architecture

Photos of Arts & Culture in Michigan

Posted on August 20, 2007August 20, 2007 by Michigan in Pictures

Art Museum, photo by I am Jacques Strappe.

Over at the Ann Arbor Area Crappy Camera Club, Matt Callow posted an announcement from ArtServe Michigan. They are seeking:

…quality photographs that capture and document arts and culture in Michigan: the buildings where arts and culture takes place, artists at work in their studios or participating in festivals, community arts projects, arts and cultural activities indoors and out, arts educators in their classrooms, individuals of all ages engaged in arts and cultural activities, art festivals, audience moments, performance pieces, etc.

They hope to gather photographs from every county of the state to be included in a photo montage during the ceremony of the 2007 Governor’s Awards for Arts and Culture and for use in the event program. Photographs are due by September 14, 2007. Please click through for details on format and where to send the photos!

Marjorie says that this photo (which I think you should check out big) of the University of Michigan Museum of Art was taken during the Ann Arbor (likely in 2004) and that the kids of Ann Arbor are missing a slide as the sculpture has been dismantled. It was taken with a Holga, one of the many fine toy cameras, trash cams, cheap plastic point-and-shoots, pinholes, dollar store disposables, and junk store cameras wielded by the Crappy Camerians. Heck, they even discussed the merits of a Pop Tart Camera!

ArtServe Michigan is a statewide organization that builds support for the arts, artists, arts education, and cultural activities. They champion the arts across the state through advocacy and education programming and services to individual artists and cultural organizations and seek to support artists and arts organizations by increasing cultural audiences, linking businesses and the arts, and standing up for arts in education and state arts funding.

Hotel Madison-Lenox Detroit :: 1900 – 2005

Posted on August 2, 2007 by farlane

madlennox by humphreyphotography

Scott Humphrey took this photo of the Hotel Madison-Lenox in Detroit shortly before its demolition. He has a whole lot of great photo to view at Scott Humphrey Photography, so get on over there and take a look!

We are featuring a short film with imagery of the demolition of this historic hotel called Vacancy by Brandon Walley on Absolute Michigan today.

Downtown Grand Rapids

Posted on July 31, 2007July 31, 2007 by Michigan in Pictures

Downtown Grand Rapids, photo by DarrinW.

Darrin says that this is one of his favorite vantage points to view downtown GR, and he’s put it up big enough that you can make your desktop another excellent place to view Michigan’s second largest city!

Kalamazoo, Michigan

Posted on July 24, 2007July 25, 2007 by farlane

Looking Down, photo by chicalookate

After spending an hour yesterday afternoon exploring Kalamazoo video for our Absolute Michigan station on chime.tv, I decided to check out the slideshow of 10,000+ photos tagged “kalamazoo” on Flickr. After spending entirely too long with some really amazing photos and photographers, I have the following to report:

puja has a lot of photos near the top. This is not by chance.
I think that Kalamazoo in Photos by Erin Dorbin is probably a pretty cool book. Call it a hunch.
I’m really surprised that there aren’t more photos of the Mirrored Building.
It’s been too long since I’ve seen a show at Club Soda.
I think I want that bike too. Or a moped.
How many other cities actually produce a recognized sign of spring?
Kalamazoo has some great old houses. And buildings. And restaurants and shops. It’s interesting to see the interplay between old and new.
There’s no way I have the time this morning to explore the Kalamazoo Group, but I have to say their group description is great.
That Kalamazoo Promise thing could be so big. Imagine – education as a birthright.

Detroit’s Michigan Central Station

Posted on July 2, 2007March 18, 2025 by farlane

Michigan Central Station, 1921

The introduction to Detroit’s Michigan Central Station says the Michigan Central Station was designed by Warren & Wetmore and Reed & Stem, the firms who were the architects of New York’s Grand Central Station. It opened in 1913, and by the time this 1921 photograph (above) was taken, the Beaux Art ideal had been reached. The unique road configuration leading up to the Michigan Central, as well as the fine ambiance Roosevelt Park contributed to the scene, reveals itself to be absolutely necessary to complete the designers’ vision. (Courtesy of Manning Brothers Historical Photographic Collection)

By 1967 the main waiting room (right, click for larger view) was closed to travelers and used merely for storage; it is difficult to conceive of these splendid benches being relegated to use as a mere shelving system. Hanging on by a thread, the Michigan Central continued to operate without its restaurant or even the main park entrance. (Dave Jordano, Courtesy of the Burton Historical Collection)

In case you’re wondering, here’s a photo of the waiting room in its current state and here’s another.

The photos and captions are reprinted with permission from Detroit’s Michigan Central Station by Kelli B Kavanaugh. In addition to some history on Michigan Central Station and great old photos of the station and activity, the book includes some floorplans of MCS. It’s available from the publisher online at www.arcadiapublishing.com or by calling 888-313-2665.

View other excerpts from Arcadia Publishing’s Michigan books at Michigan in Pictures and also be sure to check out MCS 7.2.7: Transformers co-star Michigan Central Station on Absolute Michigan for more photos and some great videos too!!

Steel

Posted on June 30, 2007June 30, 2007 by Michigan in Pictures

Steel, photo by MxPx.

Construction in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Be sure to look at it bigger.

Modern Day Detroit … from above

Posted on June 26, 2007June 26, 2007 by Michigan in Pictures

modern day Detroit, photo by paulhitz.

Paul says that this photo of Comerica Park and the Detroit skyline was shot Sunday from a helicopter tour around Detroit during the Detroit International River Days Festival (held late June every year). I was going to ask Paul how the heck he managed a helicopter ride, but apparently helicopter rides from Walton Helicopter Charter were part of River Days this year.

Paul encourages you to view this picture bigger (yes, it makes a great computer background). You can also view more helicopter-eye photos of Detroit.

urban playgrounds & vanishing acts

Posted on June 19, 2007June 19, 2007 by Michigan in Pictures

bike, photo by vanessamiller.

About a month ago Vanessa was interviewed by Michigan Radio’s Jennifer Guerra about her Ruins of Detroit urban explorations project. Vanessa says:

The Detroit ruins project has been in progress in some form or another for six years. During that time we have seen Detroit grow and change. It started in High school when we treated the city’s abandoned buildings as playgrounds. We were a group of photographers that spent every day shooting. In college, some people move out of state, some just moved on, but we stayed, we kept coming back to the same places and began documenting their changes over time. We saw our favorite buildings burn to the ground and found new ones along the way. Each building has its own mysteries, that we tried to solve and its own beauty.

Check out more photos from Vanessa and others of the Detroit that just isn’t there anymore in her photostream and in the Vanished Detroit group on Flickr.