Events

Flint artists featured in online climate change exhibit through DCDT

Featured photo: Flint artist Ash Arder

Flint artist Desiree Duell

Midtown’s Detroit Center for Design + Technology (DCDT) may be closed to the public, but its creative staff and partners have found a way to bring its major spring exhibit and symposium right into homes. An exhibit and symposium was originally planned to be hosted live at DCDT this spring. Because the center is temporarily closed to the public due to COVID-19, the organizers worked together to bring the event to life online – for all to experience free of charge.

Titled “Yeah, What Lester Said,” the online event delves in-depth to explore the impact of climate change under the lens of architecture and the built environment.

“Yeah, What Lester Said” (after environmental activist Lester Brown) features an ongoing virtual art exhibit and several livestream panel discussions and events meant to mobilize the creative community and public.

An array of artists from Flint are featured. Desiree Duell presents Residue; a series of material experiments with contaminated Flint water on paper. Also, Ash Arder presents Experiment Station; an ongoing audio-visual body of work that examines the scientific report-a document associated with logic and fact, as a site fraught with emotional, biased observations as well.

Lester Brown, an environmental pioneer, is credited among the first to raise awareness of the impact of global climate change. He said: “Saving civilization is not a spectator sport.”

“I don’t think there could be a better time to hold an exhibition around this topic.” said Christopher Stefani, associate director of DCDT.

“The current global pandemic itself has forced us to change our ‘normal’ routine,” Stefani added. “These short term changes have highlighted the impact we have on our climate, but furthermore, how quickly things can improve. I believe we can build on the lessons in front of us. Now is the time to come together -digitally in this case-to share solutions and highlight the positive changes we can make now, and in the future.”

The show is meant to spur action using data driven art exhibits, films a sustainable architecture showcase and industry and community conversations. Those events  include:

“Yeah, What Lester Said” art exhibit is live through August 15.

  • Experience a collection of artists’ works curated by Embrace Creatives artist Leslie Sobel. This exhibit aims to educate and activate viewers on the subject of climate resilience.
  • Participating artists include: Leslie Sobel, sTo Len, Paul Hickman, Ash Arder, Diane Cheklich, Brenda Miller, Margaret Parker, Adnan Charara, Dominique Chastenet and Desiree Duell.

Creating Healthy, High-Performance Building Districts (livestream)–12-1:30 p.m. June 12

  • Learn what each district in Michigan is doing to create a healthy, high-performance building district as well as what COVID-19 is teaching about pollution and carbon emissions.
  • Speakers include Connie Lilley, executive director of Detroit 2030 District; Jan Culbertson senior principal ofA3C Collaborative Architecture and chair of the Ann Arbor 2030 District and Cheri Holman, executive director of the2030 District Grand Rapids and US Green Building Council West Michigan Chapter.

Navigating the Nuts and Bolts of Stormwater Infrastructure (livestream)–2-4 p.m. June 25

    • This is a deep dive, expert panel discussion into two newly-built Green Stormwater Infrastructure projects in Detroit, Michigan. These projects include: The Sacred Heart Church parking renovation and The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History’s Sankofa Permeable Pavers Project.
    • Moderators include Jodee Raines, executive vice president of programs for the ERB Foundation and Patrick Droze, principal at OHM Advisors.
    • Speakers include Leslie Tom, chief sustainability officer of the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History; Patrick Judd, senior manager of ECT – Ann Arbor’s Green Infrastructure Studio; Valerie Strassberg, urban conservation program director for The Nature Conservancy and Andrew McDowell, associate landscape architect at SmithGroup.

For details on these and other related events, visit https://detroit.design/lester.html.

 

 

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