The Detroit Area is home to some of the 20th Century’s most outstanding works of Modern design – and we are taking a week to celebrate it!
Events range from lectures on Modernism and interior design to tours of downtown Detroit architecture to the Michigan Modernism Show’s special Preview Party.
Enjoy a Modern dialog with Tom Verwest
Hosted by our friends at Scott Shuptrine and Detroit Area Art Deco Society
Thursday, April 16, 2015 6:30pm-8:30pm
RSVP: Click here
Charge: Free
Complimentary wine and appetizers
Location: 32301 Woodward Avenue Royal Oak
Interior Designer and prominent collector of 20th century design, Tom Verwest likes to think of himself as unpretentious, spending his efforts to deliver value to the client. His approach is always to deliver quality design, unique products, and an ability to blend a modern day furnishings with vintage pieces. A veteran of the design business, and member of the Detroit Area Art Deco Society pared with his modern esthetic, Tom’s award winning work has been extensively published throughout his 25-year career. Tom has an uncanny ability to see a project through his client’s eyes.
Enter to WIN a set of 2 tickets to the Michigan Modernism Preview Party!
Scott Shuptrine’s galleries are not only fine furnishings showrooms and design studios, they are venues for community, cultural, arts, entertainment and fundraising functions that continue to serve the company mission of lifestyle and charity.
BIKE: Detroit’s Most Modern Neighborhood – Palmer Park
Thursday, April 16, 2015 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM
RSVP: Click here
Palmer Park Pool House, 910 Merrill Plaisance St, Detroit
Sponsored by: UnitedHealthcare Community Plan
People for Palmer Park and Detroit Area Art Deco Society will set out on bike to explore the history of Palmer Park and the history and artistry of the adjacent National Historic Register apartment district. Once the epitome of grandeur, the district includes the work of some of Detroit’s best architects. Built between 1924 and the 1950s, this impressive area is undergoing major revitalization with multiple buildings undergoing renovations, a handful of which are already completed.
American Dreaming: Detroit’s Golden Age of Automotive Design 1946-1973, Opening Reception
Friday, April 17, 2015 4pm-8pm
RSVP: Click here
Charge: Free
Location: Lawrence Tech University, 21000 W. 10 Mile Rd., Southfield – Technology & Learning Center Gallery
Exhibition Information: Click here
Join us at the opening reception and meet and greet with many of the designers as they discuss the impact that Automotive Design has made on the world.
Rodell Smith started drawing cars in grade school in the early 1930s. More than 80 years later, at 92, he’s still drawing them on the days he feels up to it. Mr. Smith worked nearly 40 years as a professional automotive stylist at Ford and Chrysler, and along with thousands of other mostly unheralded artists and craftsmen, he helped define the look of American progress in an era fueled by 300-horsepower optimism.
“American Dreaming” was organized by Robert Edwards, a Detroit-area collector and documentary filmmaker who had started noticing midcentury design sketches at local garage and estate sales. When he discovered that a number of retired designers lived in his suburb, Royal Oak, his interest grew.
“These were artists who impacted American culture in a huge way,” he said. “But their stories were not being told.”
The “American Dreaming” exhibition runs through May 2 at Lawrence Technological University in Southfield, Mich.
Tour Lafayette Park
Saturday, April 18, 2015 11am-1pm
RSVP: Click here
Charge: Free
Guide: Neil McEachern
Location: 1300 East Lafayette, Detroit
Lafayette Park was planned as a large, post-war, modernist housing development. Urban planner Ludwig Hilberseimer collaborated with architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and landscape architect Alfred Caldwell.
Join resident Neil McEachern and begin your tour at 1300 Lafayette East Cooperative. Tour a really well-done co-op on the 16th floor overlooking the neighborhood and get the download on the history of the area, the architecture and see how it relates to downtown and the rest of the city. From there you’ll walk through the area observing the exterior architecture and the landscaping. We also stop in at a unit so you can see the interior and how the design works.
Back story: miesdetroit.org
Lost Tiki Restaurants of Detroit
Saturday, April 18, 2015 2pm-4pm / SOLD OUT
RSVP: Click here
Charge: Free
Location: 2121 Cass Ave., Detroit
Tour Detroit’s Art Deco Gems: The Fisher & Guardian Buildings with Pure Detroit
Charge: Free
At Pure Detroit, we believe our mission is greater than being the favorite Detroit tee in your dresser drawer. We believe in re-investing in brick-&-mortar business throughout the city and adding to the cultural cache. That cultural cache part? That’s where our free tours of the Fisher & Guardian Buildings come into play.
