Fantastico: Wild and Winsome Posters from Mexico’s Golden Age, 1936-1960 will open to the public for free on the evening of Thursday, August 6 at Galerie Camille in the Cass Corridor.

There will be posters and lobby cards that feature genres such as Mexican film noir and rumberas movies, or cabaret melodramas made famous from their dance numbers.

Dalia Reyes, an interdisciplinary artist and arts administrator from Southwest Detroit, co-curated the exhibition. “There’s something about being able to compare what we see here in the US and then what Mexico was doing during that time,” Reyes says.

Reyes joined The Metro to discuss the art, culture, and innovation behind the timeless items of Mexican cinema. “You can expect a variety of categories anywhere from crime, drama, musicals, noir, and then some of those major Hollywood movies,” Reyes says.

Hear the full conversation using the media player above.

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BasBlue, an organization of women and non-binary individuals, celebrated a five year anniversary by focusing on their Future Founders and Future Leaders program.

According to the Detroit Regional Chambers, women were behind over 13% growth in business ownership from 2018 to 2023. BasBlue hopes to build on that foundation.

Ellen Gilchrist is the Chief Executive Officer of BasBlue. Gilchrist says finding solutions to problems begins with self determination. “When you find your passion, it pushes you forward,” Gilchrist says.

Fatoumata Sacko is an entrepreneur of Katii Café, a Malian inspired tea cart. Sacko is also a BasBlue Future Leaders member. She says networking with peers and learning from mentors motivated her to push forward with her business.

They join The Metro to discuss how the business ideas and professional networks of people should be nourished from an early age to increase odds of success.

Hear the full conversation using the media player above.

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Brittini Ward is a multi-media artist and the founder of EYE N EYE LLC. It’s a creative studio, using storytelling for healing, care and cultural preservation in the city of Detroit.  

The Emmy-winning artist has been featured in The Kennedy Center in Washington DC, Detroit Institute of Arts, Motown Museum and has partnered with local organizations like Black Bottom Archives and Plowshares Theatre Company, just to name a few.  

Ward graduated from The University of Michigan Flint and has her masters in Social Justice and Community Organizing from Prescott College. 

Today, her work builds on her educational pursuits, allowing her to bring people together around art. Through her exhibitions, she’s intentionally creating spaces that hold community stories.  

Listen to the episode and learn more about Detroit based artist Brittini Ward.

CONTAINER On The Metro is a WDET produced storytelling series that brings Detroit’s creative heartbeat to the airwaves. 

CONTAINER is a program created by The Love Building. Its goal is to showcase Detroit’s creative talent across music, fashion, fine arts and food. Done in collaboration with WDET Public Radio with major support from the Gilbert Family Foundation.

Tune into The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming On-demand. Subscribe to The Metro on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or NPR or wherever you get your podcasts.

The Belle Isle Art Fair will celebrate 11 years this weekend. The two day festival will feature over a hundred juried artists from more than a dozen states.

Those with a state park pass get free entry.

Mark Loeb is the director of Integrity Shows and the ongoing producer of Belle Isle Art Fair.

Mady Chen is a featured artist of the Belle Isle Art Fair. She serves as the owner of Apple and Thistle Press and the organizer of We The People – A Resistance Art Exhibit.

 Both joined The Metro to discuss what the public should expect from the event and how the revolution can be found through linocut printing.

“If you reach out to other people, everyone is happy to come together, and then there’s so much more to it at that point,” Chen says.

WDET is supported by The Belle Isle Art Fair.

Hear the full conversation using the media player above.

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Detroit remembers the legacy of John “Jammin” Collins, who served as the vice chair on The City of Detroit Entertainment Commission.

He did everything, from being a DJ, radio host, and a booking agent. He was part of the foundational techno collective, Underground Resistance, and left his mark on Detroit electronic music.

“If you give a crowd what they want, what they want to hear, you can take them where you want to go,” Collins said in a 2021 interview with WDET Creative Producer Conor Anderson. They discussed the shows he produced for the Underground Resistance, his experience with overseas techno, and his kidney transplant.

Hear the full conversation using the media player above.

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The United States signed the Declaration of Independence 250 years ago, and still historians debate what metric the nation should use to define being American.

Long before genetic testing became a standard for identity, the country originally passed laws based on blood. The one-drop rule claimed that even “one drop” of known African ancestry legally made one Black under the law. It created the grounds for Virginia’s Racial Integrity Act and formed Quadroon and Octoroon communities in Louisiana, impacting the property, citizenship, inheritance, and marriages of Black people. 

