I’ve never thought of a ceramics sale as an art show until I rolled through the Still Life Studios in Ferndale.

It’s the blatant commerce of it all. Couples shopping for last-minute holiday gifts, one partner always a little more curious and willing than the other. To me, people browsing as consumers just look different than patrons stoically meandering through a museum.

Ceramics artist Kim Khamo changed my perspective with her display at Still Life, which rents out space, supplies and equipment to a wide ranging level of talent.

In less than a year, the Assyrian artist has developed a full-bodied artist identity through ceramics under her Nahrain Ceramics label. (Her work is pictured above.)

“A lot of my work is inspired by the geometric patterns of Mesopotamia because that’s who I am,” said Khamo. “That’s my roots. That’s my ancestry.”

She wasn’t the only artist there who convinced me there was more depth here than mugs and vases for sale.

Sara Zhao of Saratonin Clay brought a sense of sleek whimsy to her designs. It was surprising just how precise these artists can be with their handiwork.

Trent Bradley-Mitchell went a different way entirely, bringing a sense of horror, shock, deformity and disfigurement that stood proudly in contrast to the knack for cleanliness other artists gravitated towards. (An example is pictured at the top of this story.)

Amadeusz Sepko felt like one of the most complete artists on display, or maybe that’s just what a handle on abstraction and control can do for an artist’s vibe.

Did it have the decorum of a museum? No. Did it function primarily as a sale for the public? Yes.

But I think if you look a little closer at the ceramics displayed and the stories behind them, there’s more than mugs and vases for sale at Still Life.

“In The Groove goes to…” is published by WDET in partnership with Midbrow.

For several years, WDET has participated in Giving Tuesday as a one-day fundraiser.

This year, Giving Tuesday will mark the first day of WDET’s Holiday Fundraiser – a five-day fundraising event that will come to a close on Saturday, Dec. 7, with Midtown Detroit’s 50th annual Noel Night celebration, of which WDET will be participating!

WDET is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, and we couldn’t have gotten to where we are today without support from members and listeners like you. In this eventful year, WDET made significant program changes and as a result, our audience has grown. At 75, WDET is not slowing down, and we continue to strive every day to bring Detroiters the high-quality news, music and conversation they have come to rely upon over the years.

If you would like to be part of WDET’s future, consider making a gift today. Those who make a donation during fundraiser can select from a variety of thank you gifts at wdet.org/thanks and choose the amount that’s right for you.

Three new gifts will be available during WDET’s Holiday Fundraiser, including:

• An Evening with David Sedaris: When you donate $100/month, you’ll receive four tickets to “An Evening with David Sedaris” on April 8 at Detroit’s Fisher Theatre, as well as a copy of Sedaris’ hilarious books “Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim” and “Happy Go Lucky.”
• Essential Music Tour with Ann Delisi + Rob Reinhart: For a gift of $75/month, you and a guest will be treated to brunch, an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of WDET Studios with Ann Delisi and Rob Reinhart, and a live studio performance by Syrian American guitarist, pianist and composer Kareem Kanouh on Jan. 18, 2024. You and your guest will also receive an Ann Delisi T-Shirt!
• NEW MEMBERS ONLY – WDET Stadium Scarf: New members who make a gift of any amount during the Holiday Fundraiser will get a limited edition WDET stadium scarf.

Help keep WDET sustainable for the next 75 years, and make your gift today!

The city of Detroit is issuing an open call for a sculptor to create a new statue of Detroit legend Joe Louis.

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The statue, which will be located alongside the Joe Louis Greenway, aims to highlight the iconic boxer’s life outside the ring.

Known as one of the greatest boxers of all time, Louis was a national hero who broke racial barriers in the sport. But some may not know that he also broke racial barriers in golf.

Louis played golf in the mid 1930s and became a major supporter of the United Golf Association. He was the first African American to play in a PGA sanctioned event.

“In Detroit, we celebrate the contributions Detroiters have made to the city and to the world, and Joe Louis is one of our greatest examples,” said Mayor Mike Duggan in a statement.  “It’s only fitting that a statue reflecting his accomplishments outside of boxing grace the magnificent greenway being built in his honor.”

The new Joe Louis statue is just one of many public arts projects led by the City’s Office of Arts, Culture and Entrepreneurship (Detroit ACE) to highlight Detroit’s rich Black history.

