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Comments:
Laura - 2005-02-07 13:08:26 We drove around the new 555 place yesterday after I dropped off some prints at the Tangent Gallery for the "Dirty Show" in Detroit. 555 looked so uninviting that Brian refused to stop. A former 555er was (and may still be) involved in the Depot Town effort. She had possession of material belonging to us (about $1000 worth) which we had for some time been trying to regain. We went to the inaugural exhibit/gathering/open house on Park Street. With some effort we actually found our stuff and were able to retrieve it. I tried to pin down the (movers and shakers) as to what they were up to and how they were going to do it, but failed to gain any insight. While Mike seemed to accurately assess me as an old crank, he appeared to think about my questions. I had quite an enjoyable evening there, although I drank altogether too much wine. Nevertheless, the building presented a fun place to look around.* * * * * * * * * * * * Laura - 2005-02-07 14:40:30 I'm delighted to hear from someone who actually has been there & took pictures, no less. Looks like a pretty huge space. I hope the fact that this building is a brownfield of sorts doesn't impede the construction of rentable studios. * * * * * * * * * * * * raymond - 2005-02-07 14:52:02 I shuddered as I watched a little girl rolling around and playing on the floor. We felt lucky to get our stuff out of the dripping damp. My three large pictures in a back room were about a week away from mold.* * * * * * * * * * * * Laura - 2005-02-07 14:59:40 Didn't the article say they scraped half an inch of yutz off the floor? Still looks kinda dirty in that group photo you posted. Lord knows what-all's in that building. What sort of stuff builds up in a machine shop? If there are toxins there, it is worrisome because although in theory people will have just temporarily-occupied studios, those studios will probably serve as overnight crash pads for some people, as the studios in the now-burned Ann Arbor studio complex did. * * * * * * * * * * * * raymond - 2005-02-07 15:55:58 I've watched that property for a while in the newspapers. It's been (and still is) available to rent for $5,000 per month. Some of my questions were about how artists could scrape this up. Other questions were about security, as the group stated opposition to partitions. These questions and others remain. As to the toxicity of the place, indeed much was scraped from the floor and/or painted over to seal it. The environment may not be too bad unless you crawl around. Motor vehicle storage and repair inside the building might pose some risk. But it must be nice not to have to wallow in the gravel, mud, or snow to work on cars, trucks, and motorcycles. I wouldn't know. I've read your thoughts about boarded-up buildings in Ypsi, therefore I'll forego making any connections with the art efforts and any other structures about which I might have knowledge. I'll also not comment on statements of the downtown establishment which seem to take some credit for the activity on Park Street. The Cool $100,000 grant seems destined to provide an annex for EMU graduate art students, not for the hacks and visionaries of the streets and alleys. While I find the Park Street ambitions murky, I admire the resolve of the group.* * * * * * * * * * * * Laura - 2005-02-07 16:00:04 Well, as soon as you say "forgo making any connections" of course I'm instantly curious to know what you mean. I don't despise boarded-up buildings. Unsightly as they may be, that is part of the grit of Ypsi. It does seem a bit off to give the CC grant to a project for EMU students, in lieu of local talent. * * * * * * * * * * * * brett - 2005-02-07 16:17:49 What irritated me about this article was the references to how it sounds (much as gallery 555 did) like ann arborites just taking advantage of the slightly lower rent here, but maintaining their AA residence and community identity. As Raymond said, us non-emu, non-AA 'hacks and visionaries' are still out of the opportunity loop.* * * * * * * * * * * * Scott - 2005-02-07 20:32:00Hey yall! While I agree with some of the views expressed here, I beleive that any possitive opportunity is a good one for the thought alone. Meaning, having lived in Ypsi for almost 12 years and seeing all the cool and exciting items and business that have come and go, I still hold on the dream. Of scourse, I'm sure one deam we all share whre there is a pure sense of community and ambition on all levels. Of course this is sadled with the leaning shadow of the PRAA, but I also hope that it stays quiet, real quiet. I miss everything about Ypsi, more than ever.* * * * * * * * * * * * Scott - 2005-02-07 20:35:19 Oh, Ray I also enjoyed your website and all the work featured there. As an Alum of the Cta Dept., I miss the Halcyon Days of eating at the 2-b cafe and wondering if the basement will flood this year. I so hate North Carolina* * * * * * * * * * * * Laura - 2005-02-07 21:12:06 Brett: yeah, I caught that "hacks and visionaries" bit too. Makes us sound like a bunch of moon-baying scribblers scrawling manifestos on the backs of envelopes. There are an awful lot of highly talented people in Ypsi--try Naia Venturi, for one, who runs the Dreamland and has more talent in her little finger...try Raymond for two, who puts on a mesmerizing puppet show...then there's Mark Maynard, who with his wife puts out Crimewave...and on and on. Scott: It is nice to hear from you and get a little postcard of sorts from NC. But I'm sorry you don't like it there. My family used to vacation on the Outer Banks every year--before it was built up so much--so I only have fond memories of NC.