(hello)


no idea

We – those of us who call Michigan home – should be aware.

Why? Because there is a strong correlation
between the vibrancy of a town's art & cultural sector
and its appeal as a great site to create,
live, work, learn, play & visit.

We purposely have mixed you up;
we've got people that are from the arts,
there are people from government,
there's even people from philanthropy
& so on & so forth; we have no idea
what they're gonna do.

This is very important.

Okay, are you ready?
Let's get started.


animate

...so this is really important: to get outside of our silos,
to think about, um, other sectors and how they work,
and identity, and identity, and identity,
and a unique set of characteristics;

um, it can, uh, animate physical spaces,
and we want to use art & culture as a driver for that.

How do we measure those contributions?

And then you've got human capital...
sorry...


a house

A house full of Michigan music & products designed for activity;
the birthplace of groundbreaking musical genius,
the source of pioneering entrepreneurship –
the arts, culture & creativity are deeply rooted
in Michigan's history. That's right!

We are only telling part of the story:
we needed, we needed a way to be able to speak:
individual artists, independent creative entrepreneurs –
and what we found – and what we all know –
commitment & persistence in working together.


beautiful installation

This is the part where I scare you to death
by saying I’m from the government;
this is the law: get out of the way; no vocal opposition.

With our roads crumbling,
we think about how to park cars & not stop;
it might be uncomfortable at times –
it can be very uncomfortable,
look like some horrific, uh, attack had happened,
each & every day.

You know, this is a relatively new area;
there's nothing about this place that tells me it's natural;
it's just the same strip mall over & over again:

a beautiful, uh, installation –
up close, a gas station pump.

With every pressure we have right now, we tend to focus
on the value for the dollar & not think about
how human beings actually interact
in any given space (or Ypsilanti, Michigan –
explain that to the city).

It's things that are a lot more intangible:
the attachment, the emotional attachment that individuals feel:
that kind of beauty, that kind of beauty:
a lot more bread & butter.

Are there any questions out there?


a nice cycle

Well, if you've ever seen a kid follow any path:
evaluate, not what they said, but how they said it;
they don't all agree, and yet we hear their future lives
that have yet to be defined or invented;

it's a nice cycle, it goes round and round,
um, and it's a way to tell stories, think differently,
contribute, see, look, share – and then just look
for the subtleties in their answers, see a strong connection;

the intent was things changing all the time – and this barrier
is real; you're gonna hear it the rest of the day: our job
is to make sure we are raising kids who are functional –

it's an exciting job, and a terrifying one;
we've done a great job, and the lens that I'm looking through –
my back door – is that watches should touch,
and they have touch screens:
thinking a little more.