iSWD Programming — Inside Southwest Detroit

We Can Celebrate And Critique At the Same Time

During her residency at The Alley Project, Samantha Friend Cabrera transitioned from being an artist to a facilitator, leading a short series of workshops aimed at nurturing the creative spirits of a young audience.

Although she doesn't typically consider herself a teacher, Samantha embraced the challenge of guiding a group of youth through a skill-building exploration of photography and writing.

An accessible environment of learning was accomplished in what she called a "third space" on The Alley Project during the workshops. It wasn't school, and it wasn't home, but a unique blend of formality and informality, providing the students with a casual and educational atmosphere.

We Can Celebrate + Critique

In her photography workshop, Samantha curated a selection of works by renowned photographers like Martin Parr, Lourdes Grobet, and Rineke Dijkstra, whose bold imagery she found undeniably engaging. Throughout the workshop, she emphasized the importance of celebrating and critiquing art simultaneously, a perspective she adopted from Martin Parr. Samantha encouraged students to express their opinions, fostering an environment where both praise and constructive feedback were valued.

Recreational critique can help to generate excitement, instead of fear, around feedback: "Rather than fearing the red pen, or having an anxiety around what's going to be said about it, imagine being able to wait in excited anticipation for what is going to be given to you, by your peers, or people who you enjoy about how to improve what you're doing." Samantha felt that setting this foundation allowed the students to engage openly

Each student was invited to share three of their own photographs with the group. As each image was projected, the students explained their choices, opening the floor for group critique. Samantha enjoyed guiding the students through thoughtful discussions, exploring the artistic choices and deeper meanings behind their photos. This exercise not only enhanced their understanding of photography but also provided insights into their lives and interests.

ProgrammingInside Southwest DetroitAugust 17, 2023samantha friend cabrera, potap, the alley project, photography

'The Archivists' Opening Night

Opening night of The Archivists marked a powerful beginning to a month of shared learning and exchange. The exhibition opened to a strong and welcoming crowd, bringing together artists, organizers, students, neighbors, and partners from Detroit and Chicago. It was especially meaningful to see different networks intersect—university communities meeting neighborhood archivists, cross-city collaborators encountering one another’s work in person, and longtime practitioners sharing space with new audiences.

The Archivists is a month-long exhibition on community archiving and collective memory, presented at the Scarab Club from January 4 through February 4, 2023. Organized by Inside Southwest Detroit, the exhibition brings together artists and community archive initiatives from Detroit and Chicago to explore how everyday people preserve, share, and steward their histories.

Programming, Partnerships, CommunityInside Southwest DetroitJanuary 20, 2023scarab club, black bottom street view, black bottom archives, shoeboxing, karen cardenas, samantha friend cabrera, joy project, land archives, nicole marroquin

Building 'The Archivists' Together

In the days leading up to the opening of The Archivists, the exhibition came together through a potluck style of collaboration with everyone bringing a pair of hands and a dish to pass. Artists, organizers, and partners gathered at the Scarab Club to spend time to put it all together while sharing stories and approaches to archiving as a collective practice.

The Black Bottom Street View, a large-scale panoramic installation built from archival photographs dating back to the 1940s–1950s, emerged as we worked side by side assembling the piece. Hastings Street came into view in the middle of the main gallery, inviting visitors to walk through a neighborhood that lives on through memory, images, and storytelling thanks to the Black Bottom Archives.

Near the garden doors we installed Nicole Marroquin’s work alongside fellow Chicagolandian Samantha Friend Cabrera’s exhibition, setting up a quiet dialogue between their practices. Together with Scarab Club staff, we arranged and hung The Southwest Detroiter Community Archives story by Elizabeth Valdez facilitated through Shoeboxing, grounding the exhibition in lived memory.

Upstairs Karen Cardenas prepared the room to feel like a familiar home rooted in the land and culture of her film No Te He Visto. A communal table and looping screen were positioned so visitors can sit together and experience the film as part of daily life.

The Joy Project transformed the corner of the main gallery into an education on land as archive with soil, seeds, and cultivation carrying history. They extended their presence upstairs in conversation with the shoeboxing stories and film.

