southwest detroit — iSWD Programming — Inside Southwest Detroit

Beats In Bloom: DJ Rosez Cultivates Creativity

Houston-based DJ Rosez, with Salvadoran roots, brought her passion for music and community to Inside Southwest Detroit as part of the Porch On TAP artist residency.

Through her workshops and performances, she introduced young participants to the world of DJing, showing how music can be a powerful tool for connection and self-expression.

From Psych to Sound: A Sonic Seed Takes Root

Five years ago, she transitioned from a career in psychology and diversity consulting to becoming a full-time DJ. She found that her passion for music offered a more authentic path to creative and community work. Music wasn’t just a hobby—it was her true calling.

“She found that her passion for music offered a more authentic path to creative and community work. ”

Creating Spaces for Young Learners

Back in Houston, Rosez has worked with school-aged children, blending her love of music with her commitment to helping youth connect with their creative potential. In her Detroit workshops, she focused on play and experiential learning. Her goal? To show young students that music is something they can access and create, no matter their age or experience.

“I’m here to take up space.”

— DJ Rosez

Rosez encouraged the kids to experiment with DJ equipment, urging them to play, explore, and feel the rhythm. "I’m here to take up space," she says, inspiring the children to break the mold of what a DJ can look like and who belongs behind the decks.

For Rosez, DJing is more than performance—it’s a way to express identity, build connections, and create safe spaces for all. While in Detroit, DJ Rosez also performed at SW Fest, an annual festival that celebrates local creativity and community. Her students had the chance to see her in action and how music connects and energizes people.

DJ Rosez performs her 5:55p set at SW Fest, an annual celebration of community and creativity. August 24, 2024

Music as a Tool for Empowerment

With a bachelor’s degree in psychology and master’s degree in industrial organizational psychology, DJ Rosez brings an understanding of human behavior and community building into her DJ practice. She is showing how DJing can be a powerful form of storytelling and connection—how it’s not just about beats, it’s about belonging.

In just a few days, Rosez left her students with a message that will echo long after the music fades: music is for everyone, and with the right tools, anyone can take up space.

ProgrammingInside Southwest DetroitAugust 26, 2024dj rosez, southwest detroit, potap, dj, sw fest, play learning

Mixing Memories

Student DJ’s Guest Host ‘Sounds For Plant Lovers, Vol. 35’

A group of young music enthusiasts recently wrapped a special workshop series led by veteran radio DJ Anthony Valadez. The goal was to guide the participants through the process of creating their own personalized music mixes, complete with song introductions and context.

Anthony walked the group through an introduction to storytelling and the technical aspects, showing them how to edit the audio and create smooth transitions. "Remember, context is key," Anthony advised. “We want to know why these songs matter to you.”

“Remember, context is key... We want to know why these songs matter to you.”

— Anthony Valadez

The young DJs rose to the occasion, sharing the meaning behind their musical selection to draw people into why these songs matter to them. Participants included Allan, a 10-year-old who chose songs that reminded him of his crush, Devine, a 9-year-old who picked upbeat tracks with great music videos, and Juju, a 10-year-old who selected songs about getting money to help his stepmom.

Isabella, a 13-year-old, shared deeply personal choices that honored her late mother and 15-year-old Aviana paid tribute to the memory of her uncle and grandmother whose graves she visits regularly with her family.

As the mixes came together, you could feel the sense of pride fill the room. "You're about to be a DJ!" Anthony said. The workshop culminated in a listening party, where participants traded shy smiles, excited squealing, and tears as their personalized soundtracks played. Juju laughed as he heard his own voice, while Isabelle grew emotional listening to the song that reminded her of her late mother—each of them deeply moved and proud of the mixes they had created.

Tune in to Sounds For Plant Lovers, Volume 35 on Mixcloud to hear the young student DJs guest host alongside Anthony Valadez and share their personal soundtracks and stories.

ProgrammingInside Southwest DetroitAugust 22, 2024potap, anthony valadez, sounds for plant lovers, morning becomes eclectic, southwest detroit, detroit, los angeles, mixtape, broadcast arts, audio, storytelling, positive youth development

Finding Your Voice: Music and Storytelling with Anthony Valadez

Anthony Valadez, a DJ, cultural strategist, and storyteller from Los Angeles, was welcomed as the artist-in-residence for the Porch On TAP workshop series at Inside Southwest Detroit.

