The DIA's Inside|Out project hits 11 cities this fall

The Detroit Institute of Arts' Inside|Out project is now in its second year and they have installations in 11 communities throughout metro Detroit. Inside|Out takes reproductions of masterpieces from the DIA’s collection and puts them on display in streets and parks.

People can interact with the art and see them in places that they frequent on a regular basis. It makes art more accessible to those that don’t think of themselves as art connoisseurs.

The 2011 Fall installation began on September 1^st and runs through November 30, 2011. You can find the Inside|Out project in Detroit, Birmingham, Warren, Macomb Township, Armada, Franklin, Belleville, Milford, Lake Orion, Oxford and Holly.

Lindsay Root shot this video from the Howell Inside|Out over the summer and shared it with me. 

You can download maps of all of the locations and add your photos to the DIA's Flickr group.

Lindsay Root grew up in Howell, attended CMU and moved to California for 17 years. He’s back in Howell and shoots and edits video every day, mostly centered around community based stories. He’s proud of his work as the Chief Supervising Editor on the ground breaking PBS kids series "Jay Jay the Jet Plane.” But most people get distracted by the fact that he was Peewee Herman's (Paul Reubens) personal documentarian during the tail end of the "Playhouse" and through out the production and release of "Bigtop Peewee". He’s had a long association with Film Director Randal Kleiser of Grease fame.

Becoming a Detroiter

This is the third installment of the Detroit Stories series. If you haven’t already done so, check out the background of Detroit Stories  and the the first two installments: an interns take on Detroit and Motown to Manhattan.

This is a guest post by Craig Hennigan. I met Craig through his comments on this site, following him on Twitter and connecting in real life.

I’m Craig Hennigan but on here or on twitter you might know me as Toka313. I feel honored and privileged to write to you my story of coming into the city of Detroit. I am presently a PhD student and debate coach at Wayne State University, and before I came into the city proper, I was a city councilperson in Madison Heights.

After the Madison Heights city council meetings, most of the councilmembers and the Mayor go out to dinner at the Master’s. As I sat at the table thinking about my near hopeless re-election prospects, I was deciding about what my future would hold.

“If I don’t win this election, I think I’m going to move to Detroit.”

The councilmembers stared at me, almost aghast, and one chimed in,

“Good God, why?”

And my reply was quick:

“Because none of you are gonna do it, and somebody has to.”

It turns out that it was the best decision I’ve ever made in my life. I’ve been here a year now, and “Becoming a Detroiter” has been an adventure in learning about a very unique culture.

I was rather anxious being the ‘new guy’ in the neighborhood, but the place I moved into was quite possibly the perfect opportunity for someone new to the area to live. I live in a house with 4 others, the owner and his girlfriend being two of them. She works at Inside Detroit, so every weekend—every day even—I had the opportunity to know something more about the city that I never would have known otherwise. I thought I knew Detroit when I lived in Madison Heights. I had only scratched the surface.

Another roommate worked at the Hub of Detroit, so getting a bicycle was a first priority upon moving in. The bicycle culture here in the city is larger than I had imagined. From Critical Mass to Tour De Troit, to the Bikes and Murder Slow Ride to Slow Jams, to the Full Moon bike ride from Fender Bender, there is not a lack of people who are willing to take a ride on a nice day (or a rainy/snowy one!)

When does one “Become a Detroiter?” It’s a question I had asked myself over and over again during the early time I was here. “You aren’t a Detroiter because you haven’t been here long enough.”

So I thought giving myself an arbitrary temporal milestone would give me justification and I changed my twitter and other online ID’s from Toka248 to Toka313 only after I lived in the city for one year. But it wasn’t the in timing that made me a Detroiter.

I had one of the kids I work with tell me, “You aren’t a Detroiter because you don’t live in the ‘hood.” This was funny because she lived in Saline and considered herself a Detroiter.

Others can say “You aren’t a Detroiter because you grew up in the ‘burbs.” I just have a hard time believing that only those who grew up in the city have exclusive rights to the term Detroiter.

