Media
I Remember When (Bicentennial Remix)
In 2022, the staff of the AADL Archives discovered and had digitized a collection of interviews that had gone into the making of the library's I Remember When series of television programs for Ann Arbor's sesquicentennial in 1974*. We all knew what the folks in 1974 had made from these interviews, but we thought it might be interesting to see what someone from 2024 would do with the same set of footage. So we handed the whole lot to filmmaker Aaron Valdez, who combed through 17 hours of footage to create this 15-minute remix for the bicentennial. Aaron explores the personalities of the interviewees, the stories they tell (complete with contradictions), and the mishaps they all left behind in creating this now 50-year-old work of local history.
I Remember When: Lost Episode and Interviews from the Sesquicentennial
Ann Arbor 200 is not the public library's first foray into celebrating a milestone in our community's history by creating resources about it. For Ann Arbor's sesquicentennial back in 1974, the Ann Arbor Public Library produced a series of videos for television called I Remember When. This series, produced by Catherine Anderson and hosted by Ted Trost, assembled newly-collected interviews with prominent Ann Arborites into episodes about various topics in history like city politics or the Greek and German communities. The Ann Arbor District Library digitized all seven episodes of I Remember When from VHS tapes back in 2014 and made them available online. It has since become beloved not just for its interviews with local people we can otherwise only read about but also for its delightfully goofy 1970s-ness. It turned out there was more yet to come.
About five years ago, a box was unearthed from a back corner of the basement of the Downtown Library that contained a set of old videotapes in a format with which no one was familiar. AADL Archives staff took a closer look and realized that what had been found were the original interviews performed to create those episodes of I Remember When. These were on a long-obsolete format of magnetic tape called EIAJ-1, briefly used by the television media in the early 1970s. Having sat neglected for nearly 50 years, we had little hope we would get much out of them. They were shipped to a specialist digitization company in Pennsylvania who knew how to extract the audio and video from these tapes (not as simple as just having a player; these tapes need to be baked in an oven before they can even be played).
As it happened, almost all of the contents were salvageable, and those contents were more than we could have hoped for. Interviews with over 30 prominent Ann Arborites of the twentieth-century, each between 20 and 60 minutes long. We had of course seen bits of these, but at most there might be six minutes in an episode from any given interview, so there was a great deal of material we had not seen before. In addition, an eighth episode of I Remember When was discovered; whether this episode was never aired or just never transferred onto the VHS tapes we originally digitized we do not know.
This lost episode, School Days, featuring segments with Lela Duff, Linda Eberbach, David Inglis, Bill Bishop, and Ashley Clague, is now available on aadl.org.
The complete set of interviews is also available below, offering a wealth of archival material from Ann Arbor's past. These have been fully transcribed and indexed by AADL Archives staff. Enjoy hearing voices and seeing faces from Ann Arbor's past, but take note before you do: the sensibilities of 50 years ago are not the sensibilities of today, and some of the things you hear may be surprising coming from these storied citizens. But the heroes of Ann Arbor history were people, and people of their times, and that knowledge alone is worth the unearthing.
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AAHS Class of 1924 50th Reunion - Linda Eberbach, David Inglis, Bill Bishop |
1974 Gemutlichkeit German Festival - Albert Duckek, George Sauter, Hans Rauer |
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Media
AADL Talks To: Dale Leslie, Local Historian
Dale Leslie was born in the nearby hamlet of Dixboro and moved to Ann Arbor as a child. He worked in radio and broadcasting for a while and then took over his family’s business, Leslie Office Supply. All the while, he was also an avid local history enthusiast. Dale talks with us about how Ann Arbor has changed over the years and shares some of his favorite local history interests, including the history of nearby Dixboro and the Kiwanis Club of Ann Arbor. He also shares a few stories from his digital archive of local history interviews.