America did not escape that past after the emergence of artificial intelligence, which determines ancestry using percentages and data bias. The Freedman’s Bureau indexing initiative challenges that by using technology for Black restoration rather than ranking.

Dr. Carolyn Haliburton Carter is a Detroit historian, professional genealogist, and founder of Storykeepers Heritage Network. She also authors articles on the Michigan Chronicle and oversees seven federal Underground Railroad historic designations as the chair of Detroit’s Historic Designation Advisory Board.

During a period where information is manipulated by the government—as seen last year from Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, who ordered national parks to remove negative content about America—histories like the Underground Railroad are fragile. “Those who control the narrative cannot simply control the history,” Carter says.

She joins The Metro to discuss the relationship between identity, U.S. history and modern genetic testing. As more people use DNA tests as a doorway to their heritage, Dr. Carter outlines what could be missed if we stop at data instead of entering a realm of living history and memory.

Hear the full conversation using the media player above.

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Ppl Movin is a social media talk show that brings people to Detroit’s under utilized public transit, Detroit People Mover. The show is co-hosted by Layla McMurtrie and Deonte Bell.

Their show brings strangers, artists and changemakers onto the People Mover and asks two simple questions: What’s moving you and what’s your next stop? 

Their storytelling brings a new, younger perspective to the changing landscape of Detroit. 

McMurtrie and Bell joined The Metro to talk more about Ppl Movin and an upcoming event.

Hear the full conversation using the media player above.

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Arts funding has been on and off the chopping block. At the same time, art and culture organizations are facing financial and political pressure from the Trump administration.

Meanwhile, funding for the National Endowment for the Arts held steady this year at $207 million. This comes after the administration threatened to eliminate the agency altogether. 

Mary Anne Carter is the Chairman of the National Endowment of the Arts. It’s the second time she’s been in this role both serving under President Donald Trump.

Carter joined The Metro to talk about her tour in Michigan as part of an America 250 tour.

Hear the full conversation using the media player above.

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“Divining Freedom,” the debut novel of Donna Givens-Davidson, follows Black Detroit families across five generations. 

The story spans more than a hundred years, following multiple families’ hopeful journey to success and prosperity. The fictional narrative covers characters during the emancipation, the Detroit rebellion, and the modern day. 

Givens-Davidson talks about a reality Black people were seeking that they couldn’t yet understand throughout the book. “We’ve been in this quest to be free without really knowing what freedom looks like. Even within freedom, you have hierarchy.”

Givens-Davidson served as a community builder for 40 years before embracing her role as a historian and organizer. She also hosts Authentically Detroit, a podcast that stems from her presidency at the Eastside Community Network. 

She loves Detroit and she wants the book to reflect that love. “I want people who are Black to look at this and love themselves,” Givens-Davidson said.

She joins The Metro to foreshadow what these chapters are all about and how the content stands as a testament to ancestors from the city.

Hear the full conversation using the media player above.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and stream on-demand. Never miss an episode — subscribe to The Metro on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, NPR, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Brittany Epps, known in Detroit’s creative circles as Nerd, is the founder of House of Both Rows. The sustainable fashion house is built on a simple but radical idea: nothing is truly thrown away. Old items are simply waiting to become something new. 

Nerd takes thrifted clothing and transforms it into completely original pieces, giving forgotten garments a second life as wearable art.

House of Both Rows has quickly grown in presence in the city. Nerd and team have brought designs to the runway at fashion shows across the city, building a reputation as one of the names to watch in Detroit’s sustainable fashion movement. Nerd also hosts events at The Ether, the brand’s shared creative space. 

When Nerd isn’t in the studio crafting new pieces, they’re in the community, running workshops for young people that go beyond fashion basics. They’re offering real-world experience in what it actually takes to run a creative business.

The through-line for their idea is a simple goal—to create legacy pieces. Nerd wants to do away with disposable fashion, and rebuild healthy relationships with garments that hold meaning. They want to craft items to be passed down for generations.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on demand.

CONTAINER On The Metro is a WDET produced storytelling series that brings Detroit’s creative heartbeat to the airwaves. 

CONTAINER is a program created by The Love Building. Its goal is to showcase Detroit’s creative talent across music, fashion, fine arts and food. Done in collaboration with WDET Public Radio with major support from the Gilbert Family Foundation.

