
MOCAD and blankets for children in need. Scavenge your
closets for old clothes and fabrics to help stock the scrap
stash, and learn a bit of history about the radical politics
of quilting while you participate. Part of MOCAD’s Art as
Social Force series.
Opening Show and Tell and Tea
Sunday, January 25, 2pm to 5pm
Bring your quilt to show and tell us your story. Learn
new skills and put them into action. Enjoy tea and
conversation with new friends as you learn more about
this historical, creative pastime.
Searching for Telos
Saturdays, from January 10 to February 14, 11am to 1pm
$45 for 6 one-hour sessions
Register/more info at searching4telos@gmail.com
or 313.744.5677
This unique kids program, led by professional educator
Alyson Jones, uses philosophy to spark fun, engaging
conversations with children. Active engagement in
philosophical inquiry sharpens thinking and allows kids to
encounter new ideas. And it helps them decide what they
believe. Various specialized programs are offered for
kids from K-8th grade.
Circuit Bending Workshop
Sunday, February 8, 2pm
Admission: Free
Emphasizing spontaneity and randomness, circuit
bending is the creative, chance-based customization of
the circuits found within electronic devices such as low
voltage, battery-powered guitar effects, children’s toys,
and digital synthesizers. Local noise musician, coffee
entrepreneur, and electronic tinkerer Catherine Engstrom
will lead a circuit bending workshop for beginners in the
Mobile Homestead. Participants are encouraged to bring
a low-voltage, battery powered electronic device to
create a new instrument.
Neighborhood Jam Session
Saturday, February 21, 2pm
Saturday, March 21, 2pm
Admission: Free
The Mobile Homestead continues its series of
neighborhood jam sessions. All ages, levels, and styles
of musicians are invited to bring an instrument and play
music in a free form jam session. Tambourines, shakers
and other noisemakers will be available to those without
an instrument.
Intro to Zen Meditation
Saturday, February 28, Noon
Admission: Free
Still Point Zen Buddhist Temple Guiding Teacher Koho
Vince Anila offers this free introduction to Zen Buddhist
history and practice, along with some basic meditation
instruction that anyone can do. This gathering will be
warm and casual, with plenty of time for questions.
PENNY STAMPS ON THE ROAD
Established with the generous support of University
of Michigan Stamps School alumna Penny Stamps,
the series brings respected emerging and established
artists and designers from a broad spectrum of media
to conduct free public lectures and engage with
students, faculty, and the larger University and regional
communities. MOCAD is honored to host some of their
special guests this season.
CREDITS
Cover Art: Ragnar Kjartansson, The End (2009). Courtesy of the artist,
Luhring Augustine, New York, and i8 Gallery, Reykjavik.
Exhibition programming support is generously provided by the
Taubman Foundation. Additional funding for programming and
educational initiatives is provided by the Edith S. Briskin/Shirley K.
Schlafer Foundation.
MOCAD is supported by the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural
Affairs and the National Endowment for the Arts.
DETROIT CITY funding is provided by the John S. and James L.
Knight Foundation, the Kayne Foundation, Quicken Loans, Jane Suitor,
Scholar Property LTD, Jasmin Tsou, Liz and Jonathan Goldman, and
the Krawiecki Gazes Family.
DETROIT SPEAKS funding is provided by the Community Foundation
for Southeast Michigan. MOCAD Youth Programs are graciously
funded by the General Motors Foundation and the John S. and
James L. Knight Foundation.
