An opening at the Argus Museum

Posted on by farlane

Argus Factory
Argus Factory, photo by Voxphoto

The Argus Museum has an exhibition opening Friday, October 21st entitled Sunday Afternoon on the Porch: Reflections of a Small Town in Iowa, 1939-1942, photographs by Everett W. Kuntz. The exhibition runs from October 21st through November 18th, 2011. However, as the exhibit really has nothing at all to do with Michigan, and as this blog is called Michigan in Pictures, we’ll press on and tell you that the museum is located on the second floor of the Argus l building in Ann Arbor, one of the buildings that housed the Argus Camera Co.

Several years ago, Michigan in Pictures had a piece telling the story of the Argus Camera Company, whose cameras had a big role in the explosion in consumer photography. The post has become an internet phenom of sorts, gathering nearly 100 comments from folks buying, selling or wondering about Argus cameras. The article said little, however, about the museum itself. Fortunately, the email that the museum sent me shares a bit more, adding that:

Also on display will be artifacts from the Argus Museum collections. Products manufactured by the Argus Camera Company, including rare objects and prototypes, are featured, as well as military items and employees’ personal effects. Many of the artifacts on display were manufactured in the same building which now houses the Museum.

Former Argus employees and their families will be invited to the opening, giving those interested a chance to speak with them. Argus-related presentations are planned for Saturday, October 22nd, with an afternoon field trip to the Yankee Air Museum which will include a private tour and photography opportunities. (A $2.50 admission fee per person will be charged.) The Argus Museum Archives will open for research on Sunday, October 23rd. Reservations are required for Saturday and Sunday events. If you are interested in giving a presentation (it can be an informal one), please contact Cheryl Chidester…

So it sounds like all you Argus & old camera fans out there will want to check this weekend out. Cheryl is the museum curator and her number is 734-759-0770 (or email) – contact her for questions about the weekend and reservations for Saturday & Sunday.

Ross took this shot of the former Argus camera factory with an Argus 75 pinhole conversion. See it bigger and see more in his arghole slideshow.

Never a night game at Regents Field & Ferry Field at the University of Michigan

Posted on by farlane

Ferry Field, Ann Arbor Mich 1904, photo courtesy Library of Congress

The University of Michigan Wolverines will play their first-ever night game at Michigan Stadium this Saturday at 8 PM, so I figured it would be a good time to look back at UM’s stadium history. The Michigan Stadium story at the UM Bentley Library says that “student agitation” for better facilities and concerns over holding football games at the Ann Arbor Fairgrounds led to:

In October 1890 the Board of Regents authorized expenditure of $3,000 to acquire land for athletic uses. A ten acre parcel along South State street, approximately where Schembechler Hall now stands, was purchased in 1891. At their May 1891 meeting, the Regents appropriated $4,500 “for the purpose of fitting up the athletic field.”

Michigan christened the field on October 7, 1893 with a 6-0 victory over the Detroit Athletic Club. In 1902, Dexter Ferry donated land immediately north of Regents Field to the university and it was renamed Ferry Field.

Regents Field was home field for several of Michigan’s greatest teams and individual stars. Center William Cunningham was named Michigan’s first All-American in 1898. Neil Snow, end and fullback, was an All-American in 1901, four time All-Western, and star of the first Rose Bowl, also excelled on the Regents Field track and baseball diamond, earning 10 varsity letters. The incomparable halfback Willie Heston, twice an All-American, scored many of his school record 72 touchdowns at Regents Field.

Michigan compiled an overall record of 87 wins 2 losses and 3 ties at Regents/Ferry Field between 1893 and 1905. Fielding Yost’s great “point-a-minute” teams of 1901-1905 went 44-0 at Regents Field, outscoring their opponents 2821-42. Possibly the greatest victory at Regents Field came in the 1904 Chicago game. Michigan beat the previously undefeated team of Amos Alonzo Stagg 22-12 to win the Western Conference title and be proclaimed national champion.

By curious coincidence, that game (which appears in the photo above) was filmed by the Edison Company in one of the earliest successful attempts to film a football game! Click here to view the video!!

The UM v Chicago game was played November 12, 1904 and had an attendance of 13,500. The U of M/Notre Dame game is expected to draw over 111,000 people. You can see another view of Ferry Field at the Library of Congress.

Many more shots can be found at the Michigan Stadium entry and the Ferry Field entry on Wikipedia and more about the University of Michigan on Michigan in Pictures!

Stormy August

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

IMG_3470

IMG_3470, photo by ahknaten.

Here’s hoping that Hurricane Irene spares folks her worst…

Check this out bigger and in Kai’s Late August Ann Arbor Storm slideshow.

Check out the latest storm photos from the Absolute Michigan pool too!

Talkin’ about a heat wave

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

37/365/1132 (July 18, 2011) – Squirrel on a very hot day in Ann Arbor (University of Michigan)

37/365/1132 (July 18, 2011) – Squirrel on a very hot day in Ann Arbor (University of Michigan), photo by cseeman.

This squirrel isn’t the only one broasting in Michigan’s hottest run of weather since 1995. You know I couldn’t resist Motown’s own Martha Reeves and the Vandellas. Beat the Heatwave and stay cool with Absolute Michigan!

Check this out background big. He’s got one even flatter and hotter! See more from Corey and others in the hilarious Squirrel Pancakes photo group.

And don’t worry, while you might find a chipmunk or two, there’s no dead squirrels allowed!

Get (April) Foolish at Festifools in Ann Arbor

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

tibihxE deeF toN oD esaelP

tibihxE deeF toN oD esaelP, photo by jenny murray.