These are not two of the most beautiful skyscrapers in the city, state or country. They are two of the most beautiful skyscrapers in the world and they are right here in the heart of Detroit. Need a better reason to join us?
In celebration of Detroit Modernism Week please join us for the following free tours:
The Fisher Building, Saturday, April 18 — 11am RSVP: Click here
Learn intimate details as well as see firsthand the exquisite design and ornamentation of the interior arcade including one-of-a-kind mosaics, painted ceilings, Art Deco chandeliers and the finest craftsmanship in stone, brass and bronze. The tour will feature an extensive history of the building as well as a trip to the 19th floor for excellent photo opportunities.
The Guardian Building, Saturday, April 25 — 11am RSVP: Click here
See first hand the intricate design and exquisite detail of Wirt C. Rowland’s artistic achievement, including works by muralist Erza Winter, tile installations by Pewabic Pottery’s Mary Chase Stratton and sculpture by Corrado Parducci. The Guardian Building is a National Historic Landmark. The tour begins at our Pure Detroit shop in the retail promenade of the Guardian Building.
A Retro Brunch at the Zenith
Sunday, April 19, 2pm
RSVP: Click here
Charge: Brunch on your own (tiki talk begins at 2pm)
Location: Fisher Building, 3011 W. Grand Blvd., Detroit
Join your friends for a Retro Modern Brunch at one of Detroit’s latest additions on the dining scene. Collector and owner Melissa Jasper has been collecting vintage treasures for over 20 years. Her collection surrounds you as you take in fun installations throughout the restaurant including the paint by numbers room, vintage beverage signage and our favorite the Calypso sign from Cedar Pointe. Melissa will provide a guided tour at 2:00.
A Very Modern Martini Happy Hour at Centaur
Tuesday, April 21, 4pm-7pm
RSVP: Click here
Charge: Martinis on your own – $5 Martini Specials
Location: Centaur 2233 Park Ave, Detroit
Join your friends and toss back a special martini in celebration of Detroit Modernism Week. Centaur takes you back to a period in time when going out was all about dressing in black and white. Enjoy this amazing Detroit treasure as you take in a vintage black and white film on the big screen.
Join us and let your friends know you’ll be sipping on a famed Centaur Manhattan Martini.
Michigan Modern: Design that Shaped America
Wednesday, April 22, 5:30pm-7pm
RSVP: Click here
Charge: Free
Location: AIREA Studio, 1048 Woodward Avenue, Inside the Compuware Buiding, Detroit
Join Preservation Detroit and the Detroit Area Art Deco Society with Brian D. Conway, State Historic Preservation Officer and Amy Arnold both from the State Historic Preservation Office and MichiganModern.org. They will present the scope of Michigan’s architecture and design in mid-century modernism, and the impact our state has had on the world of design.
#TBT @ Cliff Bell’s
Thursday, April 23, 4pm
RSVP: Click here
Charge: Free, 50¢ – Pints of PBR begin at 4pm
Location: 2030 Park Avenue, Detroit
When’s the last time you bought a frosty cold PBR for just 50¢?
Join your friends for a quick easy one at one of Detroit’s best kept secrets and set yourself down at the bar and experience life just as it was meant to be . Welcome to Cliff Bell’s, where a truly unique dining and entertainment experience await you. As soon as you step through our doors, you’ll take a step back in time. The 1930’s charm of the lavish, art-deco interior will have your friends talking for hours.
“Entering Cliff Bell’s is like walking onto the set of a Fred Astaire film”- The New York Times
Back story: http://www.cliffbells.com/album/the-cliff-bells-vault/
Detroit Modernism Week Goes out on the Town
Thursday, April 23, 5pm-7pm
RSVP: Click here
Charge: Free
Location: Detroit Historical Museum, 5401 Woodward Ave., Detroit
Take a trip back in time on our tour of iconic dining establishments like the Flame Show Bar, Elwood Casino, Hotel Gotham, Pontchartrain Wine Cellars, Cliff Bell’s and Detroit’s famed London Chop House, just to name a few.
Join us for a free tour and lecture by Senior Curator Joel Stone. Where did Detroiters go for their favorite cocktail? We’ll find out!
Out on the Town: Drinking and Dining in Detroit Since 1920
Detroit’s drinking and dining establishments have played an important role in the development of our city’s culture.
Each section of this exhibition highlights different eras of the 20th century and feature various vignettes. These vignettes include furniture, costumed mannequins, artifacts and text describing the type of venue, its clientele as well as information putting each institution into the context of that period in Detroit’s history. From prohibition-era speakeasies, working man’s watering holes of the 1930s/40s, jazz clubs of the 1940s/50s, nightclubs of the 1950s/60s and businessmen’s restaurants of the 1970s, this exhibit highlights many unique venues that were, and — in some cases — continue to be, the places where relationships formed, deals were made and life happened.