* * * * * * * * * * * * brett - 2005-02-07 22:01:53 i think you misunderstood my meaning. As a moonbaying envelope manifesto scribbler myself, i think being called a hack and visionary is a definite complement. I won't get into splitting hairs on the issue of who has talent in this town and who doesn't, and I would also suggest you not either, but I will say that historically speaking most great artists were undervalued until they'd been dead some time, so by sheer odds there are certainly dozens of talented individuals in the city limits who nobody has even heard of. I think the issue at hand has to do with a sense of community identity. We don't need to have a civil war or anything, but we don't need to pretend that ann arborites are ypsilantians, and we should recognize that emu should provide some sort of identity to its students, or at least some fucking studio space, so that when we say "Ypsilanti Artist Group" we're really talking about a group of artists attached to the city itself. I would be very excited to see some arts group, comprised of 'real' locals, get organized FIRST and then worry about getting a communal studio/exhibit space later on. I don't think that many great art movements began because everyone was renting a cubicle in the same warehouse space. * * * * * * * * * * * * Laura - 2005-02-07 22:37:42Brett: I was just naming people I've met whom I regard as talented, and I see no reason not to. Opinions may differ--that's fine. Obviously I haven't met everyone in Ypsi. And I'm with you on the community-identity thing--that was my point; studio space should go to locals. EMU has its own resources. But I don't know if I agree with your "arts group first, studio space later" argument. The reason for that is that when I visited 555 and saw all the little art warrens different artists had built in the building, I really got the feeling of a bubbling cross-pollination going on just by virtue of artists grouped together. It was an exciting feeling. Perhaps such a space can foster the solidarity and creative output of an ad hoc arts group.* * * * * * * * * * * * Brett - 2005-02-07 23:39:01 My main contention is with the AA news and the way they report the story, which lists numerous "sample artists" who seem to almost exclusively be from AA. Plus, there seems to be a carry-over from 555, which made some fairly disparaging comments about our city while they were here, and promptly beat it to detroit when the building closed. I didn't appreciate the line "the working class solidarity of Ypsilanti", which to me is the typical ann arbor fascination with some sort of poseur faux-grittiness. While I'm quoting, the comment " it's about creating culture in Ypsilanti" also seemed a little paternalistic and offensive. To answer your question, though, I agree that a group of people in close proximity can tend to end up working together (or savagely murdering one another). I just think this is a mixed group of ann arborite and emu students trying to pose as 'street-wise ypsilanti artists', which they aren't. Goulet giving a big 'cool thumbs up' doesn't help much, either. Ypsilanti is continuing its meandering course towards entropy, and to me this only speeds up the proccess as it's one more reason for people to think it isn't happening.* * * * * * * * * * * * brett - 2005-02-08 11:15:53as i don't want to keep coming off as a grumpy old bastard, and i see nowhere else to post this, i thought i'd change the subject and share this item from the AA news on the same day, in the police beat section: Gunman tries to hold up McDonald's A masked gunman is still at large after attempting to rob a McDonald's Restaurant in the 1000 block of Huron River Drive in Ypsilanti Friday night. Ypsilanti police reported that a 27-year-old male worker and a 22-year-old female worker closed the store about 11:30 and were walking to their cars when they were approached by a man wearing a ski mask and carrying a handgun. The man ordered the employees back into the restaurant and told them to open the safe. The male worker told the gunman that he didn't have the combination. The worker said the gunman didn't believe him and pointed the gun at his coworker. The gunman then hit the male worker on the back of the head with the gun, which discharged and shot a hole through a wall, the police report said. The gunman told the male worker to find the telephone number of someone who knew the combination but the worker was unable to locate a number, the report said. The workers told police that the gunman ordered them to lie on the floor and not move, and he left. Ypsilanti police and Eastern Michigan University police officers patrolled for the area for anyone matching a description of the gunman. Pittsfield Township's police K-9 unit responded. The tracking ended at an apartment construction site on Huron River Drive. (endquote) Now, who can guess what the apartment construction site was? Here's a clue...Part of it recently got a new life....as Art!* * * * * * * * * * * * Laura - 2005-02-08 11:20:40Great. Not even built and it's already a crime scene. Bad karma. However, ignorant as usual, I'm afraid I'm a bit fuzzy on what you mean by "part of it recently got a new life...as art."* * * * * * * * * * * * brett - 2005-02-08 11:34:47 "The developer ... suggested preserving the smokestack as an icon in remembrance to the history of the paper mill," said Nathan Voght, Ypsilanti city planner. "He showed from the beginning a sensitivity to the heritage of that site and the history of the city."* * * * * * * * * * * * Laura - 2005-02-08 11:36:36 Duh. Sorry. Forgot about that. I thought someone had taken liberties with a can of spraypaint on all those temptingly empty walls. Has anyone peeked inside these nascent buildings?