Art opens a window into policy, comedy brightens the end of summer and a pop-up vintage and craft market sweeps through the Majestic Theatre.

Jump into beauty and take part in community this week in Metro Detroit. 

Upcoming events (Aug. 27 to Sept. 3)

What’s So Funny About Detroit?

The Old Miami
Aug. 27
$35 / $30 in advance for WDET members

WDET invites you to have the last laugh of the summer at the Old Miami. Thursday is the final What’s So Funny About Detroit Comedy Showcase, and this 21+ performance is headlined by T. Barb, one of the best comedians to come out of Detroit. Other performers include Andy Peters, Brianna Blackburn, Nicole Melnyk and Jeffrey Ford. The doors open at 6 p.m., with the show starting at 7 p.m. Tito’s Handmade Vodka will be offering signature cocktails on-site.

In Her Honor

Various locations in Detroit
Aug 26-28
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“In Her Honor” is an art series honoring women of color who passed due to maternal health complications. The events around the art, displayed at Mothering Justice’s office in Eastern Market on Friday, aim to uplift information on maternal health and connect participants with solutions to a devastating crisis in maternal health.

Dream Pop-Up: Voting Rights Community Art Project

 Affirmations in Ferndale
Aug. 28
Free

Make a small artpiece in support of voting rights with Stand with Trans and Indivisble Metro Detroit at Affirmations in Ferndale. This event is the second in a program series designed to give young adults from 16-24 a creative outlet while engaging them in community. Art made at this event will be displayed at Art Prize in Grand Rapids. Come join the event from 5-7 p.m. Art supplies will be provided.

Northwoods Improvisers

 Detroit Institute of Arts
Aug. 28
Free with cost of admission

Enjoy live music in the DIA’s Rivera Court. The Northwoods Improvisers have been playing for 50 years, and have had Detroit saxophonist Tony Holland from Griot Galaxy in the lineup for the past year. Let the Improvisers surprise you with their unique performance style starting at 7 p.m.

Fleatroit

Majestic Theatre
Aug. 30
Free

Vintage and craft vendors take over the Majestic Theatre as a part of the “Zania Mania” celebration marking 80 years of the Zania family owning The Garden Bowl. Shop your heart out from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and enjoy some pizza, bowling, and a live DJ set while you’re at it. 

Jazz at the Dossin

 Dossin Great Lakes Museum
Aug. 30
$5

Come out for the last show of the summer concert series Jazz at the Dossin! The afternoon show features the Stephen Grady Jr. Quartet, as Grady honors jazz trumpeter Kenny Dorham’s birthday.

Art in the Elements

Meadow Brook Hall 
Sept. 2-3
$25 

Meander through the grounds and interior of Meadow Brook Hall historic mansion and immerse yourself in elaborate floral art inspired by the cosmos. Admission includes a self-guided tour and admission to Dan’s Cabin and Knole Cottage. Join the premiere and evening tour from 6-9 p.m., with final admission at 8 p.m.

The rise in measles across the U.S. coincides with falling vaccination rates. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed almost 2,500 cases of the disease in 2026, the highest number since the 1990s.

Measles had been virtually eliminated in America by the year 2000. The anti-vaccine movement has gained strength in recent years, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Health experts say social media has allowed vaccine misinformation to spread. Self-styled wellness “influencers” have built large followings online, pushing unscientific claims and promoting unregulated health products.

Mariah Wellman is studying this trend. She’s an assistant professor of advertising and public relations at Michigan State University. She says many people turn to the internet because they might not have access to health care.

“They may not see their doctor on a consistent basis,” Wellman says. “They may not have a doctor they necessarily trust.”

(Un)healthy skepticism?

Wellman says many people no longer trust the medical establishment. And they feel like they can get answers online faster than they can from a doctor or health care provider. She says wellness gurus take advantage of that.

“Wellness influencers do a great job of building relationships that make the viewer feel like the influencer really sees them, hears them, knows them, and values them,” she says.

Once people accept misinformation as truth, Wellman says it’s difficult to convince them otherwise.

“It’s incredibly hard to change their minds,” she says.

What’s good for the goose…

But some health experts are turning that around. Wellman says many qualified people in their fields are learning how to use social media to turn the tide.

“We’re seeing some evidence that these expert influencers are growing in their popularity online,” she says. “People are reaching out to them, saying, ‘yes, actually this content has changed my mind.'”

Wellman is writing a book on the strategies wellness influencers use to make people believe they’re authority figures. The book comes out in 2027.

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.