I think the real turning point for me is showing genuine concern for the community around you. That is how you “Become a Detroiter.” Whether it was volunteering for urban debate leagues, protesting to save the Catherine Ferguson Academy, farming and shopping locally or participating in local events; it is in those moments that I felt truly invested in the city and became the real Detroiter that I am today.

Detroit isn’t just a place where you live, it is a place that you are. Now that I am a Detroiter, the only focus is to become the best Detroiter that I can be. Yes, I'm a booster. No, I am not blind to problems in Detroit that are similar to problems in many aging cities. But when you start doing your part to keep this city the best in the world to live in, you also will know what it means to “Become a Detroiter.”

What do you think makes someone a Detroiter?

Follow Craig Hennigan on Twitter.

Detroit Moxie's Weekend Roundup

Are you curious, creative, passionate or interesting? I’m sure most of you said yes. If you are one of those people you need to be at TEDxDetroit next Wednesday, September 28^th.

Yes, I’m on the board and an executive producer so I’m a bit biased. But… I wrote this post before I took on those duties after attending the first TEDxDetroit in 2009. This isn’t a conference, it’s an explosion of ideas. We share positive ideas for the world from Detroit.

TEDxDetroit takes place at Orchestra Hall in the Max M. Fisher Music Center from 8am to 6pm on September 28^th.

Do you want to win a pair of tickets to TEDxDetroit?

To enter just leave a comment on how you are curious, creative, passionate or interesting. They can be funny or serious, compelling or sarcastic. The contest ends at 12:00 p.m. on Friday, September 23^rd and the winner will be chosen at random  (by random.org).

Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming.

I have to warn you about this edition of the Weekend Roundup. There are so many things going on in Detroit this weekend and many of them involve beer. Rock on you crazy fall season and all your cool beer events!

Weekend Roundup

1. Oktoberfest - There are two great Oktoberfest celebrations in Detroit this weekend. Detroit Oktoberfest takes place in Chene Park on Friday, September 23rd. The Woodbridge Pub is also having a neighborhood Oktoberfest on Saturday, September 24th.

2. Tour de Troit - Bicyclists will be taking over the streets of Detroit as over 3,000 riders participate in this supported ride. See Detroit on two wheels and explore the sights and historic areas. September 24th.

3. Michigan Craft Beer Stroll - Stroll through the streets of Royal Oak and sample beer from Michigan's top craft brewers. This is a benefit for the Friends of the Royal Oak Public Library.

4. Tashmoo Biergarten - A pop-up European-style biergarten in the West Village neighborhood of Detroit? Yep! Enjoy Michigan-based craft beers and play a game of cornhole. Read all about the Tashmoo Biergarten in yesterday's post. September 25th.

5. Detroit Restaurant Week - Make your reservations and get your napkins at the ready—it's time to feast at some of Detroit's finest restaurants for a $28 prix fixe meal. September 23 through October 2nd.

Bonus: Detroit Fanfare Comic Book Convention

Tashmoo Biergarten to open in Detroit's West Village

Just as the cool fall breeze kicks in and the leaves begin to change colors, Tashmoo Biergarten will open this Sunday, September 25^th in the West Village neighborhood of Detroit.

What the heck is Tashmoo Biergarten, you ask?

“What to do with all that Detroit space? Well, drink beer. Or should we say, bier? This fall, over five Sundays, we're transforming a vacant lot in Detroit's West Village into a European-style biergarten with a little Detroit moxie.” ~ from their Facebook page.

Yes, I was quite pleased that they called it “Detroit moxie.”

I love this project for many reasons. First, I’m a fan of beer. Also, I love hanging out with friends, chatting and playing games.

But most importantly it’s the sense of community and the “do-er” attitude. If you’ve ever been on an Inside Detroit tour or spent even just a bit a time with Jeanette Pierce then you know what I’m talking about.

The “do-er’s” of Detroit see a need and fill it. Whether it be a Detroit welcome center, bagels, bike rental or a bakery—the “do-er’s” build it. Well, a few people thought Detroit needed a European-style biergarten and now we have one.

And that is just brilliant.

