Public Pool Presents: Jason J Ferguson One-man (freak) show opens September 9, from 7-11PM “That factor which consists in a recurrence of the same situations, things and events, will perhaps not appeal to everyone as a source of uncanny feeling. From what I have observed, this phenomenon does undoubtedly, subject to certain conditions and combined with certain circumstances awaken an uncanny feeling, which recalls that sense of helplessness sometimes experienced in dreams.” The Uncanny, Freud 1919 One-man (freak) show presents a collection of oddities and experiences akin to the P.T. Barnum sideshows of the late 19th century. Using advancements in technology and collaboration with medical practitioners in the Midwest, UK, and Paris One-man (freak) show explores identity and mortality, takes self-portraiture to a new level of embodiment and builds upon Ferguson’s growing body of existential artworks. Featured works include a full-scale 3D printed replica of the artist’s skeleton from MRI and CT scans, an otherworldly boulder that occupies the same volume as his body and more. Jason J Ferguson uses humor, the uncanny, and an absurdist voice to create public interventions, performance, video, and sculptural objects. Ferguson’s psychologically charged installations have been said to raise issues of artistic control, consciousness, and mortality. In his work private space becomes public, the ethereal becomes tangible, and the obvious becomes obscure. 

One-man (freak) show opens September 9 and runs through October 21. Over the last 15 years Ferguson has developed a diverse and inquisitive body of work. Recurring themes in his studio include monotonous and repetitive action, misusing scientific protocol, corporeality versus the unknown, and the recontextualization of familiar objects to create uncanny experiences. 
Ferguson’s work has been exhibited internationally including venues in Berlin, Germany; São Paulo and Vitória, Brazil; Tirana, Albania; Kolderveen, the Netherlands; Brooklyn, NY; Chicago, IL; Philadelphia, PA; Baltimore, MD; Kansas City, MO; Alexandria, VA; and he recently filled two rooms at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Detroit. He was an Artist in Residence at Elsewhere Artist Collaborative in 2007 and Kunst in Kolderveen in 2008. His artwork has been featured in publications including the 3D Additivist Cookbook, SCULPTURE magazine, Knight Arts, Artifizz, the Chicago Art Review, and more. This is Ferguson’s first Public Pool collaboration.

More info later today!

Sweet, juicy round red droplets from heaven will grace the art scene in Detroit on July 8th, 2017. More than 20 artists have been contemplating and fabricating these succulent little innuendos during that past months. Please gather with us at Public Pool (3309 Caniff St, Hamtramck, MI 48212) from 7-11 p.m. to celebrate the divinity and ecstasy known as The Cherry. Games will be had and Art will gawked at, curator Alice V. Schneider will personally blast a shot of icy cold cherry pucker down the esophagus of anyone wearing something red or cherry themed! “C H E R R I E S ! ! ! ! !” will run through July 29th with special programming Saturday July 15th & 22nd during the gallery hours of 12-6 p.m. Perhaps even a cherry pie-eating contest, eh? Only time will tell. Curious how you could possibly relive this magical night, in public or in the privacy of your own home? Scott Boyink will be printing some “C H E R R I E S ! ! ! ! !” themed shirts during the opening reception; if you bring your own shirt he will print it for a mere $5. Behold, the names of “C H E R R I E S ! ! ! ! !” Artists… If you are to see them from now until the opening night please forgive their red-stained fingertips, for it is not blood. Adrienne Looper & Kegger Visee, Alex Buzzalini, Andy Thompson, Brad Taormina, Brian Krawczyk, Cedric Tai, Claire D'Aoust, Clint Snider, Dalia Reyes, Darcel Deaneu, Davin Brainard, Dylan Spaysky, Jackie Rines, Jane Orr, Jessica Frelinghuysen, Mary Fortuna, Megan Frye, PD Rearick, Sarah Rayburn, Sean Hages, Scott Northrup, Steven B. Cherry, and Curator Alice V. Schneider Official After PaRtY at Bumbo's (3001 Holbrook Ave, Hamtramck, MI 48212)

