The five galleries in Detroit to keep an eye on

The advertising blitzkrieg Red Bull executed for the House of Art's first opening was not repeated for the second and third openings, but those were just as crowded, if not more so, than the first, requiring a second visit during normal gallery hours to more fully appreciate the art. The House of Art is like a fellowship, with the chosen artists getting studio space and art materials all on Red Bull's tab. But unlike most fellowships, the artists are chosen by one person of refined taste, Matt Eaton (who also curates LSC), instead of a gutless committee. There has been the occasional brush with controversy, but each single piece shown in the House of Art has been of very high quality.Previously known as Long-Sharp Curis, Library Street Collective near the Skillman Branch of the Detroit Public Library downtown still holds quite a few blue chips of art market speculation, but are now leveraging their connections to wealthy clients for the benefit of Detroit artists. Contrary to expectation, LSC is more welcoming to the proletariat than N'Namdi Gallery. The show opening in March 2013 features Franklin Jonas, a local artist whose work is starting to be collected internationally.The plucky little gallery in Mexicantown continues a long streak of acclaimed shows. Located in an apartment building in a neighborhood better known for Mexican restaurants, Whitdel Arts has put on one high quality show after another and without resorting to a comfort zone. In 2012, Whitdel had some firsts with ceramics and trashion. And in February 2013, they pulled off a show that "re-imagined" the gallery space―an idea that has gone horribly wrong for a couple of Detroit galleries―with bravura and panache.View the list »
A small sampling of the artwork at the five galleries.

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There are more galleries in Detroit now than just a few years ago. This is a good thing, but it can also present a bit of problem when a lot of galleries have their opening receptions at the same time. Sometimes not even James Dozier, jokingly rumored to own a teleporter, can make it to every art opening in town.

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That some galleries in the suburbs have moved into the city (such as 323East, formerly at 323 E. 4th Street in Royal Oak which is now at Eastern Market) can simplify things when multiple galleries open at the same time, but wanting to take the time to leisurely appreciate each artwork can still be incompatible with going to every single gallery that opens on a given Friday or Saturday night. Most of these galleries have decent gallery hours, but the opening receptions are still often the best times to go, since those are usually not during the work day and the artists generally attend, whereas they are unlikely to show up for normal gallery hours.

When there are multiple openings on a single night, it can require prioritization to decide which openings to go to and which ones to skip. Hopefully this list can help make those decisions a little easier.

View the list
  • The plucky little gallery in Mexicantown continues a long streak of acclaimed shows. Located in an apartment building in a neighborhood better known for Mexican restaurants, Whitdel Arts has put on one high quality show after another and without resorting to a comfort zone. In 2012, Whitdel had some firsts with ceramics and trashion. And in February 2013, they pulled off a show that "re-imagined" the gallery space―an idea that has gone horribly wrong for a couple of Detroit galleries―with bravura and panache.
  • Previously known as Long-Sharp Curis, Library Street Collective near the Skillman Branch of the Detroit Public Library downtown still holds quite a few blue chips of art market speculation, but are now leveraging their connections to wealthy clients for the benefit of Detroit artists. Contrary to expectation, LSC is more welcoming to the proletariat than N'Namdi Gallery. The show opening in March 2013 features Franklin Jonas, a local artist whose work is starting to be collected internationally.
  • The advertising blitzkrieg Red Bull executed for the House of Art's first opening was not repeated for the second and third openings, but those were just as crowded, if not more so, than the first, requiring a second visit during normal gallery hours to more fully appreciate the art. The House of Art is like a fellowship, with the chosen artists getting studio space and art materials all on Red Bull's tab. But unlike most fellowships, the artists are chosen by one person of refined taste, Matt Eaton (who also curates LSC), instead of a gutless committee. There has been the occasional brush with controversy, but each single piece shown in the House of Art has been of very high quality.
  • The only gallery dedicated to light-based art in the United States is in Detroit. But that's not the reason the Kunsthalle Detroit is on this list. Instead the reason is that it is so elusive. One can show up at the location on Grand River and Warren and not be sure one is at the right place; the openings start slightly later than announced and end earlier; and there seems to be no normal gallery hours to speak of. And on top of that, the website is updated infrequently and fitfully. Thus it's not enough to keep an eye out for news of an opening, but also to keep an ear to the grapevine to find out when there is a show. For a gallery of light-based art, the Kunsthalle is less a shining beacon and more a black box.
  • It's really a no-brainer to put the Detroit Artists Market, the focal point of the Detroit art scene, on this list. Almost every established artist in Detroit has exhibited at DAM at one time or another, and it is often a place where one can find out what is going on at other art galleries.
View the list
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, Detroit Event Photography Examiner

Alonso was Photo Editor of his university newspaper, The South End, and then a photographer for Exemplar, the magazine of the WSU College of Engineering. Today he continues to cover events around metro Detroit and stays in touch with other event photographers.

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