I had the opportunity to ask Tashmoo team member Jessica Cheney Soulliere a few questions about the biergarten.

1. Who is behind Tashmoo?

While the Tashmoo Biergarten was the brain child of both Suzanne Vier and Aaron Wagner, it's taken a team of professionals whom we like to call Team Tashmoo who have donated their time and skills, pro bono, to make it all come together. These include local artists, designers, writers and foodies. The team members are:

Jim Boyle, Will Branch, James Cadariu, Matthew Clayson, Elizabeth Wagner DeLuca, Katie Else, John George, Evan Hansen, Brian V. Hurttienne, Vittoria Katanski, David Knapp, Bil Lusa, Anna McAlpine, Brian Merkel, Jason Peet, Adrian Pittman, John Schoeniger, Mike Shalast, Marvin Shaouni, Jessica Cheney Soulliere, Kim Stricker, the Villages Community Development Corporation and Land, Inc.

2. Where did the idea come from?

Suzanne has always enjoyed the communal feel of European-style beer gardens where people can hang out, enjoy beer, play games and relax. On a recent trip to New York she happened upon a beer garden by New York Chef, Tom Colicchio, and decided she'd like to bring one to Detroit. Aaron, who lives in West Village, loves the neighborhood and wanted to do something there - and so the Tashmoo Biergarten was born.

3. Tell me about the name.

Tashmoo Biergarten preserves the authenticity of a European-style beer garden while paying homage to local history. Tashmoo has many meanings to us. It's a Native American word meaning "meeting place," and it happens to be the name of a famous steam ship that ferried passengers to and from Harsen's Island on Lake St. Clair, former home of the Tashmoo Park. Tashmoo Park was an amusement park owned and operated by the White Star Line company that built and operated the Tashmoo ship in the early 1900's. West Village has deep roots in the history of the Detroit River—as did most of the villages. A home recently demolished on the beer garden site was occupied for generations by the family of a former Tashmoo crew member.

4. It’s running for 5 weeks this fall. Are there any plans to bring it back in 2012?

We look at this as an opportunity to test the waters and see if the area is ready for a more permanent beer garden. If 2011 is successful, we're all looking forward to reinvesting in next year.

5. How did you find the space? Were there any zoning issues? Was the city easy to work with?

Tashmoo team member, Jason Peet, suggested the location and arranged a meeting with the property owner of the site, Land Inc., who generously donated to the space for this project. Because we are using privately owned property, there have been few barriers to development and the City has been very supportive of our efforts.

6. Has the neighborhood been supportive?

Since we launched our Facebook page, it's been really fun watching news of the beer garden travel, and community support and excitement has really been growing. On Saturday, when we trucked over all of the build-out materials, we had 10 volunteers. But by Sunday, we had 25, most of whom wandered over from the neighborhood to help out. People were telling us, "Thank you for doing this! It's so exciting!" We are truly thrilled this is being so well received.

7. You’re serving Michigan craft beer, correct? Want to tease us with some of the breweries participating?

We know a lot of people want to see the beer list up-front, but because we are working with local and craft brewers, we won't always know which brewer's we'll be featuring until the day before. What we can tell you is that all the brewers are Michigan-based brewers and we'll be offering a full range of session brews in styles to suit a variety of tastes. 

8. Will you be serving anything else besides beer?

We'll be serving up board games and corn hole (note to Oct. 1 corn hole tournament registrants - this is your chance to practice!).

They have been working hard over at the biergarten to make it just right. One door from the demolished house joins thirteen others to make the tables. 28 benches have been built so we have somewhere to sit and relax.

The fun all starts this Sunday and I’ll be there. I hope you all come down and raise a pint with me.

Motown to Manhattan: a few observations

This is the second installment of the Detroit Stories series. If you haven’t already done so, check out the background of Detroit Stories and the first installment, an interns take on Detroit.

This is a guest post by Erica Moss. Erica and I met through the social web and became friends. Her enthusiasm and passion are contagious. She’s also pretty damn smart and full of creativity.

Erica Moss is the social media and outreach coordinator for the online Masters in Nursing program at Georgetown University. She adores Mexican food, Taylor Swift, community building and Michigan football.