“Preserving Identity: A Muslim Youth Experience” opens this Sat, May 13, 2017

Pick up a jar and in it you may find a 2014 high school graduation tassel, a mini baking spatula, or slivers of African black soap. "Preserving Identity" is a community curated and super interactive art exhibition, exploring Muslim American identity, whatever that looks like, through found objects. Muslims in the U.S represent a faith community. Within this community there exists a broad and unique range of variances related to such factors as race, gender, class, ethnicity, etc. As part of this project, we've asked local Muslim American youth in the Detroit and surrounding communities to find a jar and put objects that resonate with elements of their identity. Central to this gallery is a collection of these jars. It is our hope that visitors will be delighted, curious, and engaged by the objects they find in the collected jars—perhaps finding things that they readily identify, regardless of their own background, as well as things that raise questions for them. This promises to be a spectacular experience, and a great opportunity to mutually increase connection, understanding, and visibility between coexisting populations, during a particularly turbulent and divisive time in our nation’s politics. Doors open at 7 pm! Light refreshments will be served. Brought to you by Nushrat Rahman and Sarah Rose Sharp, in collaboration with MAS Youth Detroit and Public Pool. *Gallery will be open from May 13th to June 24th on Saturdays between 1 pm and 6 pm. Stay tuned for upcoming programming! RSVP on Facebook #mc_embed_signup{background:#fff; clear:left; font:14px Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; } /* Add your own MailChimp form style overrides in your site stylesheet or in this style block. We recommend moving this block and the preceding CSS link to the HEAD of your HTML file. */

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J.C. Hudsears: Andy Krieger's Holiday Show Room

Is a painting a highfalutin item? Is that how most people think of it? Like it’s for someone else. Why do people buy those damn Cezanne knock-off prints anyway? Why don’t they just buy art? Original art. It’s not like artists don’t need the cash. What if art was essential? Like water. Like the Super Bowl. What if we needed it like we need that vacuum or that shiny cast-iron pot or the “magic pillow?” What if we needed art as much as a kid needs to sit on Santa’s lap and tell him their greatest desires? What if we sold art like we sell Santa? Like we sold at the old Hudson department store. Would that be so bad? So what if there’s a little manipulation. A little magic. Admit it, sometimes you like it. What if that kid, one day, actually whispered to Santa: ”I want an Andy Krieger original painting for that spot above my bed.” Would it still be art? Is Andy an elf? Holy crap this is getting complicated. Let’s cut to the chase. Andy Krieger is of the age where he has some pretty fond memories heading to Sears in Highland Park. Or the Santaland display at Hudson’s downtown. He got the J.C. Penny “wishbooks” and catalogs in the mail, and wanted to buy every thing up and was manipulated all along the way and loved every minute of it. And then he became an artist –– a pretty darn good one –– and could barely sell shit. Most folks don’t think of art as essential. What that connection means for art and marketing and commerce and what we value is for you to decide, but make sure you do it at Public Pool during Andy Krieger’s J.C. Hudsears show! Andy is setting up a showroom featuring his very own intriguing, hand-crafted paintings and objects. Like wooden cereal boxes, briefcases, games and action figures. You bet they’re for sale! You can wander in wide-eyed to experience it on your own. You may just be pitched or cajoled or laughed into buying something special just in time for the holidays. And, even if you walk away with nothing in hand, the wonder and accessibility and pure joy of art just may look a little different that day. Don’t miss opening night on November 17th with strolling performances by Detroit’s own well-coiffed Barrettes and Traffic Jam beer.

