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This is an ongoing film series about the material and artistic byproducts of a supposedly declined city, and how the creative thinkers who traverse its everyday challenges have learned to harness this energy to create seemingly incongruous works of a celebratory or humorous nature. Young artists and curators working with and influenced by the social fabric of the city have learned to embrace Detroit’s potentially negative facets, and I believe their work is so enmeshed with the city’s fabric that it is the only place their current modes of artistic research and production could occur. In short, Detroit seems to produce strong artists who take risks, both physically and socially. This film is a labor of love, an outcome of my fieldwork as an artist and a folklorist. It will continue to grow and mutate with no fixed idea for its final outcome. Two additional segments are in the editing process, and I hope to continue to fly home to film other segments as my meager budget allows. Future installments will include the work of Stephen Schudlich, Alana Bartol-Vince, and Nathan Vince.

In an exploration called ‘Detroit Lives,’ actor Johnny Knoxville puts on Palladium boots and checks out the city, which was once the fourth largest city in America but is now in the midst of a transformation from abandoned urban landscape back to a vibrant community. The trailer for the video showcases the young people who are taking back the city and their community.

Please VOTE every day to bring recycling to all Detroit Public Schools. Visit this link every day to make a difference! http://www.refresheverything.com/recyclingindetroitschools

Hear the Mighty Wurlitzer play at the grand Fox Theatre in Detroit, Mich. The Fox is a National Historic Landmark and has hosted everyone from Frank Sinatra to Elvis to Iggy and the Stooges. The Wurlitzer used to provide sound for films and entertain guests during intermissions and before the show. Sorry for the shakiness and lack of quality; we were sans tripod and top-shelf equipment. For more on the Fox and other Detroit landmarks, go to BuildingsofDetroit.com.

Video directed by el-iqaa Produced by EMERGENCE Buy the "Detroit Summer" 7": http://tinyurl.com/detroitsummer7 It's no longer a secret that two of Detroit's most respected hip-hop figures, Invincible + Waajeed, are in the process of releasing a collaborative album together in 2011. The leak of their brand new single, “Detroit Summer,” has gotten lots of love on music blogs all month as tastemakers continue to appreciate the duo's blend of vivid lyricism and soul-stirring production. The two-song “Detroit Summer” single will drop digitally and as a 7” vinyl, August 10 on Invincible's EMERGENCE imprint. Invincible + Waajeed toured the legendary Archer Record Pressing plant in Detroit where the vinyl is being pressed and made short video of the tour. Watch as Invincible and Waajeed get a lesson in how vinyl records are made. Both artists were adamant that in terms of manufacturing, the project should be 100% local to Detroit. Archer has pressed up some of the most noteworthy underground vinyl in Detroit's storied music history including records from Jay Dee, Proof, Moodyman, Waajeed, Underground Resistance, The Funk Brothers, and many more. When asked if independent artists have a responsibility to indie record stores and vinyl pressing plants, Waajeed + Invincible responded affirmatively: “We're part of an interdependent network of people who still care about making quality music in direct relationship with listeners.” Stay plugged in to www.EMERGENCEmedia.org for updates and to pre-order the 7".

Hip hop video shot in Detroit for rapper Dante LaSalle off his album Roaming Empire. http://www.dantelasalle.com/ http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/roaming-empire/id290159845

The Detroit City Futbol League is an 11-team, neighborhood-based co-ed, recreational, adult league in Detroit. This is their inaugural season. Check out Model D at www.modeldmedia.com for more Detroit happenings.

Gasper caught up with Real Detroit Weekly's 2009 Artist of the Year, Mayer Hawthorne. Check out the video then go to myspace.com/mayerhawthorne to check out more about this great new artist. You can also hear more Mayer Hawthorne at stonesthrow.com/mayerhawthorne

After being fired from his job, Mark Covington was amazed by the amount of garbage on Georgia Street, where he grew up, in east Detroit, MI.

With help from friends, family, and neighbors, Mark cleaned up some abandoned lots and started the Georgia Street Community Garden, which grows vegetables like collard greens, squash, beans, and tomatoes for their community.

Interviewed, produced, and photographed by Andrew Hinderaker. Copyright © 2009 Andrew Hinderaker, All Rights Reserved.

BURTON THEATER, DETROIT

Detroit in the frigid cold still alive and dynamic.

Song: Glósóli by Sigur Rós

From movie theaters to restaurants, young entrepreneurs are opening new businesses in Detroit. Related Article: http://bit.ly/5rURJL

The Detroit Artists Market's annual Detroit Design Show puts local design and creativity in the spotlight. Here's a look at the 2010 event from Model D, www.modeldmedia.com

A documentary about Detroit featuring Toby Barlow (NYTimes and Huffington Post contributor, Team Detroit) and Mark Covington (Chairman, Georgia Street Community Collective). The film takes a positive look at Detroit forward rumbles throug the prism of two totally different figures that are changing the city for the better in their own way.

Sometime in the not too distant future, John wakes up in suburban Chicago on a Saturday morning and heads to a White Sox gamein Detroit. Join him on a 300 mile journey to Detroits Comerica Park as he experiences the transportation options of the future: a neighborhood electric car share program, smart phone ticketing, high-speed rail, and connecting light rail. This clip is brought to you by America 2050 (www.America2050.org) as part of its A Better Tomorrow project to visualize Americas future communities and transportation systems.