April 9–26, 2015
Opening night: April 9, 5–11pm
Art X Detroit
Midtown, Downtown and Eastern Market
Detroit, Michigan
ArtXDetroit.com
Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / #ArtXDetroit, #AXD2015
This April, Detroit will come alive as the canvas for Art X Detroit: Kresge Arts Experience (AXD), a free celebration of Detroit’s thriving arts scene. In the city’s remarkable collection of galleries and museums throughout Detroit’s Midtown, Downtown and Eastern Market, the public is invited to experience visual art installations, dance, musical and theatrical performances, film screenings, literary readings, workshops, panels and more, featuring the works of the nearly 40 Kresge Eminent Artists and Artist Fellows from 2013 and 2014.
Staged over three weekends (April 9–12, 16–19, 25–26) at nearly 20 venues throughout the city, a special visual arts exhibition will run at Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD) from April 9 to 26. A complete schedule of festival programming is available here.
Detroit’s flourishing arts scene continues to generate excitement nationally and internationally, and the third edition of AXD features Kresge Eminent Artists, Michigan Opera Theatre founder and acclaimed composer David DiChiera (2013 Eminent Artist) and iconic Detroit photographer and educator Bill Rauhauser (2014 Eminent Artist).
Arts enthusiasts will experience works and performances at Detroit cultural institutions including the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD), the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) and Detroit Film Theatre (DFT), and the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, among others. New venues include the Detroit Opera House, the Garden Theater, Cinema Detroit, Salt & Cedar and Trinosophes.
Highlights
Opening night: Thursday, April 9, 5pm–11pm
The opening night of Art X Detroit is a free multi-venue celebration on Thursday, April 9, 5–11pm. The evening will open with a reading and lecture by cultural critic Lynne Tillman and festivities will kick off at 7pm with a cash bar, hors d’ouevres and live DJ mixes at MOCAD and The N’Namdi Center for Contemporary Art. The AXD 2015 visual arts exhibition will open to the public, while AXD artists will present film screenings, live performances and more at DIA Detroit Film Theatre and Detroit Symphony Orchestra Music Box.
Juan Atkins Celebrates 35 Years of Techno
Juan Atkins
Saturday, April 25
Garden Theater
As a producer and musician, Atkins is widely credited as one of the originators of Detroit techno music. This night of music will celebrate Atkins’ 35th anniversary as an electronic musician and the 30th anniversary of his label, MetroPlex Records. Atkins will present his 24-year-old daughter Milan Ariel, an “urban alternative” vocalist who fuses electronic music with hip-hop and R&B. A live music performance with Atkins providing techno sounds along with live musicians will be followed by a dance party. The night will feature a screening of a new short documentary about Atkins and his long history with Detroit techno.
McKinfolk: The New Beginning
Gayelynn McKinney
Sunday, April 26
First Congregational Church, Sanctuary
Grammy-nominated Gayelynn McKinney will bring together internationally renowned jazz greats like 2009 Kresge Eminent Artist Marcus Belgrave, Geri Allen, and Miche Braden to celebrate and perform the music of McKinney’s father, the legendary jazz pianist, composer and teacher Harold McKinney.
World Space Party
Daniel Land
Saturday, April 11
Michigan Science Center, Planetarium and Rocket Ship Area
Detroit’s official entry into the World Space Party—also known as Yuri’s Night, for the April 12, 1961 anniversary of the first man in space—celebrates the past, present, and future of humans working together to defy gravity. Daniel Land’s multimedia exploration of the human reach beyond the Earth is linked to hundreds of nearly simultaneous events spanning all seven continents in dozens of countries. This immersive, educational, all-ages party experience presents cutting-edge narrative visuals, interactive exhibits, themed cocktails, live web-link to events in other cities, and an experimental musical set featuring Audra Kubat.
AXD is presented by The Kresge Foundation and produced by Midtown Detroit, Inc. Supported by Kresge Arts in Detroit, College for Creative Studies, Creative Many and MOCAD.