Through two engaging workshop series, Valadez is supporting youth to express themselves creatively using music, storytelling, and filmmaking.

In his first series Anthony led the youth in exploration of the art of storytelling through music and personal narratives. Valadez, a seasoned radio personality, shared his own journey, emphasizing the importance of engaging with people's stories within the community.

"I learned that having some really good dialogs with people on the radio didn't just teach me a lot of cool things, but I got to learn about people's stories in the community," Valadez explained.

Throughout the workshop, participants were encouraged to share their own stories and perspectives, with Valadez stressing the practical value of developing strong storytelling skills.

“You can listen to a song on your own, but once you hear what it means to somebody, you’ll never be able to hear it in the same way again… you make people lean in when you provide context.”

— Anthony Valadez

The group put this into practice, engaging in activities that honed their critical thinking and fostered deeper connections as they learned to listen to and appreciate each other's narratives. The workshop aimed to empower young people through self-expression, helping them build positive relationships with each other and to develop creative skills they can use beyond the classroom.

By the end, students left with new creative skills and a deeper understanding of storytelling. Through music and personal narrative Anthony Valadez helped them to find their voices and connect with others in meaningful ways—skills that will stick with them long after the workshop.

ProgrammingInside Southwest DetroitAugust 18, 2024potap, anthony valadez, mixtape, sounds for plant lovers, storytelling, positive youth development, morning becomes eclectic, los angeles, detroit, southwest detroit

Demaciiio Welcomed as Porch On TAP Artist In Residence

DeMaciiio is a multidisciplinary artist born and raised in Southwest Detroit. He believes painting is a way to explore yourself while building with others and that art is evolutionary.

For years he has worked, independently and in community with fellow artists, to write and record countless songs in the studio, perform live, organize for social change, and design and paint small and large scale mural projects.

Demaciiio is joining us as a resident artist at The Alley Project!! Currently he is facilitating a series to collaboratively develop a mural that represents the beauty and flow the Southwest community holds for display at the upcoming SW Fest at the Senate Theatre in Southwest Detroit. Something that the community can see itself in as others see it.

He is helping us inaugurate our new outdoor classroom on Avis near Elsmere as we transform our front porch to a setting for artistic exchange during our artist residency program, the Porch On TAP.

ProgrammingInside Southwest DetroitAugust 23, 2021tap833, demaciiio, potap, porch on tap, community mural, southwest detroit, the alley project

Premiere Issue of 'The Southwest Detroiter' Debuts at Mama Coo's Boutique

We made a zine together. In community. And we sold (out) a zine together. In community.

Alana Rodriguez offered her store, Mama Coo’s Boutique on Trumbull and Bagley, to host a release party for the limited edition run of ‘The Southwest Detroiter’.

The Southwest Detroiter is a curated, multimedia community storytelling project. It centers hyperlocal wisdom, experience, and creativity of Southwest Detroit.

The premiere issue features Zoë Villegas’s ‘Standing In The Shadows of Love’ with photographs by Erik Paul Howard.

With the support of friends, fans, fellow artists, and local businesses all 25 copies were gone in less than two hours. Projects like this give everyone an opportunity to chip in where they fit in.

Everyone that purchased a copy contributed to the youth and community programming that makes it possible, the materials to make the zine, and supported their local artists and businesses.

CommunityInside Southwest DetroitMarch 6, 2020The Southwest Detroiter, Mama Coo's Boutique, southwest detroit, Zoe Villegas, Alana Rodriguez, Corktown, Trumbull and Bagley, potapComment

Wheatpasting with Tom Stoye

Neighbors, youth, and artists gathered this week as Tom Stoye began his public art installation as part of the Porch on TAP artist residency program. Tom is hanging 10 large (3ft by 4ft) portraits of youth from around the City of Detroit in The Alley on fences, garages, and buildings alongside existing artwork of various mediums.

The installation provided an exciting opportunity for people to come out and witness the process of installing large photographs outdoors for public viewing. Several artists wanted to help to assist and also learn more about the method.

