Friday, August 21, 2009

Sigh, The End of Summer

The last show of the summer is here, and its going to be a

MAGICAL EVENING
Wednesday August 26
7-9pm (sundown)



7pm
MGM
MGM, or Modern Garage Movement, is the collaborative endeavor between Felicia Ballos, Biba Bell, Jmlly Leary, and Robert McNeil. The project uses dance and music to explore the relationships between disappearance, endurance and metamorphosis. MGM is a group of dancers that tour across the country like a rock n roll band with a cowboy attitude, performing in garages, yards and galleries. This performance is the last hurrah of their August residency in Detroit, so don't miss it!

Sunset Performance
INCA ORE
Inca Ore is the music project born to Eva Salens on her 25th birthday. She cites birthdays as a creative inspiration, as well as her neighbors in Oakland, CA which include preteen sisters, the mentally ill, Vietnamese families with a penchant for karaoke, and even a clairvoyant bad witch. her muses give an insight to her music existing as a "weave of oddities", and she describes her songs as "guided by ideas of gospel and centered around emotional and spiritual themes but playfully boogie with goofy touches and punctures of highness."

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Neighbors

Please check out this article about my neighbors, the Kings! Howard King is The Lot's landscaper, neighbor, and friend. The website is http://www.detroitblog.org/ and look for the header "Animal Farm" August 5, 2009

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Lost in Lights Seeking Encore


What a great show. The Lot was happy to be right where it was, in an evening of being in the moment and watching stellar performances. I only wish blogs came with audio.









Thursday, August 13, 2009

Lost in Lights

AUGUST 14 8-10pm
Friday Evening! Let's sit in the grass. Well, let's put down mats in the grass and sit on those. These two performances are going to feel good, i just know it.

Regression at 9pm! or as soon as it gets dark enough to see video projections!


Regression is an audio/visual experience masterminded by Detroit artists/musicians Alivia Zivich, Nate Young, and Mike Collino. Zivich and Young also work under the moniker Demons with Steve Kenney, and run an art and music label in Detroit, AA Records. Collino plays haunting violin in his solo project DOG LADY. Zivich is the video genius, crafting beautiful and hypnotic visual fields out of the sonic frequencies made by Young (who also performs in the band Wolf Eyes) while Collino adds his damaged melodies. The video and the music happen live, and experiencing the union will make you a better person.


Peaking Lights at 8pm!
Messed up Pop Music from Madison, WI
Rare sighting of these mystical creatures that live in rocks


Peaking Lights (Madison, WI) are a married couple that make self-described f*cked modern pop music. Reviews of their music often cite their marital bliss as the reference point for “sparks of warm fuzz” and “delicate psychedelia”. Making their own synthesizers and employing lo-fi recording techniques, Aaron Coyes and Indra Dunis work in that magical land where art and music become one. The duo practice and record in a barn on the outskirts of town designed by a Frank Lloyd Wright disciple, and they run an eclectic resale store called the Good Style Shop that also serves as a spot for live music in downtown Madison. Let the sounds shower us with our own happiness.

Monday, August 10, 2009

Neo Country Heat Wave washes over Frog Mountain!

The rain brought the heat in full effect on Sunday, but we were ready for it. We had a snow tipped mountain and a big scoop of stroh's ice cream brought by the artists: Davin Brainard and Chris Kerr. Coincidentally my neighbors were having their own party, a fire hydrant water party! The parties quickly became one as The Lot patrons ran through the water finding relief from the heat and the kids discovered the art show, playing putt-putt and eating lemons out of the punch. It was lovely.
"1,000 Frogs" by Davin Brainard is a 20ft mountain of a painting, constructed entirely on site with the help of Michael Kearns. It is truly a sight to behold, rivaling the neon lights of the Motor City Casino just blocks away. Frog Mountain challenges us in a mysterious way, but the secret of Frog Mountain is in the frogs. Playing, pointing, napping and showing off their behinds, the frogs show us the world we want to be in. Brainard will be adding more and more frogs the month of August, so keep your eyes posted for more!

Chris Kerr and DeeDee Scacci came from Chicago with a truck full of love and an astounding array of lawn art. An impressive 9 hole putt putt course featured bridges over sand, a Michigan lake with lillypads and my favorite, a Better Made HOT chip bag complete with some leftover chips on the grass! Cut-outs of muscle cars, ice cream cones and the Original Vernors Leprechan brought us to our senses. We didn't know it before, but this is Neo Country, and The Lot is a city in that beautiful land.








Saturday, August 8, 2009

Frog Mountain in a Neo Country RESCHEDULED FOR SUNDAY!!! 3PM-6PM!!!

Well, you can't stop the rain. It's good for many many things, but art openings in empty lots is not one of them.

But we won't cry about it, we just moved the the opening party for
"Frog Mountain in a Neo Country" to tomorrow!

SUNDAY August 9 from 3PM-6PM!!

It's going to be even more fun tomorrow!

Davin Brainard and Chris Kerr have really outdone themselves this time.
The artwork is astounding!
Seeing is believing in regards to Davin's mountain of a painting entitled "1,000 Frogs"
and lawn games abound with Chris Kerr, including an entire 9 hole putt-putt featuring Detroit icons like Better Made potato chips and Ford VS Chevy!

The smiles and photo opportunities are going to be in full effect.
Be ready.

See you tomorrow!!!

Sunday, August 2, 2009

Frog Mountain in a Neo Country

The Lot is jaminating like a bass player in a sweet qualude pop band, and the next show is like another scoop of mint chocolate chip ice cream on a big ole sugar cone.
That means Good.

The show is called "Frog Mountain in a Neo Country" and features two artists and their sculptural paintings and painterly sculptures. Both artists are making site-specific (and weather-proof) artworks that will be installed for the month of August, taking advantage of The Lot's unique position as a combination of a gallery and a Public Art Site.

The opening is Saturday August 8!
From 6-9pm!
Lawn Games!
Fun!
Music!

Here is some more information about the artists:

Davin Brainard
Davin Brainard’s work spreads across the genres of painting, sculpture, noise music, performance, and video. His images include clouds, tanks, and unicorns, and possess a magically mischievous quality. Brainard is a core member of the collective Time Stereo and is the gallery director of Detroit’s UFO Factory. He performs in the noise band project Princess Dragonmom, which brings unicorns and swords across the globe.
In this exhibition, Brainard gives us a 20 foot tall painting entitled "1,000 FROGS".



Chris Kerr
Chris Kerr is a painter and sculptor in Chicago, IL and is the originator of the art movement Neo Country: “exploring the connection between illiteracy and text based art.” His work rotates between immediate drawings/paintings and intricate sculptural scenes that include snowy ski-lift backdrops, forests, and strip-clubs. Kerr teaches at Columbia College in Chicago and the
Ox-Bow School of Art and Artist Residencies in Saugatuck, MI. In this exhibition, Kerr brings us his selection of Detroit icons in the form of lawn games.