Recreated Postcards by Artist Anusree Sattaluri
"This project is my interpretation and re-creation of old Ann Arbor photos and postcards of everyday places with a modern twist. While looking through the old photos, I was attracted to those that reminded me of Ann Arbor today despite being from decades ago. I went through many iterations of paintings of both indoor and outdoor spaces and selected these few for this project which to me capture Ann Arbor's natural beauty while introducing some of today's elements into them. These paintings were made using Gouache on Hot Press Paper. " - Artist Anusree Sattaluri
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Dam on the Huron River
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State Street
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Huron River "Where Nature is Instructor"
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Island Park
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View on Huron River
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Media
AADL Talks To: Martin Bandyke, Host of Fine Tuning and Former Morning Drive Host at Ann Arbor's 107one
Martin Bandyke studied radio and broadcasting at the University of Michigan, started broadcasting at WDET-FM in Detroit, and eventually capped his long career in Ann Arbor as the morning drive host for 107one. In this interview, Martin takes a personal look back at his career, recalling many of the local community and business partners who helped and supported him along the way and sharing memories of interviews and encounters with musicians in the studio. He also reflects on programming at 107one and changes in the radio industry.
Check out Martin Bandyke Under Covers, Martin's long-running AADL podcast.
Media
Lumpen Hippie Light Show
"A short digital video by Tom Carey featuring shadow puppet skits of 1960's Ann Arbor rock music history interspersed and superimposed on psychedelic light show elements. Inspired by the rock concert light shows of Trans-Love Energies at local music venues in the late nineteen-sixties and the experimental cinema presented in the early days of the Ann Arbor Film Festival.
Five weirdos in the style of '60s hot rod artists like Ed Roth and Stanley Mouse represent the MC5 in their love of custom automobile culture and move from Detroit’s Cass Corridor to a commune on Hill Street in Ann Arbor. I also present MC5 manager John Sinclair’s legal troubles with the front cover of one of his early poetry chapbooks and caricatures of law enforcement officers. The Egyptian imagery in the second half of the video commemorates Sun Ra Arkestra’s Ann Arbor performances, including at the Ann Arbor Blues and Jazz Festival promoted by Sinclair. After Ra’s Ark passes the Hill St home of the MC5, it moves on to Carpenter Road where Iggy Pop grew up in a trailer home which here doubles as an Egyptian sarcophagus. Iggy's dance moves with the Stooges were based on Egyptian hieroglyphics he studied in cultural anthropology classes at the University of Michigan. My main source for this info is the section on Ann Arbor in the book Please Kill Me: the Uncensored Oral History of Punk, available at the AADL.
The original soundtrack was composed and performed by local musician Dan Tower, channeling Ann Arbor guitar gods like Fred Sonic Smith, Ron Asheton, and Gary Quackenbush." - Filmmaker Tom Carey
Note: Some scenes have a strobing effect that may effect photosensitive viewers.
The Old Jewish Burial Ground
Go to the corner of E. Huron and Fletcher. This puts you between the glass front of the Power Center for the Performing Arts and the stone side of the University of Michigan’s Rackham Building. Cross to the Rackham side of the intersection, face the building, and look down. You’ll see this plaque, which is perhaps twice the size of a tombstone:
It reads:
MICHIGAN'S FIRST JEWISH CEMETERY SITE
At this site the first Jewish cemetery in Michigan was established in 1848-49. The Jews Society of Ann Arbor acquired burial rights to this land adjacent to what was then the public cemetery. Several years earlier, immigrants from Germany and Austria had organized the first Jewish community in the state. The first religious services were held in the homes of the five Weil brothers in the vicinity of the family tannery. J. Weil and Brothers, members of the Jewish community, participated in all aspects of the city's life. Jacob Weil served Ann Arbor as alderman from 1859 to 1861. By the 1880s this original Jewish community no longer existed. In 1900 the remains of those buried here were reinterred in Ann Arbor's Forest Hill Cemetery.