This Sunday (April 3, 2011) is the Festifools parade in Ann Arbor. It’s annual street festival of “HUGE PUPPETS and random acts of April Foolishness”. New this year is FoolMoon – April 1 from dusk to midnight. It’s a FREE event that invites you to bring your luminary (or kazoo / chicken suit / saxophone / what have you) to one of their three “Constellation Stations” and join fellow frolickers for the Foolish stroll! More updates about this Foolish weekend on Facebook!

If you’re not already familiar with FestiFools, you can get a sense of what we’re about by watching some videos on the YouTube FestiFools channel and at photographer Myra Klarman’s blog that includes a neat look behind the scenes at Festifools!

Jenny says that this was Anorexicsaurus or TyrAnorexicsaurus … from the Starvaceous Period. Check it out big as a bulemiasaur and in her Festifools slideshow.

There’s a ton more foolishness to be found in the flickr FestiFools group!

49th Annual Ann Arbor Film Festival ~ March 22-27, 2011

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Untitled, photo by Ann Arbor Film Festival.

The Ann Arbor Film Festival (AAFF) is the longest-running independent film festival in North America. The 6 day festival brings filmmakers and guests from all over the country and the world along with 188 films, videos and live performances in 40 programs, including more than 20 premieres of new work from China, England, Spain, France, Japan, Finland, Croatia, Chile, Netherlands, Korea and throughout North America. Complete details, schedules and trailers on the 49th Ann Arbor Film Festival website.

With a focus on independent cinema, the AAFF has showcased early work from filmmakers & artists including Kenneth Anger, Agnes Varda, Andy Warhol, Yoko Ono, Gus Van Sant, Barbara Hammer, Lawrence Kasdan, Devo and George Lucas. Their history page says that:

The Ann Arbor Film Festival was started in 1963 by University of Michigan School of Art filmmaker/artist George Manupelli. The 1960s sparked rapid changes in cinema, thus challenging the art world to accept fresh ideas and talent. Manupelli took advantage of this shift and envisioned a festival that would serve experimental and pioneering filmmakers with the exposure, feedback and competition they desired. He designed his festival to be open to anyone who saw filmmaking as art.

From a casual group of fascinated students, filmmakers and film enthusiasts crowded into the smoke-filled Lorch Hall auditorium, to the thousands of filmmakers, artists and spectators hosted in the grand Michigan Theater, the Ann Arbor Film Festival has grown to be an internationally celebrated institution. Since 1980, it has been independent of the University of Michigan as an independent non-profit arts organization. In the fall of 2003 the festival broadened its scope to include video and digital formats for competition.

Dive into the AAFF website for much more!

The 48th AAFF Highlights slideshow from the Ann Arbor Film Festival shows one of the coolest things about the AAFF, the up-close access to filmmakers that you get through Q&As and panel discussions. Lots more including opening reception, after parties, fashion and (of course) Giant Animal Badminton.

Yashica: Ford Lake

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Yashica: Ford Lake

Yashica: Ford Lake, photo by Matt Callow.

The details: Yashica Mat 124G, expired Tmax 100.

View it bigger, see more of Matt’s shots from Ford Lake or dive into his slideshow.

Biggest Hockey Game Ever: The Big Chill at the Big House

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

The Big Chill

The Big Chill, photo by andykee.

On Saturday, December 11 2010 the University of Michigan Wolverines met the Michigan State University Spartans in The Big Chill at the Big House (Wikipedia entry). AnnArbor.com pegs the crowd at a world-record smashing 113,411 who saw the Wolverines pummel the Spartans 5-0.

It’s not the first time UM/MSU have set the record. In October of 2001, the 2 programs met at Spartan Stadium in The Cold War which drew almost 75,000 who saw the teams skate to a 3-3 tie. Check out this video of the record-setting crowd and here’s the highlight reel from the game.

See the photo bigger in Andy’s slideshow and check out AnnArbor.com’s slideshow from the event.

Ann Arbor Farmers Market and the Ann Arbor HomeGrown Festival

Posted on by farlane

squashes for sale at the farmer's market
squashes for sale at the farmer’s market, photo by msdeena

Deena took this at the Ann Arbor Farmer’s Market (many more photos from the market on Real Time Farms). They are a producers-only market, which means everything there is grown, baked or crafted by the vendors who sell them. This Saturday (Sept 11) they are celebrating local food at the annual Ann Arbor HomeGrown Festival! On Absolute Michigan we wrote:

The Ann Arbor HomeGrown Festival is hoping you’ll help them raise a ruckus in the historic Ann Arbor Farmers’ Market pavilion this Saturday (September 11) from 6-11 PM. They’re celebrating food, farms and community with great eats and cool beverages, live music and fun for the whole family!

Entry to the Festival is FREE, and food and drink are available to purchase. A bevy of chefs are working with nearby farms to create affordable tasting portions of the best of the region’s harvest. They’ll have dozens of local libations (beer, wine, mead and hard cider) for grown-ups to enjoy. Project Grow will be back with their astounding heirloom tomato tasting – over 50 varieties to try! Lots of kids’ activities (mural arts, music-making), a huge silent auction, a “Know Your Farmer” farmstand, dozens of artisan vendors, and a fantastic lineup of music for shaking your tailfeathers. They’re on Facebook too!

Be sure to check this out big as a pumpkin and also see her massive farmer’s markets set (slideshow).

Wakeboard Jump

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Untitled, photo by spacelola.

Check this out bigger in her Ann Arbor slideshow!

Hope summer is making you jump for joy – there’s lots more Michigan jumping on Michigan in Pictures!