Former pickle factory hosts Detroit Boom City art exhibition

Works by local artists like Mitch Cope, Scott Hocking, Chido Johnson, Melanie Manos, Sabrina Nelson, and others will be exhibited as part of a pop up gallery held in a building that was, at one time, a pickle factory on Detroit's east side.

The exhibition was curated by Dashboard Co-Op, an Atlanta-based curatorial nonprofit that has hosted 16 exhibitions in vacant properties around the country since 2010. Asking local artists to create work that "responds to or enhances their city," the building will host multidisciplinary work indoors and out. For example, Chido Johnson will construct a miniature "parking garage" that houses toy cars constructed entirely out of wire, an African folk art tradition. Meanwhile, Ingrid LaFleur will facilitate a series of meditations inspired by "various mythologies developed by musician SunRa, supermodel Donyale Luna, and electronic music duo Drexciya." 

The exhibition's opening is from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday, May 2, and is free and open to the public. From 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, May 3, the gallery will host artist talks along with coffee and bagels. The gallery is located at 2120 Bellevue St., Detroit.

The full list of artists includes the Young Never Sleep, Mitch Cope, Scott Hocking, Chido Johnson, Osman Khan, Ingrid LaFleur, Melanie Manos, Michi Meko, Sabrina Nelson, Jason Peters, Antonio Cosme, and Graem+Whyte. Check out the full description of participating artists on the official website or reach out via email for more information. Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday. The show runs through June 12.