10/21/12

The Art of Wine Auction @ the GM Design Center/ Theatre Bizarre The Summing @ The Masonic Temple 10/20


"Snazzy is as Snazzy Does!"
Gwen Joy is an artist who specializes in colorful folk art paintings. 
Life experience is her subject matter which is translated in a lyrical/mythical fashion.
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        CCS hosted a wine auction, a five course meal with matching wines, an art auction, and an afterglow with live jazz music.  The event was held at the GM Design center in Warren. All funds were donated to the Center for Creative Studies. The funds were designated for undergraduate scholarships and free art programs in Detroit.  Manuel Louzada of spanish winery Numanthia was the featured vintner and Fritz Hatton was the auctioneer. The meal consisted of short ribs for the meat eaters and tofu wrapped in eggplant for the vegetarians. Root vegetables, candied pear and greens, mushroom ravoli, shallots, a sweet potato and egg stake, and pomegranate creme brulee rounded out the wonderful meal. Elegance in abundance this was a memorable and tasty evening.


       Theatre Bizarre is a legendary festive halloween event held yearly in Detroit. It used to be on two and a half backyards behind the State Fairgrounds and then was moved to the Masonic Temple. The new home is a grand fit due to the masonic and shriner history of the landmark and due to the fact that little has been done to the temple in decades. So the creative maverick energy of Theatre Bizarre was able to be freely expressed without much constraint.  Savage circus acts, fire acts, music ranging from Audra Kubat to Detroit Grace from Torch With a Twist to the Wolfman Band and djs and electronic music made this a fun and memorable night. The best part was the people watching. Everyone was having a grand time dressed in their often incredibly creative costumes. For this event expect to be wowed by the attendees. No hint of CVS or mall costumes. A small cinema with old fashioned ushers and free fresh popcorn and other low key options were available. A film called Sin was playing when I stopped by. Seven floors full of adventure. In the main ballroom Roxi DLite's performance was a highlight. Her moves were mysterious, fluid and seductive. The mc was uber dramatic getting the crowd ready to experience the finale of the evening. Charles Hughes played a majestic pipe organ to add to the theatrical mood. Here is a link about a documentary in the works about theatre bizarre. http://theatrebizarredoc.com/web/project/.  If you missed it this year don't miss out next year.