It seems
The New York Times can't get enough these days of Detroit's make-lemonade-out-of-lemons art community and its DIY lifestyle.
Linda Yablonsky's "Remix" column in the Se
pt. 26 Times Style Magazine Fall 2010 Travel issue profiles several artists and venues around the town-soon-to-be-formerly-known-as-the-Motor-City. It doesn't offer much that's different from
the Aug. 3 post to the paper's Art & Design blog by Melena Ryzik or
the Jul. 9 Sunday Magazine "Consumed" column by Rob Walker. The only new information consists of taking note of projects currently underway by
Mike Kelly and
Matthew Barney, artists for whom the city is a blank canvas upon which to inscribe their signatures. (Which doesn't necessarily mean that what they're up to isn't interesting.) A cynic might suspect the culmination of a well-orchestrated PR campaign, though one might just as easily recognize journalistic laziness at work. It's great to see deserving talent from the D getting recognized, however. So we shouldn't kvetch so much as hope that as time moves on, others will get to play, too.
One thing that is interesting with this article, which I'm not sure if there's anything more than a symbolic relation is the fact that this article is in the "style" portion of the NYT. Interestingly enough, the Detroit art scene has finally hit the "in-style" radar of the NYT as if the repetitive coverage marks a trend within not only the coverage but the desire to get a piece of what's growing in Detroit. If we didn't know, the branding is definitely official!
ReplyDeleteI think you're right on the money. Guess it's kind of like heroin chic. We're the Noble Savages of the postindustrial romantic picturesque.
ReplyDeleteFrom this side of the Hudson - glad to see Detroiters get a bit of recognition (lazy journalism or not) - and now people here know a little bit of what i'm talking about.... - Nick
ReplyDeleteAs Andy Warhol used to say: "Don't pay attention to what they say. Just measure the column inches."
ReplyDelete