By the end of installation, throughout the space, walls and corners were filled with quotes and texts in the words of each project’s founders and practitioners. Before the doors even opened, The Archivists already felt alive, shaped as much by collaboration as by the work itself.

The Archivists is a month-long exhibition on community archiving and collective memory, presented at the Scarab Club from January 4 through February 4, 2023. Organized by Inside Southwest Detroit, the exhibition brings together artists and community archive initiatives from Detroit and Chicago to explore how everyday people preserve, share, and steward their histories.

Partnerships, Programming, CommunityInside Southwest DetroitJanuary 6, 2023scarab club, the archivists, black bottom archives, black bottom street view, detroit, chicago, joy project, land archives, karen cardenas, nicole marroquin, samantha friend cabrera, quinceanera archives, shoeboxing

Dia de Los Muertos Luminary Showcase

Despite the cold weather the youth, their parents, and neighbors gathered to share the artistic creations the young artists have been working on throughout the fall.

The days are getting shorter (and more damp) and that is part of why we value our annual mid-fall gathering as one of the last opportunities to connect before wintering as a community.

Traditionally Inside Southwest Detroit has focused on the last week of October and first week of November as an opportune time to uplift the values of local wisdom, inter-generational connections, and mentoring as we learn about the traditions and culture our communities celebrate together.

This year we celebrated on Dia de Los Muertos with a showcase of art from Porch on TAP residency with Mark Tucker with student-made luminaries, snacks, and some music. The time together warms our hearts as we get ready to slow down, spend more time indoors, and prepare ourselves and community for the Spring ahead of us.

ProgrammingInside Southwest DetroitNovember 2, 2021tap833, luminaries, DiaDeLosMuertos, potap, porch on tap, The Alley Project

Youth Set Their Jewelry In Final Workshop with Rebel Nell

ProgrammingInside Southwest DetroitOctober 21, 2021rebel nell, potap, porch on tap, the alley project, tap833

Escuela Avancemos Students Visit The Alley Project To Talk Photography

Students from Escuela Avancemos visited The Alley Project as a way for participants from this summer’s Photo 101 to share about their experiences with their friends, explore TAP, and learn about ways that photography is changing people’s lives in their community.

Stephanie Ruiz, a member of La Sirena Studio on The Alley Project, shared about her experiences in Photo 101 classes and how she has built her own photo business over the years since graduating from high school. Students asked questions and started to share a bit about what they would like from another Photo 101 as part of the after school program.

ProgrammingInside Southwest DetroitSeptember 30, 2021escuela avancemos, The Alley Project, potap, photography, photo 101

Camilla Cantu Welcomed as Porch On TAP Artist In Residence

Camilla Cantu is a musician and independent artist from Southwest Detroit. She believes in developing spaces in the Detroit community that uplift other women artists through mentorship, relationship building, and providing resources for up-and-coming creatives.

Camilla is the founder and director of member of Mariachi Femenil, “a female-based mariachi ensemble aiming to promote gender equality in music and performing arts, especially within the mariachi genre.” according to their Facebook Page.

Engaging and raising awareness around issues of documentation for undocumented residents through music and the visual arts is a passion and driving force behind Camilla’s practice.

Camilla is joining us as a resident artist at The Alley Project doing exactly that!! She is working with a creative team of neighbors, youth, and colleagues to collaboratively create the visuals for her new song, ‘Lights Out’. Her residency is helping us inaugurate our new outdoor classroom on Avis near Elsmere as we transform our front porch to a setting for artistic exchange during our artist residency program, the Porch On TAP.

ProgrammingInside Southwest DetroitSeptember 28, 2021potap, porch on tap, artist residency, camilla cantu, mariachi femenil, tap833

Luminary Tradition Celebrated Through Program Series with Mark Tucker

The PoTAP residency with Mark Tucker is being celebrated through weekly workshops ahead of Dia de Los Muertos at The Alley Project. This year students will be able to show off their works at an outdoor showcase at The Alley Project.

