Ice House Detroit print showing in Auckland, New Zealand

The final print from the Ice House Detroit project will be shown in Auckland, New Zealand in July as part of a group show entitled Rapid Change. I'll be making the trip, while Greg works on a new installation in Detroit. Please let anyone know who is in the region. If anyone has any suggestions on sightseeing, I will be there for 10 days, from July 8 - July 18.

-Matthew

Rapid Change
Te Tuhi Centre For the Arts

Auckland, New Zealand

Show Dates: July 9 - September 4, 2011
Opening Saturday, July 9 at 2pm

Rapid Change features nine artists who have explored cities facing periods of major transformation. Focusing on Auckland, Detroit, Hong Kong, Liverpool and New York works in the exhibition consider the politics and societal impact of change in the urban environment.

While cities are continually in a state of flux there is often concentrated periods of rapid change that dramatically shape urban landscapes and greatly impact communities. Auckland is currently at the beginning of such a period. The rapid merger of eight regional councils into one 'Super-city' government together with the electoral promise of rapid public transport has set Auckland on a course of major transformation. By looking at significant changes in cities around the world Rapid Change considers Auckland's past and future urban landscape within a global context.

Artists include: Anu Pennanen, Dieneke Jansen, Elisapeta Heta, Gregory Holm, Matthew Radune, Peter Wareing, Stefan Canham, Reuben Moss and Rufina Wu
Curated by Bruce E. Phillips

Art Prize Update

Hello to our Ice House friends and supporters!

Our time at Art Prize has been great thus far. It's been a real treat to see the new 7 ft print and film displayed at the Women's City Club in Grand Rapids, and meet other artists and art lovers in the community. If you're in the area this weekend or upcoming week we'd love your support! You must activate your voting status in person at the event in order to vote. Here are all the details. Our text voting ID is 51341.

If you're in the Detroit area and would like to visit us in Grand Rapids, you're in luck -- there are still some spots on the bus! The bus will leave this Sunday at 10 AM from 12050 Hall Road in Macomb County, and return in the afternoon. Please email me for the details and to reserve your spot! greg@softboxphoto.com

Thanks to all for your continued support. See you in Grand Rapids!

Ice House Detroit is organizing a field trip to the Grand Rapids Art Prize!

The bus will leaving Sept 26 from a location still to be determined within Detroit.

We're organizing a bus trip to Grand Rapids from a central location driving directly to Grand Rapids and returning back after a few hours of taking in the art in GR. Once in Grand Rapids there will be free mini bus service to all 7 of the curated venues.

Documentation of the Ice House Detroit project will be in the Women's City Club.
It is an 1860's Heritage Hill two-story Italianate Villa home which survives as one of the remaining examples of this style of architecture in the latter part of the 19th century.

I am excited to display my new 7 foot print in its MOMA-produced frame, alongside the film which was recently transferred to bluray in high def. But I Imagine there will a lot of good work to see!
Special guest bus busker, Matthew Varvil!

Please RSVP to this event via the facebook event page.
It costs $20 per person, and lunch will be made available.

Ice House Detroit Final Image and Film to be shown at ArtPrize Festival in Grand Rapids Michigan

Gregory and I are glad to announce that we will finally be exhibiting a large-scale print of the final image taken during the Ice House Detroit project, in addition to the film that Greg worked on. We both were interested in showing the work first in Michigan, and when we were asked to be a part of the Artprize city-wide arts competition happening in Grand Rapids this fall, we decided that would be a an amazing place to start.

Artprize is a massive undertaking which matches up more than 1200 artists from around the world with venues across the city of Grand Rapids, Michigan. It is also a public competition where prizes are awarded based on votes cast by anyone who is in Grand Rapids to see the festival during the time period of September 22 through October 10. If you are in or near Grand Rapids during this time, please check out our work. It will be on view at the Women's City Club, located in a historical Italianate building near downtown. All of the work in the Women's City Club was curated by Michelle Bosak of Kendall College of Art and Design. Thanks goes to Michelle.

I hear there is a text voting system to be used by those that register at Artprize in Grand Rapids, and our Text Voting ID is 51341 to vote yes for us. More info to follow on the voting process.

Artprize Arts Festival

Grand Rapids, MI

September 22- October 10

Our Venue

Women's City Club

254 East Fulton St

Grand Rapids, MI

Recently, I talked to Khalilah Burt Gaston of the State of Michigan Land Bank, who gave me the updated news on their nascent deconstruction program in Detroit.

So for everyone out there, this is the report I was given:

The Michigan State Land Bank is moving forwards with their plans to start deconstructing instead of demolishing homes in the Detroit area. They have sent a Request For Proposals to 8 or 9 local nonprofits to do the first phase of work, and these are due back around July 21. The first phase of deconstruction work will involve 9 homes, of which the Ice House Detroit project property is one. So the Ice House Detroit house will be deconstructed during the month of August or early September.

As a reminder, Gregory and I stipulated with the State of Michigan Land Bank that deconstruction of the house be one of the conditions upon which our contractual lease of the house, and our financial contribution to them, would be based.

Matthew

Demolition sounds great, but in my knowledge, American urban history does not look kindly on population relocation, whatever the reasoning, because its always political who is being moved, whether for a new highway, new developments, or any other reason. There's always a good chance the people making the decisions for relocation are not the ones being relocated. It affects the integrity and history of neighborhoods and cities alike.

When Mayor Bloomberg of New York City made 220 people including myself homeless in 2007 by allowing a forced "evacuation" of a loft building with 5 hours notice, I certainly thought there were other options that could have been explored. I feel like there are other options in this case also, and will be curious to see what happens.

-Matthew

Detroit spring demolition begins April 1 2010

Today Mayor Dave Bing began to make good on his promise of tearing down 3,000 vacant buildings before the end of the year. Crews started early this morning in the Delray neighborhood at 1123 Lewerenz St and as of an hour ago the crew had moved on to their second demolition site near the intersection of 14th St. and Martin Luther King.

Recently, two separate surveys revealed that nearly 1 in 3 Detroit lots are either vacant or abandoned.

The Detroit Data Collaborative's block-by-block analysis of about 343,849 residential parcels found that about 64 percent contained occupied housing, nearly 10 percent had vacant homes and more than 26 percent were empty lots.

The survey conducted in August and September found 219,511 occupied homes, 33,529 vacant homes and 91,488 vacant lots. It also said 86 percent of homes appeared to be in good condition, while another 9 percent needed minor repairs.

Whereas most homes in disrepair are demolished, the Michigan State Land Bank has repeated that it is their intention to deconstruct the Ice House Detroit property on McClellan St. Theirs is a unique project that disassembles rather than deconstructs homes so that the materials can be reused and recycled.

Also today, on what feels like the first day of spring in New York, Matthew and me met to discuss the book design which we are beginning to lay out. The book will document the production process of the Ice House Detroit installation from beginning to end, including stories from Ice House neighbors. The book will be given as a reward to those that donated to our project and will also be made available through local channels.