Three years ago, the Contemporary Art Institute of Detroit (CAID) and its half dozen members moved into the art program's first home on Rosa Parks after 25 years of nomadic existence.
Now, just 3 years later, CAID is operating four venues throughout Detroit, and the organization has over 500 members.
Celebrate CAID's continued metamorphosis on May 10th, when the non-profit arts organization kicks off its 2008 exhibition season with shows at all four of its venues: the CAID; the Carriage House Gallery; Ladybug Gallery and Studios; and MassiV, the newest addition to the CAID family of galleries.
Opening Reception festivities are free and open to the public, and start at 6 p.m. on Saturday May 10th. CAID recommends parking at either CAID (5141 Rosa Parks Boulevard in Detroit) or MassiV, inside the Russell Industrial Center (1604 Clay Avenue in Detroit) and taking advantage of the free shuttle service to all four galleries.
Each of the galleries will offer a different perspective of CAID's exhibition and education vision and mission. Opening Night highlights of each gallery include:
CAID Main: the Eco Village Student Design Competition. Part of the city of Detroit's latest green initiative, this exhibition includes cutting edge solutions to vacant land usage courtesy of a faculty-led studio of architecture students from Lawrence Tech, University of Detroit Mercy and University of Michigan, who were charged with designing an eco-village on a five-acre site in Detroit's Woodbridge Neighborhood. Guests at CAID will also have the opportunity to attend the Sonic Lullaby 3.0 festival featuring live musical performances by Auburn Lull, Soundpool, Elika, Indian Guides, Crash City Saints, Sunlight Ascending, and Sey Lui. The performances begin at 9 p.m. Admission is to the music portion is $8, but is free to the exhibition.
Carriage House Gallery: the Harvest Gold Club: COLLECTING, CREATING and CLEARING OUT. A collaborative exhibition featuring the work of Madeleine Barkey, Jeanne Bieri, Teresa Petersen, the Harvest Gold Club depicts artwork within an environment that imitates a typical living room or clubhouse. The artists created the environment using material found on the curbside, including furniture, books, appliances, and knick-knacks. These cast-off items are sometimes antique, sometimes charming and sometimes utilitarian, but always worth more than their curbside appearance would indicate.
Ladybug Gallery and Studios: Curator's Choice exhibit. Featuring the work of more than a dozen artists, this exhibition includes paintings, sculpture, photography and video.
MassiV: Chido Johnson: Domestified angst – first recording. This major solo installation of new work by Chido Johnson -- a Zimbabwe-born artist who serves as the current chair of sculpture at the College for Creative Studies -- explores Johnson's personal state of cultural negotiations between Euro-American and South African cultures.
Can't make it to CAID's 2008 Exhibition Opening Night? No worries -- exhibitions at the four galleries run through August 10, 2008. For more information, please visit CAID on the Web.
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