Sponsored by Beth Israel Congregation and the Jewish Historical Society of Michigan, 1983/5743
Look past the plaque, and you’ll see … well, kind of nothing: a hedge partially surrounding a slightly scrubby side yard with a few mature trees.
Historical markers take things no longer visible—the spot where someone famous slept or spoke or went to school, the original location of a notable structure, the site of a forgotten graveyard—and make them visible once more. But in doing so, they often obscure fairly obvious questions. In this case:
- What happened to make this Jewish community abruptly “no longer exist” after only about 30 years?
- If there is no sign of a cemetery here now, and there was no sign of it when the marker was placed in 1983, and all the Jews who used the cemetery were long gone by 1900, how did anyone know a cemetery was ever here?
- What happened in 1983 to make the State of Michigan put up this historic marker?
The final question is the easiest to answer: around 1980 some frat boys showed up at the University of Michigan branch of Hillel with a stone slab. While cleaning up their property, these fellas had flipped over a large rectangular stone paver emblazoned with the frat’s initials, which served as a step outside their door. Surprisingly, the underside was covered in Hebrew engraving. As it turned out, the doormat they’d been using for as long as anyone could remember was some Jew’s tombstone.
One hopes that this was at least moderately upsetting to them. Maybe it was just funny. Kids, amiright?
Either way, their next step—returning the gravestone to the nearest available Jews—was basically decent. Hillel did something a bit more rational, and passed the stone on to Beth Israel Congregation. Beth Israel was (and is) the area’s oldest Jewish congregation, established in 1916 by Ann Arbor’s first Jews. It would be reasonable to assume they’ be able to return this marker to its proper home.
But the stone proved to be a riddle for the folks at Beth Israel.
It was dated 1858, which was decades prior to the arrival of Ann Arbor’s “first” Jewish family, the Lanskies, who were among Beth Israel's founders. And it had marked the burial place of “Reila Weil,” a person from a family none of Ann Arbor’s Jews had ever heard of.
All of this piqued the curiosity of Helen Aminoff, an administrator at the Beth Israel Congregation. Aminoff spent the next several years tracking down the cemetery, excavating and untangling the history of those early Jews of Ann Arbor, and successfully petitioning the State to place the marker in 1983.
This leaves the first question, the one that should probably leap to mind any time someone chooses to use the passive voice when telling you that a whole bunch of people sort of mysteriously “no longer exist.” You know, like how most of the shtetls in Europe no longer exist, or how the Ann Arbor-area settlements of the Anishinaabe people of the Three Fires Confederacy no longer exist.
What happened to make these First Jews of Ann Arbor—men and women who “participated in all aspects of the city's life,” including holding elected public office—abruptly leave after only 30 years?
The short answer is that we don’t know. Gravestones and markers are made of stone and steel; they stick around to tell their tale. Dinner table conversations, late night arguments, and innumerable slights and snubs in the street decay with the bodies of those that experienced them without memorializing them on paper, stone, or steel.
But we do know a few things.
We know Solomon Weil was Ann Arbor’s first Jew. He arrived in 1845.
We know that his brothers soon followed, often bringing their wives and children (including Reila Weil, whose gravestone became a frat doormat; she was the wife of Solomon’s younger brother, Moses).
We know that within just three years the Five Brothers Weil had acquired land for a cemetery, despite having neither a congregation or anyone to bury yet (the earliest burial was likely in 1853). Acquiring the cemetery land was most likely the work of Jacob Weil, the last of the Brothers Weil to arrive in America. Jacob had trained as a rabbi and graduated with honors from the University of Hungary. He was fluent in French (presumably in addition to his native Yiddish, Hungarian, and German). More importantly, Jacob could apparently speak some form of Algonquin. Being conversant in both French and an indigenous dialect allowed him to travel and trade freely among the French-Canadian fur trappers and indigenous populations of Southeast Michigan. This trade in hides and pelts formed the basis of a retail business the Weil Brothers ultimately parlayed into a successful tannery in Ann Arbor.