* * * * * * * * * * * * brett - 2005-02-08 12:19:06 considering most of the walls are still open, i don't think you need to go inside to see what's there- wood. and the occasional wanted fugitive, of course. The thing that has started to bother me recently, is that they're currently lining the first story of the building with a brick facade. Thousands of bricks are piled up , or already in place, and they have a Christo-like plastic sheet covering sections that are curing. Now, the thing that occurred to me, is that i distinctly remember an even larger amount of perfectly reusable bricks that composed the paper mill, which i watched get ground into dust just a few months ago. * * * * * * * * * * * * Laura - 2005-02-08 12:27:23I imagine they didn't want the "historic" look but rather a bland "new" look. Anyways, what's with this brick facade stuff recently? The whole Life Sciences building in downtown AA that I pass every day is covered with cheap-looking brick facade. It isn't staggered like brick, and you can tell just by looking that it's only an inch or so deep. It's so cheap- and fake-looking. And it's just decoration, not a strong structural component. I can't help but think it represents the values of those who would build with what amounts to an optical illusion, trying to fool the viewer into thinking the building is much sturdier than it really is. * * * * * * * * * * * * brett - 2005-02-08 12:48:17 in the first and only defense i'll ever make for edwards communities, they are using what appear to be real, full-sized bricks, although they obviously serve no structural purpose whatsoever. I realize the paper mill bricks did mainly have dings and residual mortar making them 'inappropriate' to the look the apartments are going for, but i think they could certainly (as some builders do) have piled them up and briefly made them available free to the people of the community for things like patios, walkways, etc. Instead, as i said, they ran them through a rock crusher and put them in a landfill. * * * * * * * * * * * * brett - 2005-02-08 12:52:23 ....and before someone tells me the bricks may have had residual contaminants, let me add that they were the exact same bricks composing the chimney, which is probably the epicenter of contamination in any old mill, and which, as i understand, has gotten a new life.....as art!* * * * * * * * * * * * Laura - 2005-02-08 12:53:12 I agree with you in principle, and I would have picked up some bricks had they offered some. However, they may well have crushed them because that's (guessing) SOP in a brownfield situation. They don't want some kid to keel over after licking their mom's new patio.* * * * * * * * * * * * brett - 2005-02-08 12:55:14 hopefully they'll have some "No licking" signs on the chimney, then. * * * * * * * * * * * * laura - 2005-02-08 12:59:49 Oops, our comments crossed there. Yes, "No Licking" signs may ward off disaster. Which reminds me of a cartoon I saw the other day. It showed a downtown street scene with a big "Taste of Downtown" festival banner. One person was licking a lamppost. A woman licked the curb. A guy was licking the street, and another was slurping on a doorknob. * * * * * * * * * * * * Brett - 2005-02-08 13:01:17 since I've already hijacked this thread once, i figured i'd do it a second time just because i'm in a sour mood. Raymond and I have both noticed that there are a few insular individuals in our community who clearly have money to spend, and who are in the process of stockpiling a great amount of interesting historical items for no clear purpose. So, in an effort to frustrate their plans i thought i'd point out that this little gem ends around 7 p.m. tonight (tuesday), and is currently being bid on by one of them. So, if anyone out there has some cash to spare, give 'ypsi1' a run for their money. * * * * * * * * * * * * Laura - 2005-02-08 13:06:28Hm. Who are these insular individuals? Were I not at work (and I won't get home till after 7) I'd bid this guy up in a minute.* * * * * * * * * * * * brett - 2005-02-08 13:11:24 who, indeed. I say 'insular' because i tried contacting one of them in a very friendly 'i love history, too' sort of manner, and got no response whatsoever. ...and Just because someone might try and make a sinister connection here, i should clarify that I am NOT the seller on the auction, btw.* * * * * * * * * * * * raymond - 2005-02-08 16:00:55I enjoy the ad copy, "Any boy with ordinary intelligence can use it." There must have been a shirtage of such boys, thus leading to the demise of Thompson, block and all. We have a hoof trimmer which boasts, "Even a boy can do it." It's the damnest infernal tool I have. I should have ordered a boy when I got it.* * * * * * * * * * * * Laura - 2005-02-08 16:03:26 It's a lovely little item...hope someone outbids ypsi1.* * * * * * * * * * * * raymond - 2005-02-08 16:10:05 "shirtage" of boys? uh huh. At the exhibit/rave at the Park St place a while ago one piece of art (?) was conceptual. On a school desk ran a filmstrip projector. The projector was aimed at a wall to which was attached another desk. An image was projected on the desktop of the desk on the wall from the desktop of the one on the floor. I think the filmstrip was about geography, but it might have been about weather or the solar system. Remembrance drained away with the flow of wine. A boy (youth?) of quirky intelligence put it together.* * * * * * * * * * * * Laura - 2005-02-08 16:15:02 Sounds pretty interesting. * * * * * * * * * * * * brett - 2005-02-08 16:52:34 I was actually thinking yesterday as i made Kluski for dinner (a polish dish, yes, but of no relation to paczki) how i wished i had bought a wooden cabbage slicer i saw on ebay a while back that was also made by Thompson. I've seen them a few times on ebay, so I think it must have been one of their better sellers in the late 19th century. Whether a boy of average intelligence could operate one, though, i don't know. * * * * * * * * * * * * brett - 2005-02-08 20:35:41 update- someone with the user id 'wrenchguy' ended up winning the thompson card for $15. * * * * * * * * * * * * add your comment: |