The art community will invade Detroit come April when Art X Detroit: Kresge Arts Experience occupies Midtown for not one … not two … but three weekends.
Starting on April 9 and continuing on weekends through April 26 (April 9-12, 16-19, and 25-26) there will be 10 days of celebration of the Detroit arts. You can attend dance, literary, musical and theatrical performances, film screenings, visual arts installations, workshops, panel discussions and interactive experiences all created by the 2013-2014 Kresge Eminent Artists and Artist Fellows.
The creative outposts will be set up at nearly 20 cultural sites across the city. For the first time the artistic beacons will not be restricted to Midtown, but will also have locations Downtown and in Eastern Market to join the celebration. New venues for this year include the Detroit Opera House, the Garden Theater, Cass City Cinema, Salt & Cedar and Trinosophes, among others.
This is the third edition of the free arts experience. AXD is presented by The Kresge Foundation and produced by Midtown Detroit, Inc.
“Art X Detroit is a unique opportunity to celebrate arts, creativity and community through the work of the Kresge Artist Fellows and Eminent Artists. In cultural hubs along Woodward Avenue from Midtown to downtown and in the unique spaces in between, Art X will show the world – once again – that Detroit is rich in its artists and that this community values the fruits of their craft,” said Rip Rapson, president and CEO of The Kresge Foundation.
Make sure you check out new works and performances at:
- Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD)
- Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) and Detroit Film Theatre (DFT)
- Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History
- The Detroit Symphony Orchestra Music Box
- College for Creative Studies and other venues other venues in Midtown’s Cultural Center
- New to Art X hosting duties are:
- Detroit Opera House
A complete listing of AXD artists and programming will be announced in the coming weeks.
If you miss out on it this year you will have to wait until 2017 for the biennial event. In 2013, however, the cities growing artistic scene was shown off to the thousands in attendance. Take a look at this video from Critic Car to see how people viewed Art X that year.
“We are extremely grateful for The Kresge Foundation’s unprecedented support of the arts in Detroit, which makes experiences such as Art X Detroit possible,” said Sue Mosey, president of Midtown Detroit, Inc. “The expanded festival programming and footprint speaks to the commitment of Kresge to bring the arts to our city and will showcase this cadre of artists, many whom are committed to making a difference within their communities.”
AXD partners include: Kresge Arts in Detroit, College for Creative Studies, Creative Many and MOCAD. Media partners include WDET-FM, FOX 2, Metro Times and ZIPR Magazine.
The art scene in Detroit has staked its claim on the city, and is showing itself to the world. If history is any indicator the people of Motown approve.
For more information, visit www.ArtXDetroit.com or call (313) 420-6000.
Ed. Note: A version of this post originally appeared on DetroitUnspun.