James Pearson Duffy, longtime
Detroit businessman, consummate patron of the arts, and champion of
the Detroit arts scene, died on Tuesday at his home in Grosse Pointe
at the age of 86. He was the only child of James F. and Helen Pearson
Duffy.
Duffy’s patronage of Detroit
artists is legendary. Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) Director Graham W. J. Beal said
of Duffy, “Jim was extraordinary in so many ways. If anyone can be
said to have danced to a different drummer, it was Jim. His passion
for art manifested itself all the time, and over a lifetime he collected
avidly. He collected widely but gave special support to Detroit artists
by relentless acquisition of their works—the best sort of support
that can be given. His generosity to the DIA in gifts of works of art
and funds puts him in the top ranks of DIA patrons.”
Born in Cleveland in 1923,
Duffy graduated from Georgetown University in 1947 and while still in
college began weekend jaunts to New York to learn about art. It was
on these weekend trips and summer excursions to Europe that he developed
what became a lifelong passion for the visual arts.
In 1947 when Duffy became an
employee of the family-owned pipefitting and value supply business,
Edward W. Duffy & Company, he took up residence in Detroit. Duffy
assumed control of the company from his father in 1960, and it was at
the company headquarters and warehouse on West Jefferson that many of
Duffy’s commissioned works were later installed. The company motto
soon became “We put art anywhere and everywhere we can.”
Duffy helped his parents collect
19th-century American and English paintings and decorative
arts. He remembered with great fondness the conversations he had with
his mother, Helen Pearson Duffy, about these works, but most especially
their discussions of paintings he discovered and recommended that his
parents purchase by School of Paris artists Georges Braque, Raoul Dufy
and Georges Rouault, among others.
Duffy had a talent for finding
and appreciating the best that life had to offer. Determined to find
only the finest paintings, he inquired at the Metropolitan Museum of Art about art dealers and was directed to the nearby Knoedler Gallery.
Later he broadened his horizons as his interest in more contemporary
art grew, patronizing New York galleries as well as Detroit venues such
as the Willis Gallery, Susanne Hilberry Gallery, Detroit Artists Market,
Detroit Focus Gallery, Lemberg Gallery and David Klein Gallery.
Duffy was never content to
simply be a patron. He wanted to support all efforts that elevated the arts. In 1954 Edgar P. Richardson, DIA director at the time, invited
him to become a founding member of the Archives of American Art, then
housed at the DIA. When W. Hawkins Ferry reinvigorated the DIA auxiliary
Friends of Modern Art in 1964, Duffy was among its young leaders. He
also began to frequent the Detroit Artists Market. His interests in
the art of the moment were galvanized when Duffy met Sam Wagstaff, who
had just arrived as the DIA’s first curator of contemporary art. Duffy
began making significant contributions in support of art acquistions
at the DIA, and through the years donated or supported the purchase
of more than 1,500 objects.
In the 1970s Duffy discovered
the work of artists living in Detroit’s Cass Corridor. Like Wagstaff
before him, Duffy “crossed the street” to enter the homes and studios
of artists in the cultural center after he was introduced to them during
a visit to the Willis Gallery in 1972. Duffy later characterized the
visit in a conversation with Mary Jane Jacob, former associate curator
of modern art at the DIA, as “Just as mysterious and marvelous as
I expected it to be.”
Never content with half measures, Duffy purchased
several works on that first visit, which set the pattern for his support
of Detroit artists. Soon he was commissioning works for his warehouse,
office, and apartment by many artists, but chief among them were Gordon
Newton and Bob Sestok.
“To Jim it was all good;
it was the good that mattered. He loved making a difference, making
grand supportive gestures, helping, being part of the process,” reminisced
onetime Detroit artist John Egner. For Duffy, though, the quest was
a two-way street: discovering meaning in an artwork helped him discover
a bit of each artist’s genius and at the same time allowed him to
claim part of his humanity. In an interview with art critic and founding
director of Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, Marsha Miro, Duffy let
slip a comment that he would often keep a flashlight by his bed so he
could inspect the artwork propped in a nearby chair. In the middle of
the night Duffy would wake to consider the work, so keen was his need
to understand an artist’s message.
Gilbert B. Silverman, another
Detroit-based collector, curated an exhibition at the Detroit Focus
Gallery that included a mix of work from well-known artists along with
newcomers. Most surprising, though, was Silverman’s inclusion of photographs
taken by Duffy that documented the city’s industrial architecture.
Duffy gave great attention to details, especially when finding new meanings
and beauty in Detroit’s changing neighborhoods.