We also know that in 1850 the Weils held Michigan’s first public Jewish religious services. Doing that required:
- At least 10 adult male Jews (the minimum needed for public prayer under Jewish law at that time)
- A Torah
A Torah is a big investment, both in 1850 and today. It is a hand-scribed holy book written on a ritually prepared calfskin parchment scroll by a specially trained rabbi. It takes an entire year to create a Torah—which, predictably, makes Torahs both expensive and scarce. Today, a new Torah costs about as much as a new car. In 1850, the Brothers Weil had to ask their parents (Joseph and Sarah) to bring one from Prague when they emigrated.
To recap: we know that within five years of the first Weil settling in Ann Arbor, they had brought their entire family here, attracted at least four more adult male Jews, bought land for a cemetery they didn’t yet need, and acquired an extremely expensive ritual object of no practical use (apart from sustaining a religious community of Jews).
All of this seems to be the efforts of people who intended to stay. They owned land here, headquartered prosperous businesses here. Their children were born here, and some of them died and were buried here. By 1859 Jacob Weil was elected alderman for the second ward. He was reelected in 1860. A year after that he’d left Michigan entirely. Over the course of the next few years all the Weils—and most of the other Jews in town—either left for sunnier streets and greener pastures, or got planted in the old Jewish burial ground.
We know all this. We Just don’t know why Ann Arbor’s first Jews left.
Go to the second floor of the Ann Arbor District Library’s Downtown Branch. Head to the far corner where they keep the final remnant of the archival microfilm collection in a set of shallow drawers. Find the boxes of microfilm for the Michigan Argus. This was the area’s local weekly paper when the first Jews came to Ann Arbor. Look at almost any issue between late-1851 and mid-1852 and you’ll find this advertisement:
This ad ran in every issue of the Argus from September 3, 1851 to May 12, 1852 (and potentially longer; there are gaps in the archives). In the context of the papers it seems likely that this ad targets not Jews in general, but one specific Jew: Simon Guiterman. Guiterman was one of the two proprietors of a competing clothier, Sykes & Guiterman. His five-year-old son, Max, would go on to be buried in the abandoned Jewish cemetery.
We’ll never know what Simon Guiterman did to inspire William O’Hara to spend money running the “Opposition to Jews” ad 36+ times. We’ll note that there were other clothiers in town with German, French, and English surnames, but no corresponding advertisements in opposition to Germans, Frenchmen, Englishmen, or (ahem) Irishmen.
We have no record of what the rest of the Jews of Ann Arbor thought of this ad campaign, or when they started to leave. According to Aminhoff’s research the final remnant of Ann Arbor’s first Jewish community, the Fantles (who were probably Jacob Weil’s niece and nephew), left in 1884 or 1885.
At its height Ann Arbor’s first Jewish community likely numbered around 60 souls. We don’t know how many died as residents, nor how many were laid to rest in the old Jewish burial ground. Records show at least ten were buried here, but even that’s extremely hard to piece together, given the state of record keeping at that time, Jewish customs, and the fact that all of the live Jews had gone.
In 1899 the “Old Jewish Burial Ground” was finally obliterated and the “remains taken up.” Ten plots were purchased in Forest Hill Cemetery, but only six Jews were moved to these new digs. What happened to the other four (or more) bodies? Aminoff hypothesized they may have been stolen by U-M medical students, who were notorious grave robbers in the late 19th Century. Given practices at the time, it’s just as likely that these dead Jews are still there, next to Rackham. In the early 1900s, as Michigan communities grew, graveyards often needed to be moved, and the cost of moving those graves usually fell to the families, and was often neglected—even in the case of extremely notable corpses. As a practical matter, it was all too common to move the headstones and leave the bodies in place (a plot point you may recall from Poltergeist).
