Give back to the community and support the Ruth Ellis Center in Detroit.

The James Pearson Duffy Department of Art and Art History is pleased to present IN THE AIR: VOICES FROM DETROIT AND BEYOND, September 2020 through April 2021. The series includes works created by local and national artists in response to the global pandemic and racial injustice, featured on a billboard, located at the corner of S. Woodward and E. Canfield, Detroit. A total of eight solo-presentations, each one month in duration, will be on view beginning September 15, 2020.

Through utter shock, through grief, through disgust, through fear, through ANGER, through heartbreak -- through it all, we work. Through this chaos, we work. For our families, our communities, our sanctuaries, we work. Through exhaustion, we work. Through a pandemic, we are working.

The paintings by Marcia Freedman and Ani Garabedian in Figuratively Dreamingpresent a current interpretation and exploration of a genre that is versed and familiar but still evolving. Abstract painting rose from a multi-century evolution that moved away from the realistic religion-based storytelling of the Italian Renaissance through the French Impressionists and on to schools of thought like Dada.

The program Brushes With Cancer pairs patients with artists whose works make visible a disease that can be invisible and isolating.

The Uptown Triennial 2020 exhibition, the second iteration in the series, presents the work of contemporary artists in dialogue with the Harlem Renaissance, a defining moment in American modernism and African-American cultural history, during its centennial year.

“The Girl with the D Earring” by Detroit artist Sydney G. James will adorn the western wall of the Chroma building, located at 2937 E. Grand Blvd. The art is a modern Detroit take on Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer’s “Girl With a Pearl Earring,” deemed the most beautiful painting in the Netherlands.

Follow along with Roy Feldman and Chris Schneider as they go on a photographic exploration of the Midwest and Plains States. They will be posting Polaroid photographs taken along the way on our Instagram account. Search the hashtag #RibbonofHighway to view them all.

From Detour Detroit

“We need an ever-present reminder that we do not accept this shit at all”

Sydney G. James’ art is a call to action: to see Blackness — especially Black women; to remember that Black people too are free; and to know that Black lives are complex, resplendent and worthy.

The mid-late 70’s and 80’s in Detroit were golden, amazing. Music was fun, important to our lives. Our crew was 12-15 people, always showing up together, we were the party. Between us, we shared a great deal of talent and love, along with a fierce sense of respect and loyalty toward each other. 40 plus years later, we are still close friends, although many of us are no longer on this side.