OPENING NIGHT
Friday, February 6, 2015
MOCAD Member preview: 6pm to 7pm
Gallery talk at 6:15pm
Public preview: 7pm to 9pm
Music performance by :
Protomartyr + Double Winter beginning at 10pm
(free for MOCAD members;
$10 for non-members after 9pm)
Ragnar Kjartansson: The End
February 6 to March 29, 2015
Ragnar Kjartansson is known for his spectacular,
music-filled performative live installations and video
work. The history of film, music, theatre, visual culture,
and literature finds its way into his videos, durational
performances, drawings, and paintings. Filmed in Banff,
Alberta, The End is a five-channel video installation
synched together as a country music arrangement in the
key of G. Produced with the support of The Banff Centre
for the Icelandic Pavilion at the 53rd Venice Biennale,
the piece was developed by Kjartansson in collaboration
with Icelandic musician Davíð Þór Jónsson. Kjartansson
studied at the Iceland Academy of the Arts. He was born
in 1976 in Reykjavík, where he still lives and works today.
MOCAD presents The End as the beginning of a two-year
partnership with Ragnar Kjartansson. In February of
2016 MOCAD will present a newly commissioned work.
This exhibition has been organized by the Museum of
Contemporary Art Detroit and is curated by MOCAD
Executive Director Elysia Borowy-Reeder and MOCAD
Guest Curator Jens Hoffmann.
MOCAD presents The End as the beginning of a
partnership with Ragnar Kjartansson. In February of 2016
MOCAD will present a newly commissioned work.
DETROIT CITY
Detroit Affinities: Jamian Juliano-Villani
February 6 – March 29, 2015
Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit presents
DETROIT CITY, a multiyear program of exhibitions, talks,
publications, and educational initiatives investigating
Detroit’s current artistic, political, cultural, and economic
realities, and what Detroit has in common with other
cities and regions around the globe. Detroit Affinities is
organized by the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit
and curated by Special Curator at Large Jens Hoffmann.
The second segment in the Detroit Affinities series
will spotlight the work of New York artist Jamian JulianoVillani, marking her first solo museum exhibition. JulianoVillani creates expansive, chaotic scenes painted in a
bright, intense palette. Her work is informed by a wide
range of sources, including modernist abstract painting,
Japanese pen and ink drawings, and 1930s and 1980s
American cartoons, including Ralph Bakshi’s curvaceous
women. She was born in 1987 in Newark, New Jersey and
currently lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.
DETROIT CITY runs from September 12, 2014 until
January 7, 2018.
EXHIBITION TALK
Jamian Juliano-Villani
in conversation with Jens Hoffmann
Saturday, February 7, 1pm
Admission: Free
READING
Luc Sante
Wednesday, February 4, 7pm
Admission: Free
Writer and cultural critic Luc Sante has been praised by
The New York Times Book Review as having “a talent
for the striking, impressionistic insight and the ability to
write transcendental prose.” Sante reveals fascinating
secret histories in a rich, anecdotal style, which has
led New Yorker art critic Peter Schjeldahl to exclaim
that Sante is “one of the handful of living masters of
the American language, as well as a singular historian
and philosopher of American experience.” Sante is the
author of the books Lowlife: Lures and Snares of Old
New York, Kill All Your Darlings: Pieces 1990-2005, and
Folk Photography: the American Real Photo Postcard,
1905-1930. At MOCAD, Sante reads from his essays and
creative nonfiction. Please also join us at Cranbrook Art
Museum’s deSalle Auditorium at 7pm on Tuesday, Feb. 3
for Sante’s presentation on vernacular photography.
DETROIT STAGES
Matthew Daher: EP release performance
Friday, February 13, 8pm
Admission: $5 (free for members)
Dwelling Lightheartedly in the Futility of Everything is
the latest release from Detroit drummer/composer/
producer Matthew Daher. The culmination of 4 years of
explorations in groove-driven songwriting, with studio
production guided by electroacoustic gesture and
manipulation, Dwelling weaves ambient, noise, and postrock sensibilities into cerebral and emotive compositions
inspired by artists such as Georgia Anne Muldrow, J
Dilla, and Björk. Developed around the music of the
release, this evening’s multimedia performance features
Detroit video and movement artists and explores
themes addressed in the compositions: infinite regress,
meditation, chronic anxiety, and the volatility of romantic
emotional entanglement.
