More than 77 'design happenings' will take place as part of the inaugural Detroit Design Festival (DDF), beginning Wednesday, Sept. 21 and running rough Sept. 28.
The eight-day design festival will feature lectures, exhibitions, fashion shows, workshops, interactive installations, art battles, studio tours, and performances at 50 different venues across Detroit. Read Model D Startup editor Jon Zemke's report
here.
DDF officially begins on Wednesday, Sept. 21 at a kick-off party from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at New Center Park, 2900 W. Grand Blvd. An evening of music, fashion and design will celebrate the start of the eight-day festival. It is free to attend, but please RSVP
here.
DDF is the first-known crowd-sourced design festival in Detroit, meaning all of the 'design happenings' that are scheduled to take place during the eight-day festival were developed by, and will be executed by, designers and creative people from across the metro Detroit area.
Detroit Creative Corridor Center solicited proposals from the local creative community. After the submission period ended DC3 helped the organizers secure their venues and prepare for the festival. DC3 was also able to provide $15,000 in micro-grants with a special boost in sponsorship from Quicken Loans to support the 'happenings.' Some of the 'design happenings' include:
- Three Design Stars in Three Acts: What's Your Latest Obsession? Sept. 22, 6 p.m. at the Fillmore Theatre, 2115 Woodward Ave, downtown Detroit. Three storied, award winning designers partners from Goodby Silverstein & Partners--Rich Silverstein, Keith Anderson and Christian Haas--gather to share what they are currently obsessing about in design.
- D's Creatures Sept. 24, 6 p.m. at the Dagleish Cadillac Building, 6161 Woodward Ave., Detroit. A collection of large scale creatures (sculptures). Each represents a specific aspect of Detroit life, history, or culture that has been pulled from the minds of Detroit artists.
- EAT.SLEEP.DRAW. Sept. 24, 3-8 p.m. at Red Door Gallery, 7500 Oakland Street, Detroit. This event unmasks the cliché of the starving artist who simply eats, sleeps and draws each day of his or her life.
- Art Battle Sept. 28, 3 -- 8 p.m. at the Alley Project (TAP) Gallery, 9233 Avis, Detroit. An art battle is about an experience of art in motion where the public is living through the process of what the artists is creating. It's a mix of art and performance and is about raw art being created in a raw environment where much of the focus is on engaging the community.
The majority of the 'design happenings' are free to attend, however there are some that do have a fee. The schedule is up
here.
The Detroit Creative Corridor Center (DC3) is a business accelerator focused on helping creative sector businesses grow. Supported by Business Leaders for Michigan and the College for Creative Studies, the DC3's vision is to establish Detroit as a global center of creative business, creative innovation and creative talent.
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