Each creative installation on The Alley is a tangible monument to a set of unlikely relationships that are formed as a result of the processes we engage in to create the work people see. They often involve at least one artist, someone who lives in the property where the work is created/installed, and at least one young person.

Tom’s installation, like many, involved a handful of each… all chipping in to help on top of enjoying time and space together. These relationships offer a richness to the community that cannot be bought and are key to the benefits TAP offers the neighborhood. In this way conversations are started and new connections are made, creative processes are explained and understood, and new ideas come about.

Programming, CommunityInside Southwest DetroitOctober 28, 2019wheatpaste, swdetroit, southwest detroit, tom stoye, PoTAP

Chuy the Barber Welcomed As Porch On TAP Artist In Residence

We’re honored to welcome Chuy the Barber as one of several Porch On TAP artists in residence this year helping to activate our new space on Avis and Elsmere!!

Chuy is a licensed barber living and working in Southwest Detroit where he grew up. His voice is loud and clear and his passion front and center when talking about how our gifts can serve others in a way that helps us take care ourselves and each other at the same time. He is truly a living example of the power of living our lives at the intersection of our passions and our community’s needs.

During his residency Chuy is sharing skills related to barbering while also leading discussions (and by example) about the intersection between creativity and business in his field, craft, and the importance of process and experience in all of our work. He will be working individually with several young aspiring barbers, offering tips and mentoring, while other members of the community will benefit from free haircuts during the process.

The Porch On TAP invites youth, neighbors, and artists to share time and space during workshops, a community meal, and public installation as we activate the building and it’s front porch. Together we are building and celebrating community through creative processes.

ProgrammingInside Southwest DetroitSeptember 23, 2019PoTAP, Chuy the Barber, ElsmereAndAvis, southwest detroit, swdetroit, 8869

Photo Arts and Mentoring with Gabriela Baginski of La Sirena Studio

Gabriela Baginski of La Sirena studio shares her passion for photography every chance she gets… from classes at local schools to presentations and workshops with community organizations, her processes are engaging and impactful.

Most recently Gabriela has been building with a group of aspiring photographers through photo arts and mentoring at Inside Southwest Detroit.

Learning from others’ work is inspirational… her students are being exposed to a range of photographers’ works while also creating their own in a variety of educational exercises. In this way, hands-on, they are learning about processes in creating their own inspirational products.

In small group and one on one sessions she is sharing info and skills tailored to meet aspiring photographers where they are—teaching them how to use their camera equipment, save and manage their files, set up lighting, properly exposing photos to save time in post processing and more.

ProgrammingInside Southwest DetroitJuly 26, 2019photo, photo arts, southwest detroit, swdetroit, la sirena studio

Community Open Mic Night

We miss Cafe con Leche. Much of the community does. Aside from great coffee it was a haven for good company and a hub for creativity. The Vernor and Scotten store front inspired chit chat and a constant conspiring of ideas that often grew from the coffee tables to impact the broader community. One of those impacts included Grace In Action’s Open Mic nights that were held monthly at the now-closed coffee shop. `

The Open Mic nights were originally created as “a space to build community and relationship where everyone is welcome and encouraged to share their gifts of music and poetry no matter their skill level." according to Pastor John Cummings of Grace In Action.

This is part of what we are missing. And we talk about it. It is why Grace In Action convened community partners Garage Cultural and Inside Southwest to help reinstate the popular program. Last week it happened.

The Community Open Mic lifts up creatives and connects community in a way that creates the space for chatter and process as Cafe con Leche did.

Inside Southwest Detroit was excited to host In the midst of Porch on TAP artist residency activities that have invited in the community in new ways and introduced the space as a place to gather and celebrate each others’ talents. Neighbors who regularly visit the building were introduced to new networks of musicians, spoken word, and performing artists while the artists were able to share their work in a home field community setting.

Organizers and performers Gabriel Duran and Mari Sanchez reached out to creatives—some seasoned, some shy—to sign up for slots or just come out to support those who did.

“There was a lot of first-time performers that needed an intimate setting to perform. And other performers that have had artistic block were inspired.” said Nyasia Valdez.

