Landlord Colors: On Art, Economy, and Materiality

This weekend marks the opening of our landmark exhibition Landlord Colors: On Art, Economy, and Materiality. This large-scale exhibition and public engagement series brings together artworks from five international art scenes that have experienced economic and societal upheaval: Italy (1960s-80s), Korea (1970s-80s), Cuba (1990s-present), Greece (2009-present), Detroit, USA (1967-present). It will be on view at Cranbrook Art Museum from June 22 through October 6, 2019, with a special preview celebration on June 21. 

It is a rare opportunity for metro Detroiters to see seminal historic works from around the world along with new commissions from contemporary artists such as Reynier Leyva Novo, Zoë Paul, Kostis Velonis, Matthew Angelo Harrison, and Scott Hocking. 

In Detroit, Cranbrook Art Museum Senior Curator Laura Mott has partnered with Taylor Renee-Aldridge (co-founder of ARTS.BLACK) and Ryan Myers-Johnson (Executive Director of Sidewalk Detroit) to offer a free four-month engagement series that is designed to connect art to history and contemporary life across Detroit. See the full list of events here.

Join us THIS WEEKEND for the opening events!

Friday, June 21, 2019
ArtMembers Preview Party
6–9pm
Cranbrook Art Museum
Free for ArtMembers, $20 at the door
Meet artists Elizabet Cerviño, Olayami Dabls, Tyree Guyton, Jennifer Harge, Carole Harris, Matthew Angelo Harrison, Patrick Hill, Scott Hocking, Addie Langford, Kylie Lockwood, Billy Mark, Tiff Massey, Allie McGhee, Jason Murphy, Reynier Leyva Novo, Zoë Paul, Susana Pilar, Anders Ruhwald, Chris Schanck, Socratis Socratous, and Elizabeth Youngblood, among others. 
Special performance by Elizabet Cerviño at 7:30pm.

Saturday, June 22, 2019
Material Detroit Events Open to the Public
The full schedule can be found here. Special events include:

Dawn to Dusk: Billy Mark Wind Installation. Mark will create a participatory site-specific installation in his neighborhood of Detroit’s North End, featuring a handmade hoodie with 25-foot arms affixed to three flagpoles. Each morning from June 22–July 28, Mark will raise the arms of the sweatshirts at dawn and lower them at dusk. Visitors are invited to put themselves in the garment. Location: 858 Blaine St., Detroit.

3pm: Susana Pilar Alma (Soul) Performance.* The Havana-based Afro-Cuban artist will present a performance that draws upon a true story from the Detroit 1967 Rebellion. In collaboration with local musicians, Pilar will create a performance that honors the music of The Dramatics, whose founding member, Cleveland Larry Reed, survived the police siege on The Algiers Motel in 1967. Location: 8301 Woodward, Detroit.
*In the event of rain, the performance will be moved to Sunday at 3pm at the same location. Please visit our website and social media channels for the most up-to-date information.

1–6pm: Scott Hocking Bone Black Installation. A monumental installation near Atwater Beach utilizes a collection of the metaphorical ‘bones’ of Detroit’s once prosperous economy – the many boats abandoned throughout the city. Theatrically presented as a suspended fleet, Hocking applies “Bone Black” paint to the boats, an industrial pigment from crushed animal bones that has been produced in Detroit since the 19th century. Location: 900 Guoin St., Detroit (entrance on Guoin between Chene and Joseph Campau).

Noon–4pm: Anders Ruhwald Unit 1: 3583 Dubois Installation. Ruhwald will launch this ongoing project that will occupy an entire apartment in Detroit’s Eastern Market neighborhood. The artist investigates themes of transformation and memory through this installation of black ceramic, charred wood, molten glass, and perceptual environments. Location: Unit 1, 3583 Dubois St., Detroit.

3–6pm: Dabls’ MBAD African Bead Museum. A city-block-sized installation by Olayami Dabls that has been a cultural nexus in Detroit since the late 1990s will celebrate the launch of a new storytelling and exhibition space created in partnership with Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects (LOHA). Speakers will include Olayami Dabls (MBAD), Lorcan O’Herlihy (LOHA), Brittney Hoszkiw (Michigan Economic Development Corp.), and others, as well as a live musical performance by Efe Bes’s group iBm. The Material Detroit curators have organized the debut exhibition by Detroit-based artist Elizabeth Youngblood entitled, mat|ter. Set within the installation’s gallery space, the exhibition will serve as a momentary companion to this longstanding creative pillar. Location: 6559 Grand River Ave., Detroit.