Artists interested in applying for the statue commission must send a packet of their work to Detroit ACE by Monday, Nov. 11. A selection committee made up of community members, artists, members of the Louis family and business owners will choose the artist, and the statue will be unveiled in August 2025.

For more details on how to apply, visit detroitmi.gov.

Other headlines for Friday, Nov. 1, 2024:

• Election day is coming up on Tuesday, Nov. 5, and the city of Detroit is putting in extra work to ensure that the election is secured.
• “Candlelight: The Best of Han Zimmer” — a live, multi-sensory musical experience featuring music from “Inception,” “The Lion King,” “Interstellar” and more — is coming to Christ Church Detroit on Saturday, Nov. 2 for two shows.
• The 2024 All Things Detroit Holiday Shopping Experience & Food Truck Rally is taking place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 3, in Sheds 3, 4 and 5 at Eastern Market.

Do you have a community story we should tell? Let us know in an email at detroiteveningreport@wdet.org.

While Detroit’s abandoned houses are dwindling, they still dot many neighborhoods in the city. 

Detroit-based artist Cary Longchamps spent his childhood exploring abandoned places in New Hampshire. His latest project is making Longchamps feel like a kid again and also exploring public art in a new way in Detroit. 

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Longchamps has been placing public art in abandoned buildings while boarding them up in Detroit’s North Corktown neighborhood and on the east side. WDET’s Jack Filbrandt recently spent a night running around North Corktown with Longchamps.

VHF, or very high frequency, is a radio channel used by the police, Coast Guard, other first responders and neighborhood watch programs before cell phones. While Longchamps is the brains behind the project, the star of the show is Boris the Burglar, the neighborhood watch program’s mascot. 

“I remember seeing him on street signs when I was a kid. I grew up in the ’80s, I was on my bike all the time, and you know, the big thing back then was get home before the street lights come on, or the boogeyman will get you,” Longchamps said. “It could be the Sandman. It could be anybody. But I always thought that Boris the Burglar was my version of the Boogeyman. So I just thought it would be kind of fun to play with that image and kind of just turn that irrational fear on its head.”

The VHF Project is a simple set up that really allows the art to shine, Longchamps said. A small solar panel placed on the outside of the house makes the stencil shine. 

“I mean the stencil is made out of chipboard, we got butcher paper, we have a $17 landscape light from Amazon,” Longchamps says. “You know, it’s not anything crazy extensive, but it does have a big impact.”

It’s not just Boris the Burglar that Longchamps is lighting up. You can also see his crosswalk creation at the Humboldt Forest Graffiti Park, which uses the same technology. 

Longchamps’ first solo exhibit will be at Corktown Studios in January. 

More headlines from The Metro on Oct. 28, 2024:

• The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 led to years of so-called urban renewal across the country. That renewal meant removing blight and building new housing. It frequently happened in majority Black and poor communities. It led to the destruction of neighborhoods throughout Detroit, one example of this is the construction of I-375, which destroyed Black Bottom. Now, the city plans to undo I-375 to reconnect parts of the city. This may also happen in Midtown and Downtown with the capping of I-75. Jeff Horner, a Wayne State professor in the Urban Studies and Planning department, joined The Metro to discuss the history of urban renewal and recent urban planning projects.
• The Great Recession hurt many Americans and the most vulnerable people the most. That was true for a lot of Detroiters. The fallout from the economic downturn led to the city over-assessing homes – tens of thousands of homes that were overtaxed by $600 million from 2010 to 2017. A lot of those homes were sold and some made profits. But a decision by the state Supreme Court this past summer marks a change. It means that over 2,000 Detroit homeowners could recover some of the profits made on their foreclosed homes. Alex Alsup joins the show to talk about this problem. He writes “The Chargeback” substack and created a map to help people recover profits.
• According to the United Nations Refugee Agency, 1.5% of the entire world’s population has been forcibly displaced. The UN says this is nearly double the number of displaced people a decade ago. Over the last year in Detroit, a few local organizations have been working around the clock to try and meet this growing need. We’re joined by Freedom House Detroit Leader Elizabeth Orozco Vasquez to talk about how they’re supporting immigrants in Detroit.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 11 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.