Feeling Moved by Detroit
Over the past few months Peter and I have fallen in love with Detroit. We are coming to terms with the fact that we are more urban than rural/suburban and a lot of artists, designers, and makers are shaking things up in Detroit.
Long celebrated as the Motor City and the birthplace of Motown, the city is undergoing a vibrant creative and intellectual renaissance. After decades of economic and social challenges, the city is reclaiming its position as a cultural and innovative hub. This resurgence isn’t just about rebuilding; it’s about reimagining Detroit as a city where art, ideas, and collaboration thrive.
We actually were in Detroit for the first time during the month of design events and met some great people and actually can now call them friends. It is amazing how open and friendly the community is, really inspiring and wonderful. We have made more connections and friends in the past three visits than in the past ten years across five different states and locations. We are grateful to have found a place we feel at home in and inspired by and move next week.
Some of the wonderful people we have met include our agent on the ground Liz Tintinalli who grew up in a Mies van der Rohe townhome in historic Lafayette Park, across the street from where we will be living in a 1300 E Lafayette St. Coop building designed by Gunnar Birkerts.
Aimee and Dean Zoyes of Zoyes Creative are an amazing creative force who we met during design month. Anthony Curis of the Shepherd showed us his inspired vision for Little Village and plans to create a community of artists, designers, and makers within walking distance of each other.
Included in this vision is Signal Return, a letterpress print shop at the Lantern where we connected with other great folks, including Katie Shulman who created the Fiber Club and who’s partner Drew works at Pewabic (and promised us a tour when we move).
We are also fond of Steth at Fauno Flora, Aleiya at Periodicals, Christian and Michelle at M1DTW Architects, Philip and Randy at Prince Concepts, Shane at Lincoln Factory, (part of Lincoln Street Art Park which hosts the monthly Full Moon Party), Brian at Castor Design, and the collective The Talking Dolls.
We have only scratched the surface of this amazing city and will continue to add our discoveries as we make them.
We are still considering our studio options and will have it secured in a couple weeks and begin our setup and move in. Our ideal space will have enough space for us and others to create in one big venue. Creating a space for a nurturing group of friends who work and support each other is an important part of this move for us. We are leaving our forest friends behind (but not forgotten and in good hands because all of our bird feeders, bird houses, and bird bath are going to remain at Trail's End) and pushing forward in a new city adventure. We plan to reopen the studio in our new location in early February 2025. Stay tuned.
And most important thank you for your support and coming along on our journey with us! We could not have done any of this without you. Have a prosperous and fantastic 2025! See you in Detroit!
