Posts tagged the alley project
POP-UP Portrait Studio Celebrates Youth, Photography, and Community
POP-UP Portrait Studio Celebrates Youth, Photography, and Community

The POP-UP Portrait Studio continues a rich legacy of community storytelling in Southwest Detroit. This summer, eight young photographers joined the internship program at Inside Southwest Detroit, learning technical and creative photography skills while honoring the community's past and shaping its future.

Inspired by the work of our longtime partners Capturing Belief and La Sirena Studio, the POP-UP Portrait Studio continues the legacy of our collaborative efforts in youth-focused photography education. This includes initiatives like Young Detroit Photo Society, which also involved Darkroom Detroit. These programs and their creators recognized the power of photography for community building, cultural pride, and personal expression. The collective work has paved the way for today’s young photographers, who are now contributing their own perspectives to this ongoing narrative.

The studio taps into a broader tradition of lens-based storytelling that spans cultures and generations, drawing inspiration from photographers like Mary Ellen Mark, Malick Sibidé, Yousuf Karsh, Graciela Iturbide, Sebastião Salgado, and Martin Schoeller. These artists have transformed the potential of documentation and inspired generations by capturing and sharing the histories they've experienced.

Assortment of images by Mary Ellen Mark, Malick Sidibé, Yousuf Karsh, Graciela Iturbide, Sebastião Salgado, and Martin Schoeller who have transformed the potential of documentation and inspired generations by capturing and sharing the histories they've experienced.

The youth apprentices are learning not just how to take photos, but how to see their community in a new light, tell its stories, and continue the legacy of those who came before them. By participating in the POP-UP Portrait Studio, they are building on a lineage of photographers who celebrate the beauty, strength, and diversity of their communities.

POP-UP Portraits taken by the youth apprentices at The Alley Project during Aerosol Nightmares, a weekend mural festival centered in Southwest Detroit. July 14, 2024

The internship serves as an entry point into a community of practice that values storytelling, creativity, and collaboration. The studio synthesizes these inspirations, offering youth a chance to actively contribute to and shape the future of Southwest Detroit’s storytelling tradition. By engaging in this program, young photographers are ensuring that community-driven storytelling will continue to thrive for years to come.

Programming, PartnershipsInside Southwest Detroitpop-up portrait studio, the alley project, avis street photo studio, mary ellen mark, malick sidibe, yousuf karsh, graciela iturbide, sebastiao salgado, martin schoeller, la sirena studio, capturing belief, young detroit photo society, darkroom detroit
A Season for Reflection
A Season for Reflection

Creativity took center stage as Andre Moore led handmade zine-making workshops based on simple collaging and book assembly approaches for elementary and middle school youth at The Alley Project. The sessions, part of PoTAP’s workshop series, aim to foster imagination, community, and self-reflection among participants. 

The two-part workshop kicked off with a basic introduction to several self-published zines and more popular magazines with Moore encouraging participants to explore nature-based themes and otherwise infusing creativity into their ideas. 

Throughout the sessions, students delved into hands-on activities with scissors, glue, and staples