The Colorful Artist Village in Detroit

I had the opportunity to spend a little time at the Artist Village while working with Motor City Blight Busters this weekend.  The Artist Village first entered my radar when I heard the art director and founder of Public Art Workz (P.A.W.Z.), Chazz Miller, speak at TEDxDetroit last year.

From their website:

The mission of Artist Village and Public Art Workz (P.A.W.Z.) is to create bold, innovative community redevelopment projects that use the arts, culture, creativity and innovation, as a catalyst for reinventing and revitalizing the communities of Old Redford and Northwest Detroit, Michigan, into a multi discipline, arts, education, entertainment and cultural community.

This place is pretty damn cool and I can’t wait to check it out more thoroughly and explore the murals of Chazz Miller.

For now, I’ll just share this small glimpse of the fabulousness that is the Artist Village with you.

Freeze & Walk with The Friendship Circle

I had seen the purple Friendship Circle logo magnets on cars all over metro Detroit. But what does it mean? What is the Friendship Circle? Earlier this summer I had the opportunity to explore their facilities in West Bloomfield and learn about this amazing organization.

Founded in 1994, The Friendship Circle provides assistance and support to the families of children with special needs. Most of the work they do is in the innovative Ferber Kaufman LifeTown. The activity wing at LifeTown and the Weinberg Village are quite special.

The Activity Wing in LifeTown is comprised of 8 unique rooms. The Gross Motor Room is a place where the kids can have a ball, literally. The room has padded walls, hanging swings, a rock climbing wall, and, of course, various sized balls. The Water Room is fully tiled with sprinklers and showerheads throughout. No need to worry in here, make a mess and everything will just wash right off.

Other rooms include a music & dance room, computer room, art room, and a multi-sensory room.

Weinberg Village is a 5,000 square foot mini-town with a bank, movie theater, library, drug store, doctor’s office, and a pet store with real live pets! The children learn real life skills in Weinberg Village; they can take real money out of the bank and spend it in the Village any way they choose. There are working traffic lights and you WILL get a ticket if you cross on a red light.

During our visit, co-founder Bassie Shem Tov had us engage in “disability awareness.” We were each handed a disability and told to walk around the Village, performing different tasks. Just like the kids, we got to take real money out of the bank and spend it at the Village shops.

I was given a speech disability; I couldn’t speak at all but could use a communication board and picture cards to communicate. My husband had a cognitive disability; this meant he could only use words with an odd number of letters. This slowed him down a bit, you have to think and count before you speak. This was a powerful exercise; you don’t realize how much you take for granted. Basic communication is an every day struggle for many.

Friendship Circle of Michigan now serves over 250 families and 2,500 students in metro Detroit visit Weinberg Village each year. There are now Friendship Circles in over 80 locations in 22 states and 7 countries.

To create awareness and support for their largest fundraising event, Walk4Friendship, Friendship Circle is inviting everyone in the community to join in a flash-mob freeze on August 18^th at 5:00 p.m. at the Somerset Collection in Troy. They are hoping over 1000 people will participate.

Learn more about Freeze4Friendship, Walk4Friendship, The Friendship Circle, and how to volunteer.

Seriously, The Friendship Circle is pretty awesome. Check it out and get involved.

Detroit Moxie's Weekend Roundup

The Weekend Roundup is where I tell you about the cool things to do and events in Detroit, right? Well, this week I’m intentionally leaving something off.

Kid Rock is playing at DTE Energy Music Theatre all weekend and it’s not making the weekend roundup. Why? Well, I was stupid and didn’t buy tickets.

So, yes, I’m bitter.

I hope all you smart people who bought tickets when they went on sale have a great time.

Photo Credit: Ceedub13 on Flickr

Weekend Roundup

1. 2010 Dancin' On The Street (D.O.T.S.) Festival - This free festival on Heidelberg Street celebrates Detroit's diversity in music and dance. Have you ever wanted to dance Michael Jackson's Thriller down the streets of Detroit? This is your chance! Zone Dance Center will lead all festival-goers in a group dance at 7:30 p.m. August 14th.

2. World Tournament of Historic Baseball - Head out to Greenfield Village and transport yourself back to 1867 while watching 16 vintage baseball teams play by the early rules of the game. There can only be one champion! August 14-15.

3. Robocop at the Russell Industrial Center - The 2010 Rolling Roadshow Tour comes to Detroit and offers free screenings of famous movies in the famous locations that they were shot or set. August 14th.

4. Down on Main Street Car Show - More than 500 custom cars, trucks, and motorcycles will be on display on Main Street in Clawson. August 14th.

5. India Day - Michigan's largest Asian Indian event is filled with the tastes, sounds, and sights of India. The free festival at Rock Financial Show Place will feature live music, dance, and food. August 15th.

There are also two great benefits this weekend!

