Media
Craig Walsh: Monuments
This short from filmmaker Fred Culpepper documents the creation of the Monuments public art installation from artist Craig Walsh. Walsh was commissioned to create a set of his living sculptures in celebration of Ann Arbor's bicentennial. Those chosen to be represented in the project were community leaders Bonnie Billups Jr., Joyce Hunter, and Martin Contreras & Keith Orr. This video provides in introduction to these figures as it tracks Walsh in the capturing of source material and the installation of his large-scale, temporary public sculpture piece. The installation was on view in Albert Wheeler Park September 4-8, 2024.
Media
AADL Talks To: Chris Reising, Former Costume/Set Designer & Artist
In this episode AADL Talks To Christine Reising. Chris talks to us about designing Avant-garde costumes and sets for multiple local theaters, her involvement in the Bookfest from its iteration, and her work as an artist in a range of mediums.
Media
AADL Talks To: Steve Gilzow, Ann Arbor Observer Cover Artist
In this episode AADL Talks To Steve Gilzow, a prolific cover artist for the Ann Arbor Observer, retired teacher, and writer. Steve talks about the inspiration behind his art, the people and places captured within his covers, and how his work with the Observer has allowed a deeper understanding of the community.
Media
AADL Talks To: Peter Sparling, Lecturer, Poet, Essayist, Dancer, and Filmmaker
In this episode, AADL Talks To Peter Sparling. Peter is a lecturer, poet, essayist, dancer, and filmmaker. He is the Rudolf Arnheim Distinguished University Professor Emeritus of Dance at the University of Michigan. Peter talks with us about his career, from his start as a member of the José Limón Dance Company and principal dancer with Martha Graham Dance Company through his time in Ann Arbor as director of his own Peter Sparling Dance Company. Peter talks about his activism, the changes in the Ann Arbor dance community over the years, and his current work after retiring from the university 6 years ago.
Media
AADL Talks To: Zeke Mallory, Designer & Artist
In this episode, AADL Talks To Zeke Mallory. Zeke studied Fine Art and Commercial Design at Eastern Michigan University, worked at Mr. Flood’s Party, and has been a successful graphic artist since starting his career in Ann Arbor in the 1970s. Zeke talks about some of his signs and murals around town, his experiences working as an artist, and some of the influential people in his life.
See AADL's collection of Zeke Mallory's posters and artwork here.
Media
AADL Talks To: Earl Jackson, Artist
In this episode, AADL Talks To Earl Jackson. Earl talks about his time growing up in Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor, from his early years to his work at Borders Books and Music where he worked as a framer to the evolution of his career in the visual arts. He also discusses some of the organizations and people who inspired and mentored him, and reflects on the changes in themes and style in his work.
Media
AADL Talks To: Margaret Parker, Artist and Arts Activist
In this episode, AADL Talks to Margaret Parker. Margaret has been working as an artist for seven decades. She talks about her parents’ influence on her desire to become an artist and the evolution of her artistic development, from working in different mediums to confronting social justice issues in her work. Margaret talks about her time with the Michigan chapter of the Women's Caucus for Art and her commitment to bring public to Ann Arbor through her work on the Ann Arbor Public Art Commission.
For more information, see our digital collections related to Margaret Parker, or visit the artist's website.
Media
Friends of the Sixties: Interview with Rock Poster Artist Gary Grimshaw
An interview by archivist of popular culture Michael Erlewine of rock-poster artist Gary Grimshaw, along with samples from various periods of Grimshaw's work. Erlewine also tells how he got into making posters himself in the 1960s for his band the Prime Movers Blues Band.
This video originally appeared here.
Media
AACHM Oral History: Leah Bass-Baylis
Leah Bass-Baylis was born in 1954 in Ypsilanti. Her parents Thomas and Louise Bass–a doctor and teacher–were influential members of Ypsilanti’s Black community. She studied dance at Ypsilanti’s Randazzo Dance Theater and graduated from Spelman College in Atlanta in 1976. She also holds a doctorate in Educational Leadership and Organizational Change from the University of Southern California. Bass-Baylis was a dancer and choreographer for many Broadway shows, including performing in The Tap Dance Kid. In her later career as an administrator, she developed arts education programs in Los Angeles. She and her husband Doug Baylis have four children.
Media
Nerd Nite #71 - How to Avoid Making Art While Still Being an Artist
While drawing in public, I have had countless conversations with random strangers about Art and being an artist, and mostly about how almost everybody thinks they aren’t one and can’t make any. I will endeavor to prove that everyone in the room was or is an artist, I will explain how my father’s desire for peace & quiet in restaurants defused my own Fear of the Blank Canvas, and I will answer the eternal question asked of every sidewalk artist: “But won’t you be sad when it rains?”
About David Zinn: David Zinn is a life-long A2 townie, an alumnus of the U-M Residential College, and a former freelance commercial artist who currently makes his living by drawing on sidewalks with chalk. He is as surprised by this as you are. Follow him on Twitter @davidzinn_art.