In addition to community-based arts, Mark Tucker serves as art director for the Lloyd Scholars for Writing and the Arts where he develops and designs innovative arts programming and also teaches art classes, primarily for non-art majors, at the University of Michigan. Several of his students accompany him each week, traveling together to The Alley Project to deliver instruction and hands-on support as youth learn a new art form.

This is some of the progress the students have made so far. The residency will extend beyond September throughout October until the projects are completed and the weather turns on us—whichever happens last.

ProgrammingInside Southwest DetroitSeptember 25, 2021luminaries, university of michigan, PoTAP, The Alley Project, southwestdetroit, tap833

Youth Harvest Paint for Their Jewelry with Rebel Nell at TAP

The physical part of Rebel Nell’s process of jewelry making begins with the procurement of paint from a range of surfaces.

For years The Alley Project has welcomed Rebel Nell to visit and to learn histories as layered as the paint they will work with. They eventually select surfaces and harvest paint from the alley, among other places, to make jewelry with.

This year, the youth get to join in as they learn how to make their own jewelry. And this particular surface is special. It is the garage door from a mural in 2011 by Pherz which was painted over several years of activities, sharing time, building relationships and art through painting for the completion and opening of Studio Luevanos and the lots.

ProgrammingInside Southwest DetroitSeptember 16, 2021rebel nell, potap, porch on tap, thealleyproject, southwestdetroit, tap833, outdoor classroom

Mark Tucker Welcomed As Porch On TAP Artist In Residence

Mark Tucker is an artist born in Vermont, living in Michigan, whose current creative work revolves around community collaborations making large-scale public art sculptures, theater sets, and unique outdoor spectacles celebrating the Arts as a catalyst for creative community engagement.

Mark is joining us as a resident artist at The Alley Project!! He is helping us inaugurate our new outdoor classroom on Avis near Elsmere as we transform our front porch to a setting for artistic exchange during our artist residency program, the Porch On TAP.

Tucker is the founder of FestiFools, an annual large-scale public art event held in downtown Ann Arbor, Michigan, and co-founder of the non-profit WonderFool Productions who facilitates the event each year .

Mary Luevanos, community artist and activist and long-standing member of the Porch On TAP curation team introduced Mark to The Alley Project and we are lucky to have him (and Mary) each week for the duration of his residency.

ProgrammingInside Southwest DetroitSeptember 11, 2021university of michigan, potap, porch on tap, The Alley Project, tap833, southwestdetroit

Inaugural SW Fest Celebrates Local Artists and Culture at Senate Theater

Inside Southwest DetroitSeptember 4, 2021

Community Mural for SW Fest with DeMaciiio

A handful of creatives from around the neighborhood have come together to share time and space with Demaciiio for some basics in aerosol, oil paint, and mural planning.

The mural, as a product, will be featured at the upcoming SW Fest to be held at Senate Theatre on Michigan Avenue in Southwest Detroit on Saturday, September 4th.

As a process, the outdoor mural workshops are providing space to build relationships, skills, and working collaboratively during this extended period of time of limited interaction with one another.

The final mural design incorporated themes of community building, sustainability, and collaborative imagined futures.

ProgrammingInside Southwest DetroitAugust 30, 2021tap833, outdoor classroom, the alley project, demaciiio, southwestDetroit

Rebel Nell Shares Creativity, Process In Jewelry Making Workshops

Almost 10 years ago we were introduced to Amy and Diana, business partners, who were starting a company that made jewelry from decayed, flaking paint of local murals. We had questions. They had intentions. We got together around those things and it was the start of a relationship that continues to this day between Rebel Nell and The Alley Project.

We are honored that Rebel Nell has joined us at The Alley Project for a residency where youth and neighbors will be able to learn how to make their own jewelry, Rebel Nell style, from start to finish!

Zoey, Russel, Amanda, and Ethel have been spending time with two cohorts of participants to create jewelry from start to finish—from harvesting to shaping, placing, and finishing their custom jewelry. .

“Rebel Nell began in 2013 with the mission to provide employment, equitable opportunity, and wraparound support for women with barriers to employment. By repurposing meaningful materials into wearable art, we mark life’s important moments and connect them to your personal journey.”

— From Rebel Nell's Website

Be sure to check back soon for updates to see how the process and pieces turn out.