We couldn't have been more excited to see this New York City sign. We were blissfully ignorant as to how far away from the city we actually were.I didn’t grow up in the Detroit area. I grew up in a sleepy little suburb of Grand Rapids, I’d never been to a Tigers game and I knew very little about the Motor City. So when I moved to the 248 three years ago, there’s no way I could have known the impact it would have on me and the amazing people I’d come to call friends.

And then everything changed.

OK, so I’m being dramatic, but in July, my husband and I really did pack up all of our possessions (including one white English bulldog) and embark on the 12-hour drive to New York City. He had been accepted to Columbia Business School and would be pursuing his MBA for the next two years.

I was apprehensive to say the least. We had built a life in Royal Oak, and I wasn’t ready to leave that behind. I was perfectly content driving to work every day, calling my beverage of choice “pop” and living only a short car ride from my family.

New York City looks good on us, don't you think?We’ve been here for about a month-and-a-half now, and while it’s not the complete 180 I expected it to be, there are some distinct differences between Manhattan and Motown. A lot of them are food related—lay off me!

A few things I’ve learned so far:

It’s ALWAYS soda. As Michiganders, we’re aware what soda is, but we all call it pop, right? New Yorkers are quite the opposite. They simply don’t know what pop is, and if you ask for one, you get the deer-in-headlights look. And don’t make the mistake of requesting two refills of your “soda” at the restaurants that charge you full price for each one.

Almost every restaurant posts its menu out front. This is genius, and a product of the walkable nature of the city. It allows you to check out what they have to offer before committing to a table, and also prevents you from sitting down at a restaurant that charges you $20 for a burger (this is NYC, after all).

All of the McDonald’s locations are deplorable and slow. I know what you’re thinking: Why am I bothering with a fast-food chain when I have access to some of the greatest restaurants in the world? Well, sometimes a girl has to get her Chicken McNuggets fix, but I’ve learned to subdue it after several trips to different locations around the city. There’s trash everywhere, the tables are dirty and there is simply no urgency to fulfill your order in what any person would consider a reasonable amount of time. I asked a native New Yorker about this, and he validated my experiences, saying they actually used to be worse than they are now, but that the company has made steps to improve. We’ll see.

Every single pizzeria is “New York’s favorite pizza.” And they get away with it by putting quotation marks around the phrase. It’s comical.

You haven't had pizza until you've had it at Grimaldi's in the DUMBO neighborhood of Brooklyn.

You notice subtle differences in everyday phrases. When you order food from a fast-casual restaurant, they ask you if you want to “stay here” as opposed to what I’m used to: “for here or to go?” At retail shops, they say “on line” versus “in line,” such as “Next person on line, please!”

If you buy groceries, they always double bag everything. Once again, it’s a product of the fact that people walk everywhere. And since you’re going to have to haul your goodies home on foot, be sure you don’t buy your milk, apple juice, green tea and laundry detergent in the same trip.

None of the ATMs are outside. Almost all of them are housed inside their respective banks, and if it’s after-hours, you have to swipe a debit or credit card from that institution in order to get inside the bank and gain access to it. A good safety feature, I guess?

The Subway system isn’t nearly as scary as I thought it was. I really only have to worry about the 1, 2 and 3 trains, for the most part, and all you need to know is that the 1 is local and the 2 and 3 are express. And the public transportation option on my Google Maps app is a lifesaver — I couldn’t get around without it. Oh, and the Houston Street stop is pronounced “Howston,” not like the city in Texas.

If the DJ plays “Empire State of Mind” in da club, the people go nuts. Kind of like when the “born and raised in South Detroit” part comes on during “Don’t Stop Believin’.”

OK, that’s all I’ve got for now. It feels like I learn something new every day in this giant city, so if the fabulous Becks Davis is up for it, I might be dropping some more New York knowledge on you guys very soon.

Did any of my observations surprise you? Do you know something about the city that I don’t? Just want to give the Mosses (or Mona) some love? Feel free to light up the comments section.

Follow Erica Moss on Twitter.