Subscribe to Container on The Metro on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. 

The Ann Arbor Art Fair will welcome nearly half a million visitors from July 16-18.

There will be a thousand juried artists from across Michigan and the entire country. They will display their work at three simultaneous nonprofit events:

• The Ann Arbor Street Art Fair, The Original
• The Ann Arbor Summer Art Fair
• The Ann Arbor State Street District Art Fair

A Youth Art Fair and Kids Collectors Club also emerges for grade school creatives.

Karen Bauer has been the executive director of the Ann Arbor Summer Art Fair for 20 years, while Teesha Lieber is a Detroit marbling artist from Spontaneity Works. Both joined The Metro to talk more about this year’s festival.

Bauer says putting so many separate fairs together may seem like a lot, but experience is on their side. “These fairs have been working together since the early 60s, we are a well oiled machine at this point.”

Tune in to listen to the discussion with Bauer, Lieber to learn more about youth participation, and how art remains authentic during the digital age.

Hear the full conversation using the media player above.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and stream on-demand. Never miss an episode — subscribe to The Metro on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, NPR, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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Detroit born and raised singer/songwriter Niko Noir lives and breathes music. 

As a graduate of Detroit School of Arts, Niko builds on those technical vocal skills to create her own sound. She released her first EP “Blame Niko” in 2021. In 2025, she released her first full album “Who Can Blame Niko.” In 2026, Niko has taken a leap of faith and has dived right into her career. She quit her full-time job to pursue her goals. 

Niko blends traditional R&B with hip hop and soul, as her vocals flow over the track with words she’s written from the heart. 

CONTAINER On The Metro is a WDET produced storytelling series that brings Detroit’s creative heartbeat to the airwaves. 

CONTAINER is a program created by The Love Building to showcase Detroit’s most promising creative talent across music, fashion, fine arts and food. Done in collaboration with WDET Public Radio with major support from the Gilbert Family Foundation.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on demand.

The Detroit Kite Festival returns to Belle Isle for its eighth year. The event takes place near the James Scott Memorial Fountain, on Sunday, July 12.

Besides an entry fee to the island, the Detroit kite festival will be free. Some activities include book nooks, music, bubble therapy as well as tents for cooling off and making a kite.

The Mint Artists Guild will be celebrating a ten year anniversary by hosting a Joy and Faces booth for complimentary face painting and crafts. They spent the last decade training and paying young adults from Detroit in the arts.

Lex Draper Garcia Bey is a fourth generation Detroiter and director of the Kite Festival. She’s also a co-executive director of the Black Bottoms Archive.

She became director of the Kite Festival after the founder had to step back. “I couldn’t stand the thought of me going to my absolute favorite festival and it feeling boring to me,” Draper Garcia Bey said.

She joined The Metro to chat about her experience with whimsy as she supports the event alongside volunteers.

Hear the full conversation using the media player above.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and stream on-demand. Never miss an episode — subscribe to The Metro on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, NPR, or wherever you get your podcasts 

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Ice Cream Detroit is a seven-year labor of love turned premium, sometimes boozy, ice cream shop.

Ice Cream Detroit is run by Ysahai Honor-Marie and Kiaira May. They offer unique flavors From Red Faygo to pop rocks. Every scoop is made from scratch, with an optional liquor-infused twist.

The store started as a pop-up, but has had its own permanent home on Second Ave in Midtown since September 2025.

As the duo continues to grow, gaining loyal customers, the new clientele hasn’t changed who the shop is for. It’s for the community. Ice Cream Detroit offers discounts, which aims to connect to all members of the neighborhood.

Whatever’s next—a trailer, an ice cream bar, a second grand opening, it’s safe to say they’re doing it for the culture. They’re doing it for Detroit.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on demand.

CONTAINER On The Metro is a WDET produced storytelling series that brings Detroit’s creative heartbeat to the airwaves. 

CONTAINER is a program created by The Love Building. It’s goal is to showcase Detroit’s creative talent across music, fashion, fine arts and food. Done in collaboration with WDET Public Radio with major support from the Gilbert Family Foundation.

Though Clark Park became famous for hosting ice hockey during the winter, they are teaming up alongside Chandler Park with Motown Lacrosse to teach children box lacrosse this summer.

For those unfamiliar, founder of Motown Lacrosse Liam Mcllroy  says, “it’s a more fun version to train and compete in.”