Then bounce over and check out their exhibit, Detroiters Paint Detroit: 1930s
Detroit has long been a fertile ground for artists and other creative individuals. Many of these artists’ paintings, sculptures, photographs and drawings document unique moments in our region’s rich history and capture the essence of our diverse community.
In connection with the Detroit Institute of Arts’ presentation of Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo in Detroit, this exhibition will showcase Detroit urban landscape paintings by local artists in the 1930s. The paintings reflect the city as it was in the 1930s, when Diego and Frida visited the DIA and spent a year creating art in Detroit. Additionally, these paintings offer a snapshot of what the Detroit art scene was like during that time.
This exhibition includes works by E.H. Barnes, John Gelsavage, Amy Lorrimer and France Murray.
Michigan Modernism Exposition – Preview Party
Friday, April 24, 7pm-10pm
RSVP: Click here
Charge: advance ticket $75, $100 at the door
Location: Southfield Civic Center, 26000 Evergreen Road, Southfield
A Mai Tai and lei greeting awaits you as you enter the Michigan Modernism Exposition.
The Underground Jazz Quartet will be playing… and between sets DJ Chris will be spinning authentic island tunes.
Check out our display “DETROIT’S LOST TIKI RESTAURANTS” and more tiki memorabilia on display. This one night only event is produced in association with the Detroit Area Art Deco Society.
Be prepared for your aloha spirit to soar !!!
It’s preview party time for the Detroit Area Art Deco Society as the mid-century enthusiasts open up the Michigan Modernism Exposition. The annual art deco affair offers you and your guests first dibs on some of the best 20th century antiques and fine arts from the international market while enjoying complimentary wine and hors d’oeuvres a fashion show and live entertainment.
Michigan Modernism Exposition
Saturday, April 25, 10am – 6pm
Sunday, April 26, Noon – 5pm.
Charge: $10, Register here and take $2 off the daily pass
Location: Southfield Civic Center, 26000 Evergreen Road, Southfield
Dealers from across the country are displaying their best of the Modernism movement in furniture, jewelry, clothing, radios, photographs, art glass, china, silver, bronzes, clocks, watches, paintings, and textiles.
Stroll aisle upon aisle of mid-century finds designed by such greats as Frank Lloyd Wright, Louis Comfort, Tiffany, Herman Miller, Heywood Wakefield, the Stickleys, Salvadore Dali, and so many other talented designers representing the Art Deco, Art Nouveau, Prairie, Arts and Crafts, Surrealistic and Neo-Classical Schools of Design.
Sunday, April 26 is your last day to view and purchase 20th century art and vintage art deco at the 35th Annual Michigan Modernism Exposition.
BIKE DETROIT: A Midtown Ride with Preservation Detroit
Sunday, April 26, 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM
RSVP: Click here
Preservation Detroit, 4735 Cass Ave, Detroit
Sponsored by: UnitedHealthcare Community Plan
Preservation Detroit has teamed up with Detroit Bikes! (the group, not the company) to offer bike ride tours in Detroit. The pace is leisurely to accommodate riders of all levels. On Sunday April 26th at 9am and bikers will leave from the Mackenzie House, located at 4735 Cass Avenue. For safety and liability reasons, we ask that you do wear a helmet and to not use amplified music or whistles. We also suggest that you bring along a spare tube, just in case!
One on One Gallery Tour with Robert Edwards and Bill Porter
Sunday, April 26, 2pm-3pm
RSVP: Click here
Charge: Free
Location: Lawrence Tech University, 21000 W. 10 Mile Rd., Southfield – Technology & Learning Center Gallery
Get up front and personal with Robert Edwards as he provides an overview on how the American Dreaming: Detroit’s Golden Age of Automotive Design exhibition was created from us own personal collection. Bill Porter, recognized as one of the greatest automotive concept artists of all time, will also be present to discuss the impact that design had on the automotive world.
Robert Edwards is a Detroit artist and art collector who has become a leading expert on automotive drawings and the artists in Detroit who created them in the 1950s,1960s, and 1970s. Robert is co-producing a documentary film on subject, and has curated this exhibition to celebrate, in the largest collection to date, the contributions of automotive deign artists to the canon of western art.
Bill Porter is widely regarded among the most articulate and respected alumni of G.M. design. Bill headed the Pontiac and Buick studios and was credited with cars like the 1968 Pontaic GTO, 1970 Firebird and the 1995 Buick Riviera.