PENNY STAMPS ON THE ROAD /
ART AS SOCIAL FORCE TALK
Jose Miguel Sokoloff
Friday, February 20, 7pm
Admission: Free
President of Lowe and Partners Global Creative Council,
ad executive Jose Miguel Sokoloff has led a multiyear, award-winning marketing campaign on behalf of
Colombia’s Ministry of Defense against the guerrilla war
in Colombia, persuading guerrilla fighters to demoblize.
He passionately believes in using creative thinking and
innovation, interactive campaign strategy, and powerful
storytelling to one bring an end to a war he has lived all
his life. Sokoloff remains dedicated to being a part of
the evolving peace process in his homeland. He is the
recipient of the prestigious Titanium Lion, a UK IPA
Effectiveness Grand Prix, a Jay Chiat Grand Prix, and an
El Ojo Grand Prix. His agency, Lowe SSP3, was awarded
Advertising Age’s International Agency of the Year, 2013.
LECTURE
DETROIT SPEAKS
Saturday, February 21, 1pm
Admission: Free
Jeffrey Abt, Professor of Art and Art History at Wayne
State University, discusses the origins of Detroit’s
contemporary art world as reflected by area museums
and institutions.
DEPE SPACE RESIDENCY
ART AS SOCIAL FORCE
DEPE Space is the Department of Education and Public
Engagement’s residency program for creative and
spirited individuals working on learning and visitor
engagement projects. The residency length ranges from
one week to one month and often ties conceptually to
MOCAD’s exhibition programming.
Inspired by Mike Kelley’s Mobile Homestead and the
People’s Biennial, MOCAD has embarked on a multiyear examination of artists who seek to establish
participatory and socially transformative art. Known
primarily as social practice, its practitioners freely
blur the lines among art making, performance, political
activism, community organizing, environmentalism,
and investigative journalism, creating a deeply
participatory art that often flourishes outside the
gallery and museum system.
DEPE Space Exhibition
Natural Life by Tirtza Even
February 6 to March 29
Natural Life, an experimental video installation, will
immerse visitors in the experience of over 2,500
prisoners in the United States who are serving mandatory
life sentences for crimes committed when they were
minors. Focusing on the extreme case of Michigan’s legal
system, Natural Life portrays the ripple effect that the
juvenile justice system’s imbalance has had on the lives
not only of the incarcerated youth and the victims of their
crime, but on family members, law enforcement, legal
officials and the community at large.
DEPE Space Panel Discussions
Thursday, February 26, 7pm
Saturday, March 28, 7pm
Despite a global consensus that children cannot be
held to the same standards of responsibility as adults
and recognition that children are entitled to special
protection and treatment, the United States is the only
country in the world that allows life without parole
sentencing for youth. A panel of experts will explore the
juvenile life without parole issue and consider current
reform legislation in Michigan.
MEMBERSHIP
The best way to experience MOCAD is by becoming
a member. Stay involved, show your support, and
get special access to the latest exhibitions. Join at
the door and get in free with a friend. Plus get a free
MOCAD t-shirt.
MUSIC
Cakes Da Killa wsg Uniiqu3 and Miz Korona
Sunday, February 22, 8pm
Admission: $10 ($5 for members)
Born Rashard Bradshaw, Cakes Da Killa is a 24-year-old
hip hop artist. As an openly gay man, he’s not your run- ofthe-mill rapper. But he just might be your new favorite.
Cakes Da Killa steps on the scene with a fresh look, sound,
and indisputable lyrics that match a big personality.
Prolific and ambitious at an early age, he’s becoming a
hot commodity on the music scene and club circuit. He’s
been compared to Lil’ Kim due to his wild raunchiness.
His risqué lyrics, rebellious attitude, and throwback ’90s
beats have made him a big hit. Cakes fuses NYC ballroom
culture, hardcore hip hop, and raw vocal talent into an
infectious witches brew. Cakes’ witty word play has made
him the MC to look out for right now.
