Ismael Duran and Lydia Gutierrez invite you to celebrate “A Christmas Posadas and Bazar,” in their new proposed art and cultural center in development. The Garage Cultural Center of Art and Creativity located at 3429 Livernois & Otis in Southwest Detroit will be open to the public on Friday, December 16th from 4pm-9pm and Saturday, December 17th from 12pm (noon)- 7pm. There will be Arts & Crafts, Entertainment, Traditional foods, a Photographic Exhibit, a Kid’s Ceramic Show, and Christmas songs. The event is free and free exhibitor’s tables are available. Bring something nice to donate to the Center, anything from an old chair, art work, some nails, screws, paint, piece of furniture, etc. and show your support for this new community initiative. Below is the official flyer information, and contact information.



The project team for Earth and Sky Repose is a cooperative effort between two diverse artists Tom Davis and Karen Sepanski. Both have successfully produced numerous public, commercial and private commissions in locations throughout the nation. Tom, a master stone mason, will be working primarily on site to oversee and install the hard-scape features, the cistern dome, the glass mosaic, the sculptures and benches, and the site mechanics. He will also assist in the fabrication of the basalt columns and benches. Glass artist Karen Sepanski, will be coordinating student activity int he studio to create sculptures and benches for the project, and will assist Tom in the installation of the sculpture and benches. Tom will coordinate small groups of youth and community members, who along with experienced contractors and emerging artists, will facilitate on-site installation.

By bringing this collection of talented individuals together, we will foster a sense of pride and accomplishment that will permeate the very fabric of the Northend community.

Earth and Sky Repose – Northend

There are a number of C+PAD art projects that will begin in the next few months, and artists are looking for youth to be involved. This is a huge opportunity for youth in the Northend, Cody Rouge and Osborn neighborhoods to develop their portfolios and get an opportunity to work with local artists on projects that connect with the community, and gain hands-on experience working with different mediums.

Projects include:

• Earth & Sky Repose led by artists Tom Davis & Karen Sepanski, with help from Northend Community Garden leader Jerry Ann Hebron,
• The Food Justice Amphitheater led by Nivek Monet & Lindsey Jewel in Rouge Park in the Cody Rouge neighborhood, and
• The Edible Hut project in Osborn led by Mira Burack and Kate Daughdrill in Calimera Park with help from community leaders Linda Vinson and Malik Yakini.

If you are interested or know someone who is interested in working on these projects, please contact us at the C+PAD office. 313-664-1549 or CPAD@collegeforcreativestudies.edu.

The tree at the center of the reading garden has been sculpted, and the mold making has begun.  The tree was modeled after an Elm tree in the Detroit neighborhood of Claytown  and was enlarged to eleven feet in diameter. The tree stump will be cast in concrete and will contain a time capsule for the community to contribute to and access every five years.

Once installed, the tree will act as the center piece of the reading garden with four larger than life sculptures of neighborhood children on and around it.  A ring of bricks salvaged from the demolished Munger and Chadsey schools will be placed around the tree along with casts of bricks made by community members.

Anyone wishing to personalize a brick can contact 555 Gallery (Monte Martinez), Sheila Crowell, or C+PAD. Be a part of Detroit history in Chadsey/Condon and Claytown!

As a part of this year’s ArtPrize competition, 555′s Carl and Monte sculpted Spawning Helix, and installed the 12ft tall by 16ft long sculpture at the Plante Moran building located adjacent to the Grand Rapids Fish Ladder Park on the Grand River.

The sculpture was inspired by the spawning salmon making their way up the Fish Ladder Sculpture which allows the salmon to swim up river to spawn. The sculpture was conceived, sculpted, and installed in a two month time period with help from Alonzo Edwards, Charles Toeppe, Terrel Shaw, Larry Halbert, Eric Froh, Keith Phillips, and Norm Kobylarz. Support from Kellie Goines and Erin Martinez was invaluable.

Combining elements of a traditional hut, an outdoor sculpture, a neighborhood garage, and an edible garden, this project will be a collaborative process that includes a team of artists, architects, community members, youth from the neighborhood and teachers and students from the Nsoroma Institute. Facilitating this piece will be artists Mira Burack and Kate Daughdrill, who are collaborating with Charlie O’Green, and Tadd Heidgerken on the drafting, engineering, construction and architectural design of the space. Offering a location for community activities, the edible hut can be used to find shade while gardening, serve summer lunches, hold outdoor classes, sell vegetables from the garden and come together for meals, meetings, music and shared activities.

The walls of the hut will be constructed of reclaimed materials from a well-maintained, de-constructed Detroit garage, relating the hut to the familiar architecture within the neighborhood. The roof will be a garden of perennial plants such as strawberries, thyme, lavender and mint, while the inside of the space will incorporate peaceful colors to create an enchanting space for gathering, rest and pleasure.

Edible Hut Description

The landscape will be constructed with reclaimed materials gathered to be preserved and restored for use from former demolished Chadsey/Munger school sites.

For the garden pathways, bricks were reclaimed from the school sites as they were being demolished in March 2011. Individuals from the neighborhood and members of Bridging Communities, Inc. worked diligently to secure the donation of bricks from the Detroit Public Schools for the projects, and cleaned them for use in the piece.

Artists Monte Martinez and Carl Goines work on the tree trunk casting, while neighborhood families decorate bricks in a project-sponsored workshop at the Conley Library that included brick-making workshops for youth and adults creating clay pieces to be included in the Reading Garden pathway.The child figures will also be modeled after four youth selected from children who are active members of the library community.

These photos are from a community brick making workshop, and also images of the projected finished piece.

Chadsey Condon Sept 2011 – Click on the link to download the flier for the project.