Insider Guide: Vanessa Miller

Vanessa Miller is the Digital Imagining Specialist at the College for Creative Studies. She also teaches there on occasion and continues to do her own freelance photography and portrait work. “Right now I’m working on a 10-year project documenting the way the city has changed,” she says. She started the project during her senior year of high school, not expecting it to turn into a 10-year pursuit. “I needed to find a reason why I was so obsessed with it … I totally uncovered this whole group of people [working to change the city].” She hopes to have a book out documenting this decade-long journey later.

Vanessa lives in Lafayette Park, a bit of an urban oasis in the heart of the city and a mere jaunt across Gratiot Ave. to Eastern Market. She has seen a tremendous amount of artistic and cultural growth within the Market itself recently. “If you’re looking to make things and create things, check out Omnicorp Detroit,” she states. “The stuff they’re doing is really great, it’s this cool community of people [who are] very motivated … I’m not even a member or anything, I’m just their biggest fan!” Omnicorp hosts an “Open Hack Night” every other Thursday where anyone can come in and work on their various creative projects; for hands-on creativity, they also have a woodshop, an industrial sewing shop, and equipment for metal working.

Another cool place that recently opened is Signal-Return, a fully functioning print shop that uses an old-fashioned letter press for custom personal and commercial work. They also have a gallery space and a variety of books and prints for sale, and they offer workshops on using the letterpress and bookbinding. It is located right next to Division Street Boutique, a funky Detroit-centric T-shirt store (makers of the “Detroit Hustles Harder” T’s).
 
The food in Eastern Market really can’t be beat; it is the oldest open market in the country. On Saturdays the Market is buzzing with all the various produce and artisan food vendors, but even when the Market itself is closed there is still plenty of activity. Grab a slice of pizza from Supino Pizzeria featuring fresh locally-sourced produce and house-made sausage, or stop by the vegetarian-friendly Russell Street Deli for a delicious and healthy sandwich (with all ingredients sourced from right there in the Market). Vanessa says her favorite place for a hangover cure is the Farmers Restaurant, a “real greasy place.” And then there is also Vivio’s for their infamous Bloody Marys and mussels. Vanessa also loves Rocky Peanut Company for their selection of bulk candies.

During the summer, Mootown Ice Cream is the perfect place for a frosty treat (and is actually the first ice cream shop in the history of the Market), and on Saturdays nothing beats the meats at Bert’s – ribbers line Russell St. with their giant industrial grills and the smell of barbecued meat fills the air (there’s also some stellar outdoor karaoke that can be heard as far as the meat can be smelled). To buy some of your own meat to grill, don’t miss the Gratiot Central Market, also known as the “meat mall.” Eastern Market is also home to some very popular annual events, like the Dirty Show in February and the Michigan Brewer’s Guild Fall Beer Festival in October.