HAPPENING
Oliver Payne’s Chill Out
Thursday, March 5, 8pm
Admission: Free
No phones, no photography, no talking, no late entry, no
ins and outs. Bring a blanket and pillow, turn on, switch
off, and listen to Chill Out by the KLF. Performance begins
at 9pm sharp. Oliver Payne (b. 1977) has been hailed
by Artforum as “one of the great kids of the post-YBA
moment.“ He and longtime collaborator Nick Relphs won
the Golden Lion award for best artists under 35 at the
2003 Venice Biennale.
FILM
Projection Instructions
Saturday, March 7, 8pm
Admission: $5 (free for members)
MOCAD, Mothlight Microcinema and the Film-Makers’
Cooperative present an evening of seminal and rarelyscreened avant garde cinema. Each of the films shown
requires that the presenter follow special instructions
to screen them properly. Multiple projections, superimpositions, unconventional angles, external sound, light,
and actions: this will be a rare opportunity to see these
experimental classics of expanded cinema the way you
are supposed to. Featuring work by Storm de Hirsch, Ken
Jacobs, Malcolm LeGrice, Rose Lowder, and Paul Sharits.
PENNY STAMPS ON THE ROAD
Casey Reas
Friday, March 13, 7pm
Admission: Free
Casey Reas writes software to explore conditional
systems as art. Using emergent networks and layered
instructions, he has created a unique area of visual
experience that builds upon concrete art, conceptual art,
experimental animation, and drawing. While dynamic,
generative software remains his core medium, work in
variable media (including prints, objects, installations, and
performances) materializes from his visual systems.
OPEN DRAWING SESSION + ARTIST TALK
MOCAD and Green Brain Comics present
the 6th Annual Comic Jam
with guest artist Phoebe Gloeckner
Saturday, March 14, 5pm to 8pm
Admission: Free
All are welcome to jam! Participants create spontaneous,
improvised, collaborative comics and free-form drawings
with each other. Following the jam session, acclaimed
graphic novelist Phoebe Gloeckner will talk about her art
and career. Her book, The Diary of a Teenage Girl (2002),
was praised as “one of the most brutally honest, shocking,
tender, beautiful portrayals of growing up female in
America.” R. Crumb called her story Minnie’s Third
Love one of the “comic book masterpieces of all time.”
Gloeckner continues to experiment with technology
and the form of the novel. She is striving to create an
electronic “multi-touch” book offering a seamless reading
experience, a work that feels to be of one piece rather
than an “enhanced” novel with multi-media annotations
and side matter. Gloeckner is an assistant professor in
the Penny W. Stamps School of Art and Design at the
University of Michigan.
MOCAD YOUTH PROGRAMS
FILM
February 7, March 21, May 9, Noon to 3:30pm
Admission: Free
RSVP: Tylonn Sawyer, Youth Program Producer,
tsawyer@mocoadetroit.org
As part of our OPEN STUDIOS, MOCAD offers free
monthly workshops for teens looking to enhance their
artistic skills in a variety areas: drawing, painting,
sculpting, digital design, automotive design, fashion
illustration, music production, creative writing etc.
All supplies and snacks provided by MOCAD.
MOCAD and Freep Film Festival present
The Jitterbugs: Pioneers of the Jit
with Detroit Overture
Friday, March 20, 8pm
Admission: $10 ($9 for students, seniors, and members)
The origins of the distinctive Detroit dance known as
the Jit are explored in The Jitterbugs: Pioneers of the Jit
(2014), a feature-length documentary by dancer-director
Haleem “Stringz” Rasul. Elements of street dancing,
Motown, acrobatics, and hip-hop meld in this quickmoving form, birthed in the late ‘70s by Detroit’s McGhee
brothers, who led a dance group known as the Jitterbugs.
The film shows the McGhees’ rise and struggles—and
how their influence continues to resonate. Preceded by
Vienna-based filmmaker Lisa Kortschak’s short, Detroit
Overture (2015). For more info about these films and
the entire Freep Film Festival (March 19 to 22), go to
freepfilmfestival.com.