• Angelina Italian Bistro is hosting a dinner and screening of Grown in Detroit benefiting the Catherine Ferguson Academy Farm. Tickets are limited and include dinner and the movie, call for reservations. August 12^th.

• The Motor City Brass Band is performing a benefit concert for Michigan Youth Leadership (MYLead) in Northville. August 14^th.

And if all that isn’t enough… There is still time to get your hands dirty and take part in the Blood, Sweat and Gear campaign with Motor City Connect and Motor City Blight Busters. Now through August 14^th.

Do you know of a great event going on in Metro Detroit this weekend? Add it to the comments and share it with us!

Storytelling with a Twist at The Moth

Stories. We all have them. From the embarrassing to the almost-going-to-wet-yourself hysterical, the somber yarns and the poignant narrative, they make up our personal history. The Moth StorySLAMS is where these stories go to come alive. Or, die a very painful death.

Hosted by Alex Trajano and WDET, the StorySLAMS take place at Cliff Bell’s on the first Thursday of every month. There is a new theme every month and the stories must fit the theme.

The theme for August was “heat.” I didn’t have a good “heat” story. Well, except for the fact that when I was a kid my parents didn’t wash my mouth out with soap when I talked back or said a bad word like normal parents. No, I got a tablespoon of Tabasco sauce on the tongue. Did I mention I don’t like spicy food?

I’m really bummed that I missed the night when “scar” was the theme. I have a great scar story!

How does it work?

If you’re brave enough to tell your own story, you simply throw your name into the bag and wait. If you’re a chicken like me you just sit back and enjoy the evening. You can also anonymously write down your (very short) story and Alex might read it during the evening.

Ten people are chosen randomly to tell their story and they are judged immediately by three groups of judges in the audience.  The storytellers don’t know in advance if they will be chosen. After each story is told, the next person is picked out of the bag. Such tension and anticipation for those who threw their names in the bag!

One of the bartenders at Cliff Bell’s was the first person chosen. She told a rollicking good tale about the dangers of flirting in the vicinity of Southern Comfort and candles.

Two stories really stood out from the crowd. A very small, young woman told her strange story of being struck by lightening and being in a plane that caught fire in the same week.

Also, a man told his take on working in the heat of the Pittsburgh steel mills in 1970, the summer after he graduated high school. His boss and coworkers were horrible to him and it wasn’t until the end of the summer that he found out he was set up by his dad. They were purposely being awful to him so he wouldn’t change his mind about going to college.

Robin Givhan, a native Detroiter who is now the fashion editor of The Washington Post, was also in the house and talked about going to the White House to meet First Lady Michelle Obama in the inferno that is the summer in Washington D.C. As she was leaving, she realized she had a huge sweat stain on her backside.

The guy who won? Meh. It sounded like an internet story that gets passed around forever.

If you're desperate to tell your story or if you're just looking for something different to do, head to Cliff Bell’s for The Moth StorySLAMS.

What you should know:

• Get there early unless you want to stand in line or be turned away!

• It was Standing Room Only when we were there and we were packed in like sardines. If you don’t like crowds this isn’t the place you want to be.

• Cover is $5 and their brand new happy hour menu isn’t served when The Moth is there.

• Upcoming themes: September is “backfired,” October is “near death,” and November is “secrets.”

• There is a GrandSLAM SLAMoff featuring the last 10 winners at The Gem Theatre on September 23^rd.

Detroit Moxie's Weekend Roundup

I spend a lot of time on the internet, sometimes too much time. Recently, I came across this little tidbit from dumblaws.com:

It is illegal to let your pig run free in Detroit unless it has a ring in its nose.

Hipster pigs? Really? I feel so out of touch with the pigs.

Photo from Flickr: www.worldislandinfo.com

Weekend Roundup

1. St. Andrew's Society 2010 Highland Games - Celebrate Scottish culture and heritage with pipe drums, scotch whisky tasting, and, of course, the traditional Highland Games. August 6 & 7.

2. Match of the Titans - Did you get hooked on soccer during the World Cup? Catch AC Milan and Panathinaikos FC as they hit the pitch at the Pontiac Silverdome. August 6th.

3. 2010 Thunder Over Michigan Air Show - Look up in the sky and watch fighter jets and acrobatic teams make magic in the air. August 7 & 8.

4. Sleeping Beauty at PuppetArt - Puppets dance to beautiful music to reawaken this classic for children of all ages. There is a puppet-making class after the perfomance. August 7th.

5. Rock-O-Matic at Go Comedy! - Audience members provide the title and the cast improvise a full musical. August 6th.

Looking to kick off your weekend on Thursday? Enjoy the beautiful weather at the Whitney Garden Party or head to Cliff Bell's for The Moth StorySlams.

This weekend is also the Buy Michigan Now Festival, check it out and buy local!

Do you know of a great event going on in Metro Detroit this weekend? Add it to the comments and share it with us!