In 1992, when Duffy sold his
business and warehouse, he donated more than 1,000 pieces of art created
by Cass Corridor artists to Wayne State University (WSU). His largess
as a patron came to wider public attention in 2001 when cultural institutions—WSU,
College for Creative Studies, and the DIA—joined forces to present
four separate exhibitions of artwork championed by Duffy. Always anxious
to discover the new, Duffy continued to support WSU and the DIA with
large donations of artwork and significant gifts of money. According
to Sharon L. Vasquez, dean
of the College of Fine, Performing, and Communication Arts at WSU, “In acknowledgement of Jim
Duffy’s generous gifts, Wayne State University announced on April
24, 2009 the naming of the second of its departments in the College
of Fine, Performing, and Communication Arts. The James Pearson Duffy
Department of Art and Art History will enjoy an endowment of approximately
$4.5 million to secure the future study and support of contemporary
art and artists as they contribute to the education and training of
our students.” The DIA Department of Contemporary
Art was named the James Pearson Duffy Department of Contemporary Art
in 2007.
As he supported Detroit institutions
in life, Duffy leaves a bequest to the James Pearson Duffy Department
of Art and Art History at Wayne State University and the Detroit Institute
of Arts.
As of Sunday, November 1,Detroit area artists working in the realms of performing and literary arts could apply for the Kresge Arts in Detroit fellowship grants.
The $25,000 fellowships provide support for 18 artists living and
working in metropolitan Detroit (Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties)
whose commitment to innovation and artistic achievement are evident in
the quality of their work.The College for Creative Studies will host information sessions on December 7, 2009, and January 13, 2010, at 7:00 p.m. for those artists interested in applying for a fellowship. To RSVP and reserve your space, visit www.kresgeartsindetroit.org.
Applications are only available online and must be completed by Friday, February 26, 2010.
Each year, KAID will switch between visual artists (read about this year's 18 fellows) one year, and literary and performing the next.
The 2010 Kresge Artist Fellows will be announced in June 2010.
LITERARY ARTS
(in all disciplines - including visual,
literary and performing arts)
(within the above arts disciplines)
PERFORMING ARTS
(in all genres - classical, country, electronic, experimental, folk, hip-hop,
jazz, rap, rock, etc.)
(within the above arts disciplines)
Of course, each year also sees a Kresge Eminent Artist
Award of $50,000. The first being fine artist Charles McGee and the second, jazz trumpeter Marcus Belgrave
Cover of the October-November 2009 Cass Rag, drawn by "Elle."
HEARD OF THE underground publishing explosion? You know, the one that began in the late 1960s and churned out tens of thousands of passionate, self-made, low- and no-budget publications for a generation? The scene hit its zenith around the mid-'90s, with the rise of a “zine” scene that challenged that day's stodgy and unimaginative "periodicals."
But with the advent of the Internet, a lot of that do-it-yourself activity had gone online, the little journals of quirky commentary, humor and screeds replaced by blogs and website. By 2000, even hardcore zinesters were saying, “zines are dead.”
But if zines are dead, why do we still get them mailed to our office each year? See, zines aren’t dead; they’ve changed. The Internet has drained away a lot of the low-wattage chatter, and zinesters are getting craftier, embracing the tactile, personal nature of printed objects.
And zinesters seem more committed than ever to providing content that’s tied to a locality. Though the Internet has made it easier than ever to find the political rant of your choosing or the lowdown on some foreign obscurity, there’s one thing the online world doesn’t do very well, or very often: neighborhood-level coverage.
And that’s something zines do pretty well, actually.
Take the latest entry in the Detroit zine market: Cass Rag. We found the inaugural issue just lying around here at the office and got curious. We reached the zinester via e-mail and got this response:
I started it as a newsletter for my neighborhood, which places a large focus on entertainment, as well as including relevant neighborhood information. I am in the process of making it a bimonthly publication, complete with contributions from friends, neighbors and local businesses. Each issue will feature an interview with an owner or employee of a neighborhood small business.
True to word, the zinester was kind enough to send the second issue, and it’s a hoot. First off, it’s a charming 32-page issue with a cut-and-paste layout of typewriter-style text. Yeah, there are some old zine standbys here (a how-skanky-are-you quiz, a joke ad, some horoscopes and a few other parsimonious bits of “filler.”
But where else, short of Metro Times, are you going to read an interview with the dudes at the Marcus Market? And since it’s all local, even the humor pieces have references to neighborhood joints like the Bronx, Motor City Brewing Works and the Old Miami. Best of all is the editor’s statement that this “is supposed to be a neighborhood newsletter, not my personal diary.” Hear, hear!