Predictably, houses were built on the old Jewish burial ground, and then later demolished to make way for the Rackham Building. Perhaps the odd vacant corner memorialized with this marker, like Felch Park across the street and the Britton Woods section of the County Farm Park, has been left undeveloped specifically because many Ann Arborites suspected that there were still bodies there.
I probably should have led with a trigger warning, as there are many elements of this story that modern readers may find distressing: religious intolerance and ethnic intimidation; desecration of graves and medical body snatching; blatant public antisemitism evidently left unchecked.
I don’t have to tell you that the America of 1850 was a much coarser country, one where justice often failed to prevail and freedom’s ring could be quite muffled. The Ann Arbor of 170+ years ago is not the Ann Arbor of today.
Go to the corner of Washtenaw Avenue and Austin Avenue on any Saturday morning since 2003. Look toward Beth Israel Congregation (the oldest Jewish congregation in Ann Arbor). You’ll see this sign, among dozens along a similar theme, being displayed by Ann Arborites:
You’ll also be standing within an easy walk of my home. I came here in 1995, 110 years after the First Jews in Ann Arbor decided to be Jews someplace else. As someone who’s been a Jew in Ann Arbor for about 30 years, I can’t begin to imagine why they left.
“[Ann Arbor’s first Jews] were all very successful and respected. They all until the time of their death, had a warm feeling for Ann Arbor and particularly for their old neighbors.”
—“Old Jewish Burial Ground Will Be Obliterated in a Few Days”
The Ann Arbor Argus-Democrat
September 29, 1899
Black History Bicentennial Mural
About the Mural
Following the Ann Arbor District Library's Call for Artists in 2024, AADL installed its Black History Bicentennial mural on the south side of Library Lane. The community-based project is the culmination of nearly a year of work between AADL staff, the local arts community, and a community review panel featuring Jamall Bufford and Marianetta Porter. Artistic Coordinator Avery Williamson helped lead the project and contributed art for one of the eight panels, which includes work from seven other artists reinterpreting images they selected from the AADL Archives: T'onna Clemons, Scott Wesson Everett, Cheyenne Fletcher, Takeisha Jefferson, Lauren Mills, Rachel Elise Thomas, and Ricky Weaver. Two additional panels were selected for permanent display at the AADL Archives by Asha Jordan and Gyona Rice.
About the Photos
As the creative coordinator for this project, Avery Williamson curated over 50 images from the AADL archives and invited the artists to select a single photograph to reinterpret and make their own. The images chosen were of life in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti from the 1850s to the present. Avery wanted this selection to represent the fullness of life: graduations, protests, parades, theater performances, church services and sporting events. Artists chose images that resonated with them for a diverse set of reasons. Some photographs reminded them of their own experiences or those of their relatives. For other artists, the images spoke to themes they explore in their work outside of this mural – music, dance and childhood. Throughout the process the artists explored their experiences and relationships to this city and region, and the power of art to shape the narrative of a place. In the eight images displayed at the Downtown branch, and the two on the wall of the paper vault at the Archives building, artists elevated joy, play and community. It is our hope that these artists and their work can help us better know the Black history of this region and formulate questions to guide us towards the future we want to live in.