UN-Dress:RE-Dress

November 12 – December 17, 2011   We’ll go out on a limb and guess your wearing clothes right now, but we can’t be sure. In any case, you’ve most likely worn clothes in very recent past. Most times we just zip it up and get on with our day. Not today.   Public Pool has asked nine artists –– sculptors, painters, knitters, fashion designers, and the like –– to take a deeper look. To examine our relationship to our clothes…or maybe even your clothes. Participating Artists: • Lisa Anne Auerbach • Olayami Dabls • Jessica Frelinghuysen • Anne Harrington Hughes • Sarah Lapinski • Mark Newport • Lauren Rassel • Cristin Richard • Sarah Wagner We use clothes as a billboard, identity constructor or costume. We use them to turn ourselves into walking sculptors, business people, swimmers, provocateurs, bikers and more. Any way you slice it, clothes do much more than cover our bodies, if they manage to do that. So, come see what the artists think. The results might make you wonder how something so simple, is really more complicated. Or it just might make you feel naked. Either way it’s worth a trip.   If you come to the opening night, it’s special, so please put dimes in your penny loafers.   UN-Dress:RE-Dress opening reception November 12, 7-10PM. Refreshments provided courtesy of Traffic Jam & Snug Restaurant. The exhibition runs through December 17. Public Pool has open gallery hours on Saturdays from 1-6PM.

Chido Johnson will be hosting a wire car workshop at Public Pool

In preparation for Art X Detroit, a festival featuring Kresge artists this April, Chido is teaching folks how to make wire cars. His hope is that you will come and learn how to make a vehicle and then participate this April in a wire care cruise on Woodward Avenue! To prepare for the workshop go to wirecarcruise.com for information and to download the pdf on "how to make a wire car." Start imagining what your dream car will look like. Then come to Public Pool on Saturday the 12th. Items to bring: some pliers, work gloves, safety glasses, and pictures or drawings of your dream car. Chido will also have some basic tools for those who don't. The artist will provide wire as well. Because of the high cost of the wire materials Chido is asking for a $10 dollar donation from each participant. This event is good for kids 10 and up if accompanied by a parent.

On the night of the first public viewing of the North American International Auto Show, January 15, Public Pool also has an opening: Automobiles: Shaping Our Landscapes, Designing Our Lives. Nine artists consider cars — how they've shaped our cities and the design of our houses. How they move and maim us. Also electro-mechanical artist Apetechnology will produce a performance featuring a smash-up derby with 1/3 scale, robotic fiberglass cars in the streets of Hamtramck. That and music from Dethlab DJs. Beer from Traffic Jam and an afterparty at Skippers. Click here to download press release for more info. apetechnology video by jennifer paull

DEC 18: In Your Neighborhood closes with a bang!

IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD CLOSING HOLIDAY SMALL PLATES POTLUCK and DANCE PARTY!!! @Public Pool Art Space with returning DJ wonder Richie Wohlfeil! Party starts at 7 and goes until 11 on Saturday, December 18. Beer Courtesy of Traffic Jam and Snug. Art courtesy of Jessica Frelinghuysen (with drawings from the show available for sale just in time for the holidays) Music Mixture by Richie Wohlfeil of Hamtramck’s AM 1610 local radio *Bring your favorite party snack to share with your neighbors (potluck style) Get ready to dance under the tree!!! Tree photo by Jessica Frelinghuysen.

In Your Neighborhood

Can you take the year-long wackiness, energy, beauty, and grit of a 2-square mile city and stuff it into a 900-square-foot art space? Artist Jessica Frelinghuysen has done exactly that. She has been tracking street life all over Hamtramck for year, collecting everything from the sounds of punk rock to church bells, bakery ovens to coffee bars; going straight to the heart of an active, multicultural community at work and play. Yes, that life -- that everyday, day-to-day Hamtramck -- is on full display in In Your Neighborhood. She’s even erected a tree, dead-center in the room. And it’s not done. She’ll be in the gallery every Saturday strapped with a recording device so you can become part of the living collection. Visit Jessica's website Paper Helmets. So get yourself to Public Pool for an all-out art meets anthropological experiment. Opening night is Nov. 20 with public reception 7-11 p.m. As always, Traffic Jam is furnishing the tasty home-brewed beer. Ed Brown, neighbor of Jessica Freylinghuysen, who has been instrumental in helping with the installation of her work, will be presenting his own artwork at Cave artspace in the Russell Industrial Center, not two miles from Public Pool. For more info on Ed Brown's work at Cave, visit MOLE HOLE on Facebook. This is a great opportunity to see the work of two emerging Hamtramck artists on the same evening. First head to Cave. Then to the Public Pool. Then wrap up the night with a multicultural buffet for those who thirst and hunger at Skippers Bar. Below you will find a handy map to the destinations.

View IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD in a larger map Immediately following the opening, the party will move to down the street and around the corner to Skipper's bar located at 9735 Conant at Evaline. Mastermind chef and whiskey slinger, John Lopez, will be presenting a multicultural, in-your-neighborhood buffet. Saturday hours for this exhibit are 1-6 p.m. The show closes Dec. 18. Public Pool is at 3309 Caniff, Hamtramck.

A Devil’s Night Schmorguesborg

October 30th from 9:00 to 11:00 p.m. To celebrate the successful finale of the group show Erasure: What is Found in What is Lost, James Cornish, minimalist composer, will debut an original operatic work with his ensemble, New Purple Gang Chamber Choir. The sextet includes clarinets, bassoons, brass and cello. The instrumentalists are a collection of the areas most prolific, modern, classical performers. The opera is based on the concept of erasure and negative space. One of the city's most daring dance companies, The Mack Avenue Dance Co., will perform in tandem. The night will begin at 9pm with a performance by Tzarinas of the Plane. The Tzarinas dress like fantastic creatures and crawl and dance and bang and sing, all in effort to let go of their identities and create and discover some new type of communication. The Tzarinas performance is also based on the idea of erasure, of things missing and things taken away. Following The Tzarinas, there will be a reading by Public Pool’s own Steve Hughes and Maria McLeod. McLeod, originally from the Detroit area, writes short fiction, poetry, and monologues. She is the recipient of three Pushcart Prize nominations and the Indiana Review Prize for poetry. Her work is full of sharp, barbed images, and wonderful dark stories about the female body and the sexual mishaps that sometimes occur as the result of one body pressing against another. She owns and operates How Loud Media in Washington State. Hughes, the publisher of Stupor magazine, will debut his latest issue, A Hole for Brains and Candy. Stupor is a collection of true stories that Hughes writes after listening to people talking in bars. His new issue is a collaboration with artist Faina Lerman. The stories within are concerned with things lost and missing, and yes, holes. Following the reading, his zine will be for available for purchase. This event is free to the pubic. Yes, it’s Devil’s night so come in costume. Disguise yourself. Beer will be available, courtesy of Traffic Jam and Snug. For more information, contact 313.587.9572 or 313-405-7665 or e-mail: [email protected]

ERASURE :: RUNS THRU OCTOBER 30!

Erasure: What is Found in What is Lost Public Pool Art Space, 3309 Caniff, Hamtramck Free, Donations Openly Accepted Gallery hours are Saturdays 1-6pm. We'll send out an e-mail soon with info on the closing event. Keep your eyes peeled. In 1953, artist Robert Rauschenberg asked one of the most famous artists of histime William de Kooning if he could have one of his drawings because he wanted to erase it. Absurd? It took Rauschenberg two months and 60 erasers to make the drawing disappear, ultimately leaving a ghost of smears and rubbings. Hamtramck’s Public Pool has asked eight Detroit-area artists to consider the phenomenon of erasure as a process, as a concept, as a reality on the ground inDetroit. Detroit? Erased? Hard to argue that one. Think Hudson’s building, Tiger Stadium, houses, people. Damn, even our mayor was erased. Slowly but steadily, thoughtfully or thoughtlessly, it’s happening. Something to think about. So let’s think about it. Together. Below are the artist we’ve cajoled into creating art around the idea of erasure….or maybe even erase it. Join us for our opening night and find out. We can all erase some Traffic Jam beer while were here. Participating artists include: Mira Burack John Corbin Andrew Davis Tim Hailey Scott Hocking Kathy Rashid Gilda Snowden Graem Whyte Skippers Bar in Hamtramck is even hosting an after party with a complimentary taco bar. Should be a great night at the Pool!

THIS SATURDAY, OCT 9, 1-6PM!