As the U.S. celebrates a 250th birthday, these practices also serve as a secret history lesson; lacrosse began on Native American soil before the country was founded. “Lacrosse is the oldest team sport here in America,” says Mcllroy. He’s excited to be leading the next generation through the sport.

He joins The Metro to discuss the dynamics of box lacrosse from the costs to the indigenous roots behind the game.

Hear the full conversation using the media player above.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and stream on-demand. Never miss an episode — subscribe to The Metro on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, NPR, or wherever you get your podcasts 

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The Michigan House proposes a complete elimination of funding for the Michigan Arts and Culture Council (MACC). If the MACC becomes disenfranchised, then museums, historic sites, and other cultural organizations will lose out on $11 million.

MACC is an agency whose grants are accessible to creative projects across the state. They stand for economic development, education, and engagement.

Lisa Craig Brisson is the executive director of the Michigan Museums Association. Her organization is supported by MACC. She says without tax payers, it’d be impossible to get anything done. “It’s very challenging for organizations to articulate all that is involved with our operations. Public funding is a part of what makes operations possible.”

Chad Swan – Badgero is Arts Education Manager for MACC.  He said often when funding cuts need to be made, MACC is the first stop. “When people are considering budget cuts, then that’s the first thing to go.”

Swan-Badgero and Brisson joined The Metro to discuss the history of funding from MACC being on the chopping block and the impact the council has on museums and other public spaces where arts and culture flourish. 

Hear the full conversation using the media player above.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and stream on-demand. Never miss an episode — subscribe to The Metro on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, NPR, or wherever you get your podcasts 

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It has been almost two centuries since Canada declared independence. After the Constitution Act of 1867, Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick began governing themselves. That independence is observed annually as Canada Day on July 1.

But there is another, earlier date marking freedom that Canada also celebrates: Emancipation Day. Britain passed the Slavery Abolition Act on August 1, 1834.

By the time Canada became a free nation, there were already free Black communities in the country, many of which were locatd in and around Windsor-Essex.

Lorene Brigden-Lennie is the Board Director of the Essex County Black Historical Research Society.

She joined The Metro to discuss the ways that Canada observes Canada Day and Emancipation Day through the lens of freed slaves.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and stream on-demand. Never miss an episode — subscribe to The Metro on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, NPR, or wherever you get your podcasts 

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The Detroit Football Club’s supporting group, the Northern Guard, began Prideraiser in 2017. Every goal scored over the course of June would generate money for the Ruth Ellis Center, a social services agency fighting for LGBTQ+ youth since 1999. 

Prideraiser is now celebrating 10 years in Detroit.

They earned more than $300,000 over the past 10 years, all powered by local volunteer labor. Not only do they paint banners during the month of June, but they work with the community throughout the year. “It’s amazing to see everybody participate,” says Jam Johnston, a board member of the North Guard Supporters.

Johnston and Director of Development and Advancement at the Ruth Ellis Center Jake Lenz joined The Metro to talk about how grassroots organizations came together despite corporate and sports controversies to improve the lives of young queer people.

Hear the full conversation using the media player above.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and stream on-demand. Never miss an episode — subscribe to The Metro onApple Podcasts,Spotify,YouTube,NPR, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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The Detroit Youth Choir has had an inspiring rise from the city of Detroit to some of the largest stages in the entertainment industry. Yet that hasn’t taken away from the mission of the organization: youth development. 

The young performers have lit up stages from America’s Got Talent to Carnegie Hall.

The Color Purple, a novel by Alice Walker, has been adapted for the screen and live performances.

The tale spans 40 years of life for Celie, a Black woman living in the south, beginning in the early 1900’s. After her abusive father marries her off to Mister, Albert Johnson, life does not improve. Celie finds love and connection where she can, including with supporting character Shug Avery. Throughout the novel, it’s Celie’s goal to find her sister.

The Color Purple performed by Detroit Youth Choir has four shows with two casts. They’re performing at The Hawk Theatre in Farmington Hills. Performances are set for June 26- 28.

Jala Jackson is director of theater production for Detroit Youth Choir. DJ Whitfield is a recent graduate of Taylor Preparatory Academy. He’s playing the lead role of Mister. Sydney Thomas will be a Junior at Novi Highschool. She is playing the lead role of Shug Avery.

They joined The Metro to chat more about the upcoming performances and why The Color Purple was chosen.

Hear the full conversation using the media player above.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and stream on-demand.

Never miss an episode — subscribe to The Metro on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, NPR, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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