Auroraadvocate.com - Ruin, growth portrayed in 'Detroit: Disassembled'

What happens when a city collapses and nature takes over? The majesty and tragedy of Detroit are displayed in Detroit Disassembled: Photographs by Andrew Moore, organized by the Akron Art Museum and making its world debut in Akron June 5 - October 10, 2010.

"Moore's photographs of the Motor City are sublime - beautiful, operatic in scale and drama, tragic yet offering a glimmer of hope," says the museum's Director of Curatorial Affairs Barbara Tannenbaum, who organized the exhibition. "Although it is hard to believe that his post-apocalyptic scenes reflect present day America, the artist has been scrupulously honest."

Detroit, once the nation's fourth largest city and the epitome of its industrial wealth and might, has been in decline for almost a half-century, according to information provided by the Akron Art Museum. The city is now one-third empty land -- more abandoned property than any American city except post-Katrina New Orleans. As Americans travel to Europe and Mexico to view the remains of long-gone civilizations, Europeans have in turn started visiting Detroit to see its ruins.

The exhibition, which features 30 photographs taken between 2008 and 2009, showcases numerous structures from ornate public buildings to humble homes.

"People who don't know Detroit think it's scary, yet despite its reputation, the citizens are remarkably friendly, resilient and resourceful people," says Moore. "They are proud of what this city has contributed to America and continue to believe in their city. But no one can be sure of what the future has in store for Detroit, because few cities of its scale have ever faced its ongoing dilemma: how to refocus its urban core while making meaningful use of empty land that pockmarks its urban fabric."

Exhibition related events

* "Urban/Arctic: Choose Your Adventure" Opening Party

June 4, 7 to 9 p.m.

The opening party for both the Detroit Disassembled: Photographs by Andrew Moore and Arctic Re-visions: Isaac Julien's True North exhibitions. The event is free for members. Tickets available at the door: $10 for non-members, $6 for Western Reserve PBS members. For details, call 330-376-9186, ext. 222.

ArtTalks@Dusk

Free in the museum's Charles and Jane Lehner Auditorium

* June 24 -- The Accidental Aesthetics of Urban Decline. Terry Schwarz, interim director of the Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative and founder of Pop Up City Cleveland.

* July 1 -- Ruined Nation: Photographing Abandoned Buildings in Northeast Ohio. Carissa Russell, graphic designer and photographer.

* July 8 -- Living with Detroit: An All-Purpose Guide to American Forgetting. Jerry Herron, Dean of Irvin D. Reid Honors College, Wayne State University.

* July 15 -- Loveland: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Detroit Micro Real Estate...But Were too Afraid to Ask. Jerry Paffendorf, Loveland CEO.

* July 22 -- Can Art Save Detroit? Barbara Tannenbaum, director of curatorial affairs at the Akron Art Museum.

Artist Talk:
Andrew Moore

Sept.16, 6:30 p.m.

Moore will give a free lecture about his career and recent Detroit photographs. Seating will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. For details, call 330-376-9186, ext. 230.

Museum information

The Akron Art Museum is at One South High in downtown Akron.

The gallery is open Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. The museum is closed Mondays and Tuesdays.

Adult general admission is $7; student and seniors 65 and older are $5; and children 12 and under are free. Museum members also are free.

On the first Sunday of every month, individual admission to the collection is free. Special exhibitions may require paid admission. No tours are available on these days.

For details, call 330-376-9185, or visit www.AkronArtMuseum.org online.