Hamtramck Gallery & Studio Tours During the afternoon of October 9, a number of gallery and studio spaces in Hamtramck and surrounding areas will open from 1-6pm. Most are within easy walking distance, and all are within easy cycling or driving distance, allowing a unique opportunity to survey art, artists and the physical environment they work within. Note: more studios/spaces may be added, details available on the day at the locations shown. You can also call the Public Pool info line: (313) 405-7665. Participating galleries and studios: YESFarm : 5149 Moran Public Pool : 3309 Caniff Popps Packing : 12138 St Aubin The Power House : 12644 Moran 2739edwin Klinger Street Studios : 11627 Klinger George Rahme & Christina Galasso : 1939 Belmont Toby Millman : 12038 Klinger UPDATE! HATCH art collective is looking for help to raise cash to repair the roof of Hamtramck's former police station to get one step closer to turning it into a community art space! Afterglow at Skippers : 9735 Conant (7PM-12AM) Silent Art Auction • Live Music • Free Food •Drink Specials •Surprises! Check here or call 313-405-7665 on Saturday for any updates.

View Hamtramck Gallery Crawl Map in a larger map

ART DETROIT NOW GALLERY CRAWL

Public Pool is participating in Detroit gallery week, September 27-October 3. We’re featured as a Saturday (October 2nd) Hamtramck stop, and have extended our hours from 1-8PM. This is the perfect time to check out the space! Check out ART DETROIT NOW. Our regular open gallery hours are Saturdays from 1-6PM.

The closing night party for The Quantum Field, the interactive installation by Sarah Wagner, Christy Matson and Jon Brumit now up at Public Pool, is sure to be intense and indescribable. Curators at the Hamtramck art space have made sure it can be no other way.

Public Pool welcomes Michigan noise musician Chris Pottinger to perform at the closing event Friday, Sept. 3. A brief talk by artist Jon Brumit is at 9:30 p.m. followed by a Pottinger-Brumit-Quantum Field collaboration at 10 p.m. There will be a Q&A session after the performance. 

Pottinger has been musically active since 2002, when he rolled out his solo Cotton Museum project. He is a member of Slither (with Heath Moerland) and post-rock jam band Odd Clouds, and has performed with Wolf Eyes, Metal Dungeon, Princess Dragonmom, Hair Police, His Name is Alive and other notable sound artists in the rich Midwest noise scene. Pottinger has taken his live electronics gear -- which he attaches to a table with velcro -- to Amsterdam, Berlin, Paris and Zurich, and released records on Italian and Egyptian labels as well as his metro Detroit-area based label Tasty Soil. He is also a fine artist and illustrator. His sound and visual work can be found here: http://www.tastysoil.com/

Brumit has composed, conducted, exhibited and performed under a number of project names: Cat Head Biscuits, Polar Easter Island, Choc Electrique, Boondoggle, Catch and Release, Gown, The Unduane, Jon the Band, Van Boven, Organoff, Sliv & Dulet Enterprises, mattttam-jonnoj, Too Bobs, nprkstra, Everlasting the Way, Brumit, VOMIT, Vol-Mit, DIJON, Van Balgene, Bloom, Neighborhood Public Radio, Von Bunting, the New Bobby Sextet and, occasionally, simply as Jon Brumit. 

His sound work has taken him to Serbia, Germany and Japan; and he's exhibited and performed in San Francisco and Oakland -- where he was once based -- Chicago (where he currently lives), Baltimore, Los Angeles, New York and Washington D.C. Brumit and Wagner are moving to Detroit in January to reside in the Detroit neighborhood just north of Hamtramck and west of Bangladesh Avenue.

Brumit and Pottinger collaborated once before, in 2007, on a series of pirate radio broadcasts associated with the Shrinking Cities exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD). 

The Quantum Field consists of a large-scale print and two sheep, made from conductive-fabric, created by Matson and patterned and sewn by Wagner, in addition to custom electronics and lighting by Brumit. Through the objects, light and sound, the immersive environment is constructed as a narrative that mirrors the early graphics of a 1980's video game and imagines a post-apocalyptic world.

Closing night performance for The Quantum Field is Friday, Sept. 3. Doors are at 9 p.m. Beer courtesy of Traffic Jam & Snug. Admission is free but donations are welcome.