Artists and audience engaged with one another during the event and were encouraged to connect and build with repeated announcements to share social media channels on the dry erase board. Nyasia added, “A lot of people added each other and now look interested in attending each others’ events.”

Programming, CommunityInside Southwest DetroitJuly 25, 2019swdetroit, southwest detroit, potap, open mic, ElsmereAndAvis

Young Detroit Photo Society Kicks Off with A Photo Walk

Three youth serving photo programs in Detroit—Capturing Belief, Darkroom Detroit, and Inside Southwest Detroit—came together to develop the Young Detroit Photo Society (YDPS) as a program that introduces the youth of Detroit to photography by way of also introducing them to each other and their own city.

With an emphasis on skill building in photography, youth from various neighborhoods around Detroit meet and serve as each others’ guides as they participate in photo-based scavenger hunts that ultimately produce community-driven narratives about places and their time together. The program supports youth in developing photographic competencies, exploring and learning about different places around the city, and connecting and building relationships with youth from various communities and backgrounds.

Inside Southwest Detroit recently hosted the first edition when more than 20 young photographers from around the city met at their space at Avis and Elsmere. They were greeted by photo mentors, also from various neighborhoods and organizations around the city.

Eight of the participants were from Southwest Detroit and served as guides in groups on photo walks that covered a half square mile. Having gone in different directions, the young photogs reunited at the building to share their photos with mentors and each other then collaboratively selected and captioned photos that would best depict the routes they traveled. Together the body of work forms a photo narrative of the community and their time together.

No part of this effort would be possible without the mission and vision of the organizations and the shared passion and values of the photographers that each contributed to developing and facilitating this first YDPS project. A special thanks to La Sirena Studio and the Documenting Detroit Fellowship for their support and roles as mentors to the young photographers of the YDPS.

Community, ProgrammingInside Southwest DetroitDecember 15, 2018young detroit photo society, ydps, southwest detroit, swdetroit, 8869avis, photography, mentoring, partnerships, programming

Annual Angels' Night Event Features Arts, Activities, and Performances

Each year Inside Southwest Detroit holds an Angels’ Night event on The Alley Project for community, older and younger, to gather and share time and space. We began holding this event each year on Angels’ Night when youth outdoors without an adult can be ticketed and/or picked up and held at local precincts for curfew violation before the sun even sets. It has emerged as an annual tradition of food, arts, and at times performances.

Mary led arts and crafts with children and their parents and artists and their families visited to get to know each other and neighbors better.

A young neighbor came over with his guitar and offered to play some impromptu tunes by request entertaining attendees during his time on stage. This served as an unofficial opening for our scheduled community performance as this year’s event included a mariachi performance by Machetes and students he has worked with during his Porch on TAP residency a couple times each week in October.

ProgrammingErik HowardOctober 30, 20188869avis, the alley project, potap, southwest detroit, mariachi

Weekly Mariachi Guitar Classes with Machetes

Youth and several adults are coming twice weekly for mariachi guitar with Machetes. Together they are also developing a medley to perform at the building in several weeks for neighbors, youth, and other musicians and artists.

ProgrammingInside Southwest DetroitOctober 3, 2018potap, thealleyproject, 8869avis, swdetroit, southwest detroit, mariachi, machetesComment

Spoken 101 with Candida

Candida ran back-to-back workshops this week—Spoken Word 101 with elementary age participants in the morning and continued work with her small group of new, young middle school poets throughout the afternoon.

Team builders, videos, demonstrations and other activities introduced the young audiences to poetry in ways they hadn’t seen or done themselves.

The middle schoolers worked this week on building their confidence by working in teams with critical feedback and performing in front of themselves.

You can see the difference in the questions they are asking and in their work. They are preparing works for a public presentation in the coming weeks where they will perform an evening of poetry in front of a modest audience of no more than 20.

ProgrammingInside Southwest DetroitSeptember 29, 2018potap, candidathepoet, thealleyproject, swdetroit, southwest detroit, 8869 avisComment

DJ Skipz Welcomed As One of Several Community-Selected Porch On TAP Artists in Residence

We’re honored to welcome DJ Skipz as one of several community-selected Porch On TAP artists in residence helping to activate our new space on Avis and Elsmere!! DJ Skipz grew up here in Southwest Detroit and mixes live weekly on the Inside Southwest Detroit LiveMix on Facebook.