Panels & Artists
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Avery Williamson Ypsilanti, MI |
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Dunbar Center Girls, August 1936 Childhood is childhood regardless of race or color and these youngsters raise their voices in joyful harmony at Dunbar Community center. In 1923, the Reverend R.M. Gilbert, pastor of the Second Baptist Church of Ann Arbor, Michigan, spearheaded the effort that led to the establishment of the Dunbar Community Center. The original intent of the Center was to provide housing for Black laborers working on area roads and University of Michigan building projects. The Center's first building, located at 209-11 North Fourth Avenue, was used primarily for sleeping quarters, but there were also a few areas set aside for club meetings and social events. Gradually the purpose of the Center changed from one of providing temporary housing to that of being a place where Ann Arbor's Black population could gather for social, recreational, and civic activities. In 1926, a new administrator, Mrs. Savonia L. Carson, was appointed Executive Secretary and the Center moved to 1009 East Catherine where it remained until 1937. - Ann Arbor Community Center Records, Bentley Historical Library
What 3 words come to mind when you look at your chosen archival image? "Joy, embrace, collective" -Avery Williamson |
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Rachel Elise Thomas Detroit, MI
Having a background working with children greatly inspired and influenced this collage. I wanted to emphasize the joy, excitement, and spontaneity of learning and working together. Although this is considered a digital collage, I used crayon and watercolor paint to redesign the students' shirts, giving them a vibrant new appearance that reflects the theme of being in a band. Adding sheet music was a fun element that brought the piece together. The crayon resist paintings and sheet music were scanned, digitized, and assembled in Photoshop." |
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Ann Arbor Community Center band members rehearse for public concert, June 1961 Rousing Rehearsal: Ann Arbor Community Center band members rehearse for a public concert to be presented at 7:30pm Friday on the patio at the center, 625 N. Main St. Dawson Burt directs the band. Rehearsing are (left to right) Mike Dale, Herbert Ellis, Bruce North, Allan Lutz and Jo Ann Baker.
What 3 words come to mind when you look at your chosen archival image? "Harmony, collaboration, vibrancy" -Rachel Elise Thomas |
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Scott Wesson Everett Detroit, MI
The piece combines my love for music and portraits, using vibrant colors and dynamic lines to capture the “shapes of sounds” these young men create. Inspired by artists who play with movement and vibrancy, like Romare Bearden, I wanted to bring a sense of rhythm and pulse to the composition. In the background, I incorporated the West Park Band Shell, the historic space where these young men once performed, linking the art with the place and the voices that animated it." |
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Ypsilanti Quartet, August 1955 This Ypsilanti quartet will be one of the featured attractions at the talent show at 8 p.m. tomorrow in the West Park band shell. The singers (left to right) are Waverly Chauncey, William Rhan, Albert Roper and Kenny Robinson.
What 3 words come to mind when you look at your chosen archival image? "Togetherness, Leadership, Joy" -Scott Everett |
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T'onna Clemons Ann Arbor, MI T’onna Clemons is an Ann Arbor based artist specializing in murals, paintings, comic art, videography and design, and president of Youth Art Gallery (Michigan). Finding inspiration in kids and youth, T’onna’s work aims to inspire viewers.
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Children Along The Ypsilanti Christmas Parade Route, December 1954 What 3 words come to mind when you look at your chosen archival image? "Polaroids, vintage, kids" -T'onna Clemens |
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Lauren McHale Mills Ypsilanti, MI Lauren McHale Mills is a Graduate of Stamps School of Art & Design at the University of Michigan. She is based in Ypsilanti and is a freelance artist pursuing her master’s degree. Lauren’s work is narrative driven and ethnographic in nature, while also centering on the history, culture, and literary legacy of Black Americans. This Mazda is a Lemon was my attempt at giving a new life to an archival image that was already powerful on its own. Figuring out the best approach was difficult for me at first, for that very reason. In the planning phases of this piece, I was definitely inspired by Mickalene Thomas' use of mixed media, and Titus Kaphar's use of cut-outs. For this piece, I was striving for balance, but also for a colorful and lively feeling. Earlier this year, I began cutting silhouettes out of wood, to use as the foreground of my portraits. I decided to use this technique here, not only to achieve that palpable dimensional feeling you see here, but also to physically separate the past and the present. Another thing I'd like to point out, is that the car was "painted" with cut paper. This technique is a very exciting first for me, that I will likely continue in the future! The only paint that was used, was acrylic for my uncle's portrait, and latex for the blueish/gray background."