FAMILY DAY EXTRAVAGANZA
Make a Magical Stuffed Animal
with Melissa Dettloff
Sunday, March 22, Noon to 4pm
Admission: Free
Let your child’s imagination run wild! MOCAD’s Family
Day Extravaganza features craft making, live music,
tasty snacks and lots of family fun. Detroit artist Melissa
Dettloff leads an inspiring workshop, where kids and
parents alike are invited to create a personalized stuffed
animal pet. Dig deep into your imagination to create a
brand new creature of your own invention.
EXHIBITION
Art X Detroit 2015: Kresge Arts Experience
April 8 to April 26, 2015
Admission: Free
Art X Detroit: Kresge Arts Experience is a five-day
multidisciplinary celebration that presents works
created by the 2013-2014 Kresge Eminent Artists and
Artist Fellows, along with a special visual arts exhibition
at MOCAD that runs through April 26, 2015. An exciting
program of dance and musical performances, literary
readings, workshops, panel discussions, public art
and special exhibitions, Art X Detroit will be hosted at
more than a dozen venues located throughout Midtown
Detroit’s Cultural Center and is free to the public. The Art
X Detroit: Kresge Arts Experience is sponsored by The
Kresge Foundation, in partnership with the College for
Creative Studies, Artserve Michigan, Midtown Detroit,
Inc. and MOCAD. For more information visit
www.artxdetroit.com.
POP-UP BOUTIQUE
CAFÉ 78
Today Clothing at the MOCAD Store
Café 78, located inside MOCAD, is a bar and café
created by Dave Kwiatkowski and Marc Djozlija of
Wright & Company. Come early for Anthology coffee
and Zingerman’s pastries, or have lunch starting at 11am.
Featuring seasonal sandwiches like a pea meal bacon
slider with honey mustard sauce or a gulf shrimp roll
with herb mayonnaise and tomato glaze. After work,
their mixologists (all trained at The Sugar House) will be
ready for your happy hour needs with a full selection of
cocktails, beers and wines. The kitchen is open all night,
and the initial hours of operation will be:
February 18 through 22
Shopping reception: Thursday February 19, 6pm
Today Clothing, located in Ann Arbor, temporarily
moves a selection of their stock to create a pop-up
store at MOCAD. Founded by Eric Hardin and Kevin
Pearson, Today Clothing works with over 40 brands
to bring unique styles that reflect their years of
experience in retail, and their passion for quality
clothing, shoes, and accessories. Choose from a
curated selection of men’s clothing, footwear and
accessories from local and global designers. This popup will also feature special MOCAD and Today items
created exclusively for the event.
Please join MOCAD and Today Clothing on Thursday,
February 19, starting at 6pm, to celebrate the
partnership with cocktails and music to accompany
your shopping.
VDROME
Vdrome is an online platform that offers regular, high
quality screenings of films and videos directed by
visual artists and filmmakers, whose production lies inbetween contemporary art and cinema. Each screening
is presented during a limited period of time. Vdrome is
on view at MOCAD and online. The program is organized
by Edoardo Bonaspetti, Jens Hoffmann, Andrea Lissoni,
and Filipa Ramos.
TEEN COUNCIL EXHIBITION
The Young People’s Biennial
January 9 – January 25, 2015
In keeping with the collaborative spirit of the People’s
Biennial, the Teen Council will present an exhibition
of art produced while under the tutelage of artistic
mentors. Each teen council member is paired with a
creative professional, who through workshops, talks, and
individual critiques, helped to guide the creation of the
work in this exhibition.
TEEN ART WORKSHOPS
MOCAD TEEN NIGHTS
These fun multidisciplinary art events are designed
and hosted by MOCAD’s Teen Council, a select group
of young creatives from the metro Detroit area who
come together to plan, and with the guidance of museum
professionals, produce programming for youth and adults
here at the MOCAD.