During his residency Skipz will be focusing on exposure and skill building with young aspiring DJs that have little to no experience to support youth interest and talent in the culture.

The Porch On TAP invites youth, neighbors, and artists to share time and space during workshops, a community meal, and public installation to help activate the building. Together we are building and celebrating community through creative processes.

ProgrammingInside Southwest DetroitSeptember 27, 2018thealleyproject, southwest detroit, swdetroit, potap, 8869avis, djskipzComment

Walking The Alley, Andrea Identifies Public Art Installation Location

Andrea walked the alley along TAP to identify potential locations for her public art installation. In the end she found a perfect location that both she and the property owner are excited about.

She was curious about and interested in local plant life along the alley and shared a little about several plants native to the region around Mexico City, where she is from.

After the walk and talk she identified this garage as an ideal location. We reached out to the owner and he was excited to offer it as a canvas for her installation. This garage is ideally arranged and located to host an installation that celebrates our collaboration by housing two engraved poster prints of plants local to Detroit and to Mexico City. One on each side. In the middle will be a mural depicting bird houses with several birds, local to Michigan and to Mexico, by Southwest Detroit artist Bryant Valdez.

During Andrea’s residency Bryant was exposed to printmaking for the first time and took an immediate interest in it—learning new techniques and approaches daily with her instruction. Eventually he attended almost every workshop she offered during her time here.

They are eager and excited to work together on this project to create an installation, in partnership with the homeowner, for the community to enjoy.

ProgrammingInside Southwest DetroitAugust 16, 2018potap, 8869avis, thealleyproject, swdetroit, southwest detroit, andreanarnoComment

Inaugural Community Meal at TAP

The faces and places in and around the building are fully activated after a community meal that hosted more than 60 neighbors, youth, and artists.

ProgrammingInside Southwest DetroitJune 4, 2018potap, pherz, swdetroit, southwest detroit, thealleyproject, 8869avis, ElsmereAndAvisComment

Blackbook Sessions with Pherz

Pherz held blackbook sessions this week inviting artists and their families to gather, pass books and stickers around, and sketch.

Everyone leaves with something from someone else who’s work they respect and has the chance to return the favor. The sessions serve as recreation, skill share, and community building.

Freddy and Pherz got to kick around concepts and logistics for the mural installation that will begin within the next couple days.

ProgrammingInside Southwest DetroitJune 2, 2018potap, pherz, 8869avis, thealleyproject, swdetroit, southwest detroit, blackbook, freddydiazComment

Miscellaneous Decision Are Made

Audio/Visual systems, ceiling finishes, and other miscellanous decisions are being discussed and scheduled for the final weeks of construction.

OrganizationInside Southwest DetroitSeptember 24, 2017thealleyproject, tap869, swdetroit, southwest detroit, ElsmereAndAvisComment

Color Testing the Mural

This week Freddy applied a color test to the alley side of the building to see how the color palette for the mural would look on the building. During the construction meeting they talked about concepts and Freddy shared markups that show a combination of styles inspired by Tead’s gallery work and his street work.

The building will incorporate a fusion of those and Freddy’s work as a tribute to Tead’s vision for the building as well as his contributions to the scene and to individuals that he has influenced, including Freddy.

OrganizationInside Southwest DetroitSeptember 23, 2017thealleyproject, riptead, swdetroit, southwest detroit, ElsmereAndAvis, tap869Comment

Summertime and Blackbooks

We have spent some time together today and during the last month just sketching and talking about what we’d like to do this summer.

Blackbooks, hitting the walls, collecting/sharing old flicks, ideas about ways to inspire youth and each other, and more. Meanwhile we’ve just been enjoying sharing space… especially in the absence of our good friends that recently passed.

In the coming weeks we hope to start collecting and organizing old photos we all have of art from around the city from the 90′s on. If it happens we’ll scan and share them sometime soon!

ProgrammingInside Southwest DetroitJune 8, 2017tap232, studioluevanos, thealleyproject, swdetroit, southwest detroitComment