ProgrammingInside Southwest DetroitAugust 26, 2021rebel nell, the alley project, potap, porch on tap, tap833

Demaciiio Welcomed as Porch On TAP Artist In Residence

DeMaciiio is a multidisciplinary artist born and raised in Southwest Detroit. He believes painting is a way to explore yourself while building with others and that art is evolutionary.

For years he has worked, independently and in community with fellow artists, to write and record countless songs in the studio, perform live, organize for social change, and design and paint small and large scale mural projects.

Demaciiio is joining us as a resident artist at The Alley Project!! Currently he is facilitating a series to collaboratively develop a mural that represents the beauty and flow the Southwest community holds for display at the upcoming SW Fest at the Senate Theatre in Southwest Detroit. Something that the community can see itself in as others see it.

He is helping us inaugurate our new outdoor classroom on Avis near Elsmere as we transform our front porch to a setting for artistic exchange during our artist residency program, the Porch On TAP.

ProgrammingInside Southwest DetroitAugust 23, 2021tap833, demaciiio, potap, porch on tap, community mural, southwest detroit, the alley project

'Constellations' Zine Debut Features Escuela Avancemos Student Photography

Inside Southwest DetroitAugust 11, 2021

Photo 101 at Escuela Avancemos Connects Students to Story Through Cameras

This summer Inside Southwest Detroit is working with Escuela Avancemos to offer Photo 101 to their summer program students as a way to strengthen visual literacy and photography skills.

Students are learning about photography and creative process as a “license to see”—to engage, document, and create in liberatory ways.

Alongside an introduction to the histories and practices in photography we are reading a novel and creating heart maps as a way of exploring concepts of self, community, and other.

Together we are printing a zine at the end of the summer to present a collection of the youth’s photography and discoveries. This keepsake will allow them to remember and share their work for years to come.

Inside Southwest DetroitJuly 26, 2021

#RemoteAlly Project Outdoor Photo Exhibition

Come visit the outdoor exhibition in person between November 18 - January 31 in front of Michigan Central Depot at Michigan Avenue and Vernor Hwy.

In March of 2020 Capturing Belief and Inside Southwest Detroit created the #RemoteAllyProject, a place for youth to process what they were going through as their school year was abruptly interrupted and they were forced into isolation by the COVID-19 pandemic.

For 15 weeks, 18 students from Detroit and 4 from Kenya, France, and Italy were encouraged to maintain a positive focus while working with 8 teaching artists, developing communication and critical thinking skills while learning about visual storytelling.

Community, ProgrammingInside Southwest DetroitDecember 20, 2020RemoteAllyProject, photography, michigancentral, youngdetroitphotosociety

Wi-Fi Hotspots Activated For Community Use In Southwest Detroit

We know that you need Wi-Fi access, and you need it now.

That’s why the Equitable Internet Initiative (Eii) of Southwest Detroit is in the process of installing public hotspots at different locations around the community.

Access to information and communication are such important parts of staying healthy, informed, and connected to each other under shelter in place orders during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Even if you already have internet in your home or on your phone it might not be doing everything you need it to during this unique time—unreliable connections, speed caps, and data limits can affect your ability to stay in touch or get information when you need it.

Locations

Currently there are two public hotspots in the neighborhood and Eii is working on building with different community partners and schools to add more public hotspots.

Urban Neighborhood Initiatives, 8300 Longworth, Detroit, MI 48209. — **Urban Neighborhood Initiatives,** 8300 Longworth, Detroit, MI 48209.

Grace In Action, 1725 Lawndale, Detroit, MI 48209. — **Grace In Action,** 1725 Lawndale, Detroit, MI 48209.

There is no password so it is very easy to access and use. Just access the Wi-Fi Network: EII-GO-Free-WiFi on your cell phone or laptop.

These public hotspots will help anyone in need of the use of internet whether it's for homework, work, activities or just for fun. We know times are difficult and we want to offer our families and community access to the internet during this hard time.

There will be more locations coming soon so check back here for updates. See the FAQs below to learn how you can help bring new hotspots to your side of the community. Until then you can access the internet at the locations above.

Just pull up and access the network free of charge!