Nick/Disney Throwback Night
Friday, January 23, 6 to 9pm
Admission: Free
Nostalgia ultra! Teens take a trip back in time for this
throwback evening of your favorite tv shows. Games,
prizes, snacks, and more, all courtesy of the MOCAD
Teen Council.
Midnight MOCAD: Teen Lock-In
Friday, March 27, 8pm to 9pm
Admission: Free
High school students ages 13 to 17 are invited to join us
for this all-night avant garde teen lock-in presented by
MOCAD’s Teen Council. Trivia, prizes, art making, video
games, movies, and more! Bring a sleeping bag, pillow,
toothbrush, tooth paste, activewear, sleepover sweats,
and a friend! Morning breakfast served. Pre-registration
required.
5th Annual Kids-TALK Poetry Slam
Thursday, April 23, 4pm to 7pm
Admission: Free
The Children’s Center presents the 5th annual Kids-Talk
Poetry Slam. Join us for a night of music, complimentary
food and beverages, poetry, and great people. This fun
lyrical competition shows off Detroit’s best and brightest
young poets.
Cinco De Mayo Celebration
Friday, May 8, 6pm to 9pm
Admission: Free
Join us as the teen council honors the Mexican-American
tradition of Cinco De Mayo, MOCAD Style! It may be
three days later, but it’s never too late to celebrate.
Traditional Mexican music, food, and art making
influenced by Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera.
MOCAD Youth programs are graciously funded by the General
Motors Foundation and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
MOCAD’s youth programs are overseen by Youth Program Producer
Tylonn J. Sawyer
Tuesday: Thursday 8am – 8pm
Friday: 8am – 10pm
Saturday: 10am – 10pm
Sunday: 10am – 5pm
Monday: Closed
THIRD THURSDAYS
Psychological Services
February 19, March 19, and April 16, 6pm to 9pm
Over 30 Detroit art galleries, boutiques, and cafés stay
open late with special programs and activities on the
third Thursday of every month. Make MOCAD a part of
your regimen and take part in Psychological Services, a
program stocked with craft cocktails, music to elevate
your mood and staffed with therapists, artists and
bartenders waiting to talk to you. Take advantage of
the free parking at MOCAD and use the museum as a
launching point or as the final destination as you make the
rounds through all that is on offer during Third Thursdays.
MOCAD Teen Council 2014 – 2015
MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART DETROIT
WINTER / SPRING 2015 HIGHLIGHTS:
OPENING MUSIC: FRI 2/6 7pm
ARTIST TALK: SAT 2/7 1pm
WORKSHOP: SUN 2/8 2pm
Protomartyr with Double Winter
Jamian Julliano-Villani
Circuit Bending with Catherine Engstrom
MUSIC: SUN 2/22 8pm
HAPPENING: THU 3/5 8pm
Matthew Daher
Cakes Da Killa with DJ Uniiqu3
and Miz Korona
Oliver Payne’s Chill Out
FILM: SAT 3/7 8pm
PENNY STAMPS ON THE ROAD: FRI 3/13 7pm
DRAWING EVENT + ARTIST TALK: SAT 3/14 5pm
Projection Instructions
Casey Reas
Comic Jam VI with guest artist
Phoebe Gloeckner
FILM: FRI 3/20 8pm
FAMILY DAY: SUN 3/22 Noon to 4pm
EXHIBITION: WED 4/8 to SUN 4/26
MOCAD and Freep Film Festival present
The Jitterbugs: Pioneers of the Jit
Magic Stuffed Animals with
Melissa Dettloff
Art X Detroit: Kresge Art Experience
DETROIT STAGES: FRI 2/13 8pm
M o bile H o m e stea d H o ur s
Friday, S a t ur day, + S un day : 11A M t o 5 P M
M u seum H o ur s
Wedn esday, S a t ur day, + S un day : 11A M t o 5 P M
T h ur sday + Friday : 11A M t o 8 P M
closed M o n day + Tu esday