Family Reunion
Over 80 CultureSource members joined us for discussions with Executive Director Omari Rush, Rev. Moose of National Independent Venue Association and Angelique Power of The Field Foundation. We were joined by representatives from Pewabic Pottery, Metropolitan Museum of Design Detroit, Arts & Scraps, Signal Return, Jewish Ferndale, Detroit Experience Factory, WDET Public Radio and more!
We Got the (Bold) Moves
To continue to thrive and showcase local talent throughout the pandemic, CultureSource members have made bold moves to keep audiences engaged.
- Anne Dak Marine, Eisenhower Dance Detroit
As a school of dance and performance company, Eisenhower Dance Detroit has embraced virtual dance as a way to bring the highest quality instruction to students at home. Through the online course Insiders Guide to Contemporary Dance and Cocktail & Conversation hours, students and faculty are finding new ways to connect and learn.
- Mary Jarman, Detroit Chamber Winds & Strings
The show must go on, even in 2020. Detroit Chamber Winds & Strings presented Sila: Breath of the World in August 2020 on the Cranbrook campus in Bloomfield Hills. The live music festival welcomed 68 in-person audience members and hundreds more online. Over 30 musicians, spaced 15 feet apart, performed pieces exploring the synergy between music and the environment.
- Kathy Vander, Digital Arts Film and Television
Thanks to a Creators of Culture grant awarded by CultureSource, DAFT empowered students from the Detroit School of Arts High School to capture stories from their communities and bring them to life through video and digital storytelling. Learn more about how DAFT supports broadcast and cinematic arts education.
Breaking the Binary
Angelique Power of The Field Foundation challenged us to unpack our own biases and consider that discussions about anti-racism require us to address cross-cultural issues beyond the relationship between black and white communities. Power asked members to consider ways arts and cultural organizations can support marginalized communities and empower them to tell their own stories. “The community that is holding us accountable will tell us if we’ve made a little progress,” said Power. But change is slow and incremental, Power warned. Identifying the problem is only the first step; Tearing down systems of oppression is fast, while rebuilding a society to fulfil the utopian vision will take time. Power recommends taking small actions each day to help dismantle our own biases and set aside time to learn about the experiences of the various communities within the BIPOC label.
Save Our Stages
Rev. Moose, Executive Director/Co-Founder of National Independent Venue Association, spoke about the Save Our Stages Act, which passed in December as part of the COVID-19 relief package. The bill helps provide long-term financial aid to shuttered businesses and support for live-event workers and artists. The bill received bipartisan support in Congress and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) even wore a “Save Our Stages” mask to the Inauguration of 46th President Joe Biden. “This has been the work of thousands… I want to say thank you for that,” said Moose. Learn more about Save Our Stages.
Zoom, I Think We Should Take a Break…
The March Biannual meeting was the first hosted through HopIn. Featuring a main stage, live-chats, breakout sessions and networking opportunities, HopIn helped connect members in new ways and provided a much needed break from Zoom. Learn more about upcoming virtual events with our program calendar.