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Paul Wasson Drives a "Lemon" Mazda in Ypsilanti, August 1975 What 3 words come to mind when you look at your chosen archival image? "Pimp-liscious, laidback, comical" -Lauren McHale Mills |
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Takeisha Jefferson Detroit, MI Takeisha Jefferson is a full-time exhibiting artist and international portrait photographer from Ypsilanti, Michigan. She studied Fine Arts and is a proud, disabled Air Force veteran. Her main medium is photography printed on archival paper, and she is inspired by some of the earliest forms of photography, whose unique and timeless qualities are reflected in her work. My piece was influenced by artists such as Lina Iris Viktor, who often uses gold halos to elevate Black figures, and Harmonia Rosales, known for reimagining classic themes with Black representation. I chose vibrant colors to honor the richness of Black heritage, and the gold halos symbolize reverence and divine dignity for the women in this portrait. The figures are members of my own family, which speaks to the theme of generational connection, and I included my elementary school music teacher at the piano as a tribute to her influence on my early love for music." |
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Dunbar Civic Center Quintet, May 1944 The Dunbar Civic Center Quintet, which will broadcast over WJR between 9:15 and 9:45 tomorrow morning and sing for the Center Celebration at 3 o'clock tomorrow afternoon, is shown practicing for their performances. They are, left to right, Colene Bacon, Edith McFadden, Arlena Scott, Theodosia Lee, and Hortense Bacon. Mrs. Virginia Lee Ellis, director, is at the piano.
What 3 words come to mind when you look at your chosen archival image? "Legacy, Heritage and Luminary" -Takeisha Jefferson |
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Ricky Weaver Detroit, MI Ricky Weaver is a photography based Artist born and raised in Ypsilanti. Her object-oriented work challenges the viewer’s understanding of space and time and gives space for picturing images that extends beyond the photograph. Her work questions how body, hymn, scripture, and the everyday appear as image and how that image functions as both archive and vessel. Arthur Jaffa's cinematography in Julie Dash's Daughters of the Dust inspired the overall aesthetic appearance of the image. I wanted to reference this important conversation migration as most folks I know had grandparents that migrated here from the south. I wanted to reinforce the idea of generational connection between us as a community no matter where we are, there is something that ties us together." |
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Dancers Strike a Pose at the African American Downtown Festival, June 1998 What 3 words come to mind when you look at your chosen archival image? "Black, girls, share" -Ricky Weaver |
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Cheyenne Fletcher Ypsilanti, MI Cheyenne Fletcher is an Ann Arbor based artist. Informed by their work as a Library Technician at Ann Arbor District Library, Cheyenne’s art is narrative driven, drawing on their own experiences to inform their characters and establish stories. I am typically inspired by the color palettes of Kerry James Marshall, Ayako Rokkaku, Faith Ringgold, and Hideyuki Tanaka. I wanted to keep the dancer's original leotards in my piece, so I lifted those from the photo. I'm a big fan of highly saturated colors, so I think keeping those black leotards in allowed me to stay faithful to the original photograph while still adding in an interesting element (i.e. texture). For the background, I layered in string as I often do with my pieces. I also took a picture of my friend's braids to layer onto the curtains of my piece. I'm ultimately interested in physical and cultural forms of connection." |
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Phil Stamps, Ann Arbor Recreation Department, Teaching African American Dance at Jones School, 1968 What 3 words come to mind when you look at your chosen archival image? "Motion, follow, youth" -Cheyenne Fletcher |
Other Works
Artists Asha Jordan and Gyona Rice contributed works that were selected for permanent installation on the wall of the paper vault at the AADL Archives building.