Frequently Asked Questions

How is this service free to the community?

Thanks to our partner locations where our hotspots are hosted, we are able to provide the Wi-Fi free of charge.

Will it work on my cell phone and/or laptop?

Any device that can connect to wifi can connect to our hotspots.

How fast is it and can I game on the hotspot’s Wi-Fi?  

On any device you can get up to 8MGBs p/s download and 2 mgbs upload, per person. This will allow people enough speed that they are able to comfortably explore the internet, watch videos, do homework and listen to music. Wifi speeds can alter determined by how many users are on the network downloading and uploading media at a time.  

Is there a limit to how much data I can use? 

There is no cap on data usage currently.

How can we access the hotspot while maintaining social distancing? 

The hotspots are placed in strategic places that allow enough space to practice social distancing properly and stay safe. For example: parks, community centers with large parking lots. We recommend not sharing devices between people without sanitizing hands or devices prior. Make sure that you are 6 feet away from others not within your household at these locations.

 How can our block get a hotspot? 

Contact one of our Eii representatives by phone or e-mail to set up a site survey.

Additionally if you know of any local community businesses, non-profit organizations, or churches with open space nearby that are interested in being a host for a high-speed community Wi-Fi hotspot please call an Eii representative immediately to get things moving.

Ask your favorite local business, organization, or church—you may be surprised to find how easy it is to help your community get connected!

Who Are We?

The Equitable Internet Initiative is a collaboration between the Detroit Community Technology Project, Allied Media Projects, Grace in Action Collectives, NEWCC, and the Church of the Messiah's Boulevard Harambe Program.

In 2016, we began working together to ensure that more Detroit residents have the ability to leverage digital technologies for social and economic development.

While we are figuring out how to get Wi-Fi Into your home while adhering to social distancing guidelines we want to offer you a free way to use Wi-Fi immediately and safely and that is why we are providing these access points in your community.

Eii of Southwest Detroit is in the process of developing a worker owned, utility cooperative to continue to increase Internet access through the distribution of shared Gigabit Internet connections in and around Grace In Action on Lawndale while increasing internet knowledge by offering internet training to residents of Southwest Detroit.

CommunityInside Southwest DetroitMay 15, 2020

Premiere Issue of 'The Southwest Detroiter' Debuts at Mama Coo's Boutique

We made a zine together. In community. And we sold (out) a zine together. In community.

Alana Rodriguez offered her store, Mama Coo’s Boutique on Trumbull and Bagley, to host a release party for the limited edition run of ‘The Southwest Detroiter’.

The Southwest Detroiter is a curated, multimedia community storytelling project. It centers hyperlocal wisdom, experience, and creativity of Southwest Detroit.

The premiere issue features Zoë Villegas’s ‘Standing In The Shadows of Love’ with photographs by Erik Paul Howard.

With the support of friends, fans, fellow artists, and local businesses all 25 copies were gone in less than two hours. Projects like this give everyone an opportunity to chip in where they fit in.

Everyone that purchased a copy contributed to the youth and community programming that makes it possible, the materials to make the zine, and supported their local artists and businesses.

CommunityInside Southwest DetroitMarch 6, 2020The Southwest Detroiter, Mama Coo's Boutique, southwest detroit, Zoe Villegas, Alana Rodriguez, Corktown, Trumbull and Bagley, potapComment

We Made A Zine Together!

The project, a special limited edition run of The Southwest Detroiter featuring Zoë Villegas’s ‘Standing In The Shadows of Love’ with photographs by Erik Paul Howard, was hand-assembled during Gabriela Baginski’s weekly Photo Arts sessions at La Sirena Studio on The Alley Project.

She led the group through a series of hands-on book making lessons.

More than a dozen hands helped put it all together over several weeks—measuring, sewing, and learning how to make books along the way in a community setting.

And now they’re done. The limited edition of 25 zines will be made available to the public and proceeds support youth and community development through the arts as well as your local artists.

Community, ProgrammingInside Southwest DetroitFebruary 12, 2020the southwest detroiter, photo arts, gabriela baginski, la sirena studio, zoe villegas, standing in the shadows of love, PoTAP