Hamtramck has a new venue for art. For the past five years, Hatch has
hosted an annual juried art exhibition at Café 1923, an independent coffee
house.
This year, Hatchback 6 will be in a building that used to serve as a police
station and a home for nuns.
In 2008, Hatch purchased Hamtramck's former police station for one dollar.
It has worked for four years to convert the building into an art center,
which will feature low-cost studios, a workshop with a darkroom, a printing
press and a kiln, a classroom, a gift shop of locally made goods and a
gallery.
Hatchback 6, an annual juried exhibition, will open Saturday, April 28.
Gilda Snowden, a well-respected Detroit artist and College of Creative
Studies professor, served as juror, selecting nearly 70 artworks from an
open call for submissions. Among the 48 artists are Topher Crowder, Jack
Summers, Laura Macintyre, and Marianne Burrows, who will be opening her own
gallery and artists studios in Hamtramck soon.
"The Detroit area is full of possibilities," said Christopher Schneider,
founder and president of Hatch. "Artists are snapping up opportunities and
are doing a number of exciting things. Hatch is a prime example."
Hatchback 6 runs from April 28 to May 26. The opening is Saturday, April 28
from 5 pm to 9 pm, and will feature a modern dance performance created by
James Cornish and music by Todd Luneack. The gallery, located at 3456
Evaline, will be open each Saturday from 1 pm to 8 pm or by appointment.
Each Saturday during the exhibition Hatch will have artist panels from 6 pm
to 7 pm to discuss their work, followed by a live band from 7 pm to 8 pm.
All events are free and open to the public.
The schedule is as follows:
May 5th: The Space Band
May 12th: Team Marshall
May 19th: The He-Bops
May 26th: Mother Whale
Hatch is still raising money to complete further needed renovation. "We
have put hundreds of hours of sweat equity into the building," said
Schneider. "We have also used donations and grants to replace the roof, fix
the electrical and plumbing, and repurpose the interior. The gallery and
studios are essentially complete. Now we need to replace the furnace and
complete fixing up the workshop and classroom."
Hatch is trying to raise $5000 through a Kickstarter grant online. Search
for "Hatch" at www.kickstarter.com.
Contributors receive art from Hatch members as an incentive.
Starting in 2006, HATCH began coordinating an ongoing series of exhibits by
area creatives at the newly-opened Café 1923, a coffeehouse in a historic
building across the street from Hamtramck's iconic Kowalski meat plant. The
group participates in numerous festivals including the People's Art Festival
at the Russell Industrial Complex, Art Detroit Now, Dally in the Alley, the
Shadow Art Fair in Ypsilanti, the Detroit Urban Craft Fair, the Hamtramck
Labor Day Festival and the Hamtramck International Bazaar. Musical events,
gallery crawls, community educational workshops, artist trading card
exchanges, book discussions and more round out the group's schedule.
For more information, contact Christopher Schneider at
Schneider@hatchart.org
Hatch's website: www.hatchart.org