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Asha Jordan System 80 through the lens Ann Arbor, MI Instagram: @jordan.nik.art Asha Jordan is an Ann Arbor native whose family roots to the area date back five generations. She is a freelance artist who finds opportunities to create representation in her home city. "My favorite place to go in Ann Arbor was the library. I felt safe to be myself and free to be black. The computers and reading programs we had on them felt like a virtual adventure where my imagination took over. I see these little girls reading on this old school reading device and could only imagine how cool they thought it was back then. When I was 11 years old drawing the power puff girls, my art teacher seen me drawing and said "You're going to be a famous artist one day." I have been pursuing my career ever since. I took it so serious that I joined the arts league of Michigan at age 12 and did the Ann Arbor art fair every year up until I was 17. I also studied with college students at the age of 15 to perfect my craft. From age 12 I had my mentors Hubert Massey and Henry Heading as my inspiration and teachers to become the artist I am today." |
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Reading Lab at Perry School, Ypsilanti, January 1976 What 3 words come to mind when you look at your chosen archival image? "Black Girl Joy" -Asha Jordan |
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Gyona Rice Handcrafted in Pride Westland, MI https://gyonarice.my.canva.site/portfolio-artwork Instagram: @gyonarice Gyona Rice is a graphic designer and multidisciplinary artist who is passionate about creating innovative designs that bring ideas to life. She enjoys working in different artistic mediums, and each piece is deeply personal and rooted in her family’s history and the experiences of Black women. "As a multimedia artist and printmaker, I explore Black identity and heritage through the innovative use of materials. This piece, inspired by a photograph of two young brothers in a parade, serves as a heartfelt tribute to the Black community that once flourished in Ann Arbor. The artwork delves into themes of patriotism, childhood, and Black pride, using fabric and paper to recreate the paper-decorated float from the photograph. By incorporating American flag patterns and denim, I highlight the community’s contributions and sense of belonging. The mixed media approach—blending rich textures with delicate details—invites viewers to connect with the vibrant spirit of this community and reflect on its enduring legacy and impact. What drew me to the archive photograph for this project was my realization that, despite living in Michigan my entire life, I never recognized Ann Arbor as a significant Black community. Learning about its history touched my heart and highlighted how a city can erase its past. This discovery inspires much of my art, as I strive to tell the stories of unheard or underrepresented voices. I felt that my artistic skills would be a perfect way to honor these narratives and showcase that they, too, were a part of this community. This piece is a recreation of a photograph of two young brothers on a parade float, beautifully decorated with paper made by the women in their community. Inspired by the incredible work of artists like Judy Bowman, Bisa Butler, and Deborah Roberts—who use paper and fabric to explore Black identity. I wanted to honor the creativity and love those women put into creating the paper parade float. To symbolize American pride and the patriotism of this Black family, I chose materials like denim and fabrics with American flag patterns, both of which are prominent in American culture. By simplifying the boys' features, I aimed to make their figures stand out as powerful symbols of resilience and patriotism, even in a world that may not have fully embraced them. The layers of fabric and paper not only bring the boys' float to life but also celebrate the joy and determination of Black families who proudly embraced their country while continuing to claim their rightful place within it. This artwork serves as a vibrant reminder of their legacy and the enduring spirit that lives on today, inviting you to reflect on the rich history and contributions of the Black community that used to live in Ann Arbor." |
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Eldridge & Zonnechris Askew In The Bethel A.M.E. Nursery School Parade, August 19, 1949
RIDE IN PARADE: Eldridge Askew, 3, and his little brother, Zonnechris, 22 months old, rode in a paper-decorated wagon yesterday in the parade that climaxed summer activities at the Bethel A.M.E. nursery school. A plan to continue to the nursery school through the winter is now being discussed.
What 3 words come to mind when you look at your chosen archival image? "Joy, Heritage, and Resilience" -Gyona Rice |
Media
AADL Talks To: Sylvia Nolasco-Rivers, owner of Pilar's Tamales and Founder of Pilar's Foundation
In this episode, AADL Talks to Sylvia Nolasco-Rivers. Sylvia tells us about her early experiences in Ann Arbor, and how she convinced her entire family to move here. She shares stories of her work as a caterer and eventual restaurant owner, and tells us about fundraising efforts in the early 2000s, which led to the creation of her nonprofit Pilar’s Foundation in 2019.
