Detroit Month of Design looks at past, future and present
Month of exhibitions, events celebrates diversity of artists in the area
Detroit Month of Design, an annual monthlong celebration of art and design in Detroit held during September, will get a boost this year from the Cranbrook Academy of Art as well as the participation of local designers and students.
The focus of the Detroit Month of Design, now in its 11th year, is Detroit’s often-overlooked role as a national and global design center, organizers say. Local designers from emerging studios to established companies and educational institutions such as Cranbrook, Southfield’s Lawrence Tech, the College of Creative Studies, Central Michigan University and the University of Michigan come together to show off their latest work.
In all, Detroit Month of Design will include more than 80 in-person and virtual events and special projects, among them a lecture by New York fashion mogul Dapper Dan and guided tours by renowned landscape architect Piet Oudolf of his new perennial garden on Belle Isle.
Events will take place in all corners of the city, highlighting work that makes Detroit the only city in the United States designated a “City of Design” by UNESCO, event supporters say.
As part of the Month of Design, The Cranbrook 2D Design Department will open its doors on Sept. 30 for Open Studio, inviting small groups of interested visitors to attend guided tours through the active studios of current graduate students and Designer-in-Residence Elliott Earls.
Cranbrook’s 2D Design department explores the relationship between writing, criticism and production with an emphasis on the exper
imental. The results often exist at the threshold between design and art and are present in the studio practices of the department’s first and secondyear students.
Starting with an opening on Sept. 2, The Illuminate Gallery, 4219 Woodward Ave., showcases the work of current students and recent graduates from a variety of design disciplines at Lawrence Technological University, including graphic design, industrial design and architecture.
Detroit Month of Design also will include the “Cranbrook Chair Show.” The chair show has been a tradition for Cranbrook’s 3D design program. This year’s show will take place Sept. 24-26 at Jack Craig’s downtown studio, 2915 Mount Elliot in Detroit.
Another exhibit, occupying a space at 6001 Cass Ave., starts Sept. 4. Organized by Synedoche Design, “Discard Detroit” focuses on mid-century modern furniture pieces and their rebirth as fine art. The mid-century modern furniture is pervasive in the region because of the presence of Herman Miller, Knoll and Cranbrook Academy of Art, which could be argued served as the birthplace of mid-century modern, organizers say.
The M Contemporary Gallery, 205 E. Nine Mile in Ferndale, will host an exhibition pairing fine art and design objects staring Sept. 18. The exhibition explores the practice of collecting to enhance the built environment.
For its 11th edition, Detroit Month of Design plans to highlight the city’s unique community voice and showcase its diversity and creativity. Inclusive design prevailing around Detroit centers on people who are often left out of the design process in order to create places, products and services that allow more people to fully participate in society, organizers say.
“Through Month of Design, Design Core Detroit continues to shine a light on the strength and diversity of Detroit designers and design business that sets this community apart,” says Darin McKeever, president and CEO of the William Davidson Foundation. “The William Davidson Foundation is proud to sponsor this year’s festival and Design Core’s work to introduce and highlight Detroit designers to national and global audiences.”