Curious? Want to take a look for yourself? E-mail the zine at cassrag@gmail.com to find out how to get one.
An illustration from "Elle" accompanies a story by Divine Knight X in Cass Rag.
As part of their pledge drive, WDET produced a special Moth Radio Hour comprised of performances recorded during the Moth StorySlam, which premiered in Detroit on Thursday, October 1st at Cliff Bell's.
It starts at noon and you can listen here.
StorySlams go down the first Thursday of the month at Cliff Bell's.
For more on the evening, find Metro Times' Wonder Twins' recap here.
We lost a true Detroit legend yesterday when Soupy Sales died in a Bronx hospice after years of declining health at the age of 83. Sales -- who was born Milton Supman in Franklinton, North Carolina -- was years ahead of his time in that he delivered a children's show (complete with puppet friends) that surely appealed to the kiddies but featured "inside" jokes that went above the kids' heads but would appeal to the parents who were also watching at home. It's a tradition that would be used by everything from The Simpsons to Pee-wee's Playhouse in subsequent decades.
Sales first came to prominence on Detroit TV before his Lunch With Soupy show went national in 1959. A lot of us (including Alice Cooper; see video below) grew up with him; I remember driving my mom crazy, as I insisted she had to have Jello ready for dessert (the gelatin product was one of his sponsors -- though I was too little to realize that at the time) because it topped off every lunch five days a week. But he was even more well known for the "pie in the face" schtick that was also an everyday part of his goofy, hilarious programs. It became a national craze; Frank Sinatra even stopped by the show once to good-naturedly get a pie in his face. For an earlier generation, he was more important than Mr. Rogers, who never incorporated old vaudeville or Boscht Belt routines into his schtick. Also, Mr. Rogers never asked his kid audience to go to their mom's purse, take out all the pieces of paper with pictures of dead presidents on them and send them to him, as Sales did one afternoon when he was peeved at television brass for making him work on a holiday.
Soupy even scored a zany novelty hit single "Do The Mouse," in '64 which he performed on one of the same February Ed Sullivan TV shows that introduced America to a group from England called the Beatles. The hit single even got him a brief contract with Motown Records.
If that's not enough Trivial Pursuit data, it also needs to be mentioned that Sales sired one of Iggy Pop's greatest rhythm sections in the form of Hunt and Tony Sales, who played with Iggy on the tours for The Idiot and Lust For Life...and later were the rhythm section for David Bowie's Tin Machine project. Rest in peace, funny man. If you believe in Heaven, you can perhaps picture St. Peter laughing today, with pie on his face...
Organizing retreats for Michigan writers, putting together local and out of state poetry workshops, hosting open-mic night’s at Music Hall’s Jazz Cafe, publishing in local publications and across the country, M.L. Liebler continues to be one of the most active voices in Detroit’s literary community.
But Detroit word-smiths aren't the only folks to take notice of Liebler's work and commitment.
Poets & Writers, Inc of New York City for recently awarded the poet the esteemed Barnes & Noble 2010 Writers for Writers Award, putting Liebler in the company of writers the likes of Russell Banks, A.M. Holmes, Stanley Kunitz, Bob Holman, Edward Albee, Judy Blume, Mary Higgins Clark, Stephen King, Barbara Kingsolver, Wally Lamb, Walter Mosley, Susan Sontag, and Amy Tan. Congrats, M.L.!
The Writers for Writers Award is given to writers who’ve helped other writers supported their local literary community.
Metro Times went on the road this spring with Liebler. Read the cover story here. 
You can catch not only the poetry of M.L. Liebler, but also the fiery words of Cass Corridor legend John Sinclair at the newly re-opened Alvin’s Bar on Wednesday October 14th from 7 to10 p.m.
Alvin’s is at 5756 Cass Ave. More: www.alvinsoncass.com
The Taubman Center will be
the second campus site for the College, and is set to house CCS’s
five undergraduate design departments as well as its new Master of Fine
Arts degree programs in design and transportation design. In collaboration
with the University of Michigan’s prominent Ross School of Business,
the MFA programs CCS offers take a distinctive approach to graduate
design education by placing a strong emphasis on business knowledge
as well as advanced design skills. On hand for the ribbon cutting ceremony
were Keith E. Crain (Chairman, Crain Communications Inc.),
Richard L. Rogers (President, CCS), Gary L. Cowger
(Group Vice-President, General Motors Corporation), A. Alfred Taubman
(Founder, Taubman Centers; CCS Trustee), Robert M. Thompson
(Chair, Thompson Educational Foundation), Mike Schmidt
(Director of Education & Community Development, Ford Motor company
Fund), Michelle White (Principal, Henry Ford Academy: School
for Creative Studies), Steven K. Hamp
(Chair, New Economy Initiative) and Detroit Mayor Dave Bing.
“The Taubman Center is a
unique facility that will have a profound impact on public education,
the City of Detroit, and design education in general,” said Richard
L. Rogers, president, CCS. “It will help drive an educational, economic
and cultural rejuvenation in Detroit at a time when it is needed most.”
CCS partnered with Henry Ford Learning Institute (HFLI) and Thompson Educational Foundation to develop Henry Ford Academy: School for Creative Studies (HFA: SCS), a public middle and high school focused on strong academics, art, design and creativity. HFA: SCS forms a new pathway for Detroit youth into the exciting careers that are driving the creative economy. With HFA: SCS, the Taubman Center creates a powerful new educational model, with middle and high school students studying in the building alongside CCS undergraduate and graduate students.
“Detroit cannot have a future if its children do not have a future — and education is key to our city’s prosperity. This school will provide a pathway for Detroit youth to some of the most exciting and dynamic careers available, which will make a measurable difference in their lives,” said Robert M. Thompson, chair, Thompson Educational Foundation.
The Taubman Center brings 2,000
new students, teachers, faculty, parents, staff and visitors to Detroit’s
New Center district daily and provides a 24/7 presence to the area with
300 students living in the student residence hall with loft-style dorm
rooms and a 360-seat dining facility. A conference center on the top
floor with a flexible auditorium space that will seat up to 400 people
and include a series of break-out rooms for meetings, as well as a number
of retail and exhibition spaces, are expected to be completed in the
coming months. The Taubman Center also has 80,000 square feet of development
space available for new or growing creative businesses, support services
and professional networks.
All in all, it was a bright day for Detroit. Really ...
John Baldessari" 24" x 36"h dry paint on canvas by Missy Wiggins
Opening this Saturday and running thru early-October at the Detroit Industrial Project (DIP) space inside the Russell Industrial Center is Almost Famous: A Shortlist. The exhibition is curated by the man behind the Museum of New Art, Jef Bourgeau, who has compiled the works of six artists who were nominated for this year’s Kresge Arts in Detroit Fellowship. The “shortlisted” artists include Thomas Poe, Missy Wiggins, Stig Eklund, Shen-ba Wong, Hanne Bloot, Clara Beckmann and Emerick Sousa.
Though some might argue that competitive art contests are the best way to go about exposing Michigan and Detroit’s art scenes, there are those who, like Bourgeau, find the concept of attaching the concept of a race and a winner to art making is not what art is about. Still, he went forth in putting this show together, stating, “Detroit’s art and artists have been kept secret and hidden too long. I see Almost Famous as giving the shortlist some small acclamation for their commitment to Detroit and their laudable contributions to its culture. And for the general public, such a notable award should be more than a mere announcement. It should allow us all the occasion to see some of the best art to be honored in Detroit.”
Opening Reception: Saturday, September 19, 6 to 10 p.m.
Closing Reception: Saturday, October 3, 7 to 11 p.m.
"Frida Kahlo - 1935" 18" x 24"h archival print by Clara Beckmann
MT columnist Larry Gabriel recently wrote about the
poetry and legacy of the late Detroit poet laureate Dudley Randall ("Gift of a poet: Clarity"). It's a cliché to call someone a "major
force" in their realm of activity, but Randall was instrumental in
creating a publishing house for black poets just as a burgeoning new generation
of voices was in need of one. His Broadside Press was the place where Don L.
Lee (later Haki R. Madhubuti) and Nikki Giovanni, Etheridge Knight, Sonia
Sanchez and others started connecting with national audiences. Significantly,
established voices like Gwendolyn Brooks, Margaret Walker and Sterling Brown
published on Broadside as well.
Detroiter and former Randall assistant Melba Joyce Boyd
published the biography Wrestling with the Muse: Dudley Randall and the
Broadside Press in 2004 and recently edited
an anthology of his poetry and writings, Roses and Revolutions. On Sunday,
Sept. 13, at 4 p.m. poets and other Randall admirers gather at the Virgil H.
Carr Cultural Arts Center to read from Randall's works and view video clips of
the master rendering his own words.
His words live on, and it's a fine tribute to have others bring them to life. But Randall spoke in a voice, at once strong and gentle, that, once heard, sounds totally in sync with his words. That pairing of his voice and those of his interpreters promises to make Sunday's event all the more poignant.
The Virgil H. Carr Center is located at 311 E. Grand River in Paradise Valley (as Harmonie Park is being rebranded); it's just south of the Detroit Athletic Club. For information, call 313-965-8430.
On Tuesday morning at 10 a.m., the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan opened its virtual doors to the public in order to raise funds for Detroit area arts and culture programs. CFSEM pledged $1 million towards a 50% donation match.
Nobody expected what happened next.
In the first two hours CFSEM's website, cfsem.org, had crashed ... multiple times. The number of people visiting the site, making donations was just too much. After the technical glitches were sorted out by the brainiacs that be, the numbers started to come in. At 12:30 p.m., CFSEM learned the first $500,000 had been exhausted. The second half was gone in the hours to follow.
Before day's end, CFSEM scrounged-up another $250,000 for donation matches, and the folks of Southeast Michigan evidently found another $500,000.
When all was said and done, over $3.75 million had been raised for 75 various programs.
For those who haven't been paying attention, 2009 has been the single most barren year for arts and culture funding the state of Michigan has seen. This support could not have come at a better time.
What we witnessed yesterday was nothing short of phenomenal.
Be proud.
Though CFSEM can no longer match, they are still accepting donations at cfsem.org
Starting Tuesday at 10 a.m. the Community Foundation for Southeastern Michigan (CFSEM) will match 50 percent of donations to Detroit area arts programs until their million dollar pledge is depleted, which hopefully occurs before the September 19 cut-off date.
How long will it be there?
Where will it go?
It’s up to you to decide.
It goes like this: You make
a donation between $25 and $10,000 (cumulative) to support any participating
organization and CFSEM will match 50 percent. You kick in $50 and your
favorite group or groups collect $75.
Your donation can go towards any or all of the participating organizations
(find the list below).
We want to know how long YOU
think it takes before the million dollar match is exhausted.
Send an e-mail to twright@metrotimes.com with your best guess as to when the money runs out. Closest guess
wins 4 passes for the Renaissance Festival.
Of course, we assume that anyone entering our contest will donate first. Forward your confirmation e-mail and we’ll sweeten the pot.
Participating Programs
-All The World’s A Stage
-Arab American National Museum (ACCESS)
-The Art Center
-Arts & Scraps
-The Arts Alliance
-The Arts League of Michigan
-ArtServe Michigan
-Automotive Hall of Fame
-Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center
-Birmingham Historical Museum and Park
-Chamber Music Society of Detroit
-Charles H.Wright Museum of African American History
-College for Creative Studies
-Communities In Schools of Detroit
-The Community House
-Cranbrook Educational Community
Cranbrook Art Museum
Cranbrook Institute of Science
Cranbrook House and Gardens
Cranbrook Summer Theatre School
-Detroit Artists Market
-Detroit Chamber Winds & Strings
-Detroit Educational Television Foundation/Detroit Public TV
-Detroit Historical Society
-Detroit Institute of Arts
-Detroit Public Library Friends Foundation Inc.
-Detroit Repertory Theatre (Milan Theatre Company)
-Detroit Science Center
-Detroit Symphony Orchestra
-Detroit Zoological Society
-Edsel and Eleanor Ford House
-Eisenhower Dance Ensemble
-Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival
-The Heidelberg Project
-The Henry Ford
-Heritage Works
-Howell Conference and Nature Center (Presbytery of Detroit)
-InsideOut Literary Arts Project
-Leslie Science and Nature Center
-Macomb Community College Foundation
Macomb Center for the Performing Arts
Lorenzo Cultural Center
-Matrix Theatre Company
-Meadow Brook Hall
-Meadow Brook Theatre (Theatre Ensemble)
-Michigan Opera Theatre
-Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit
-Motown Historical Museum
-Michigan State University Community Music School-Detroit
-Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit
-Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts
-Northville Art House
-Paint Creek Center for the Arts
-Performance Network Theatre
-Pewabic Pottery
-Plowshares Theatre Company
-Plymouth Historical Society
-Preservation Wayne
-PuppetART/Detroit Puppet Theatre
-Purple Rose Theatre Company
-Rackham Symphony Choir
-Sphinx Organization
-Stagecrafters
-Troy Museum & Historic Village
-University Musical Society
-University of Michigan
Exhibit Museum of Natural History
University of Michigan Museum of Art
Henry Ford Estate-Fairlane
-Variety FAR Conservatory of Therapeutic and Performing Arts
-Village Theater at Cherry Hill
-VSA Arts of Michigan
-Wayne State University
Wayne State University Art Galleries
College of Fine, Performing, and Communication Arts
Hilberry Theatre
Wayne State University Press
-Woodward Avenue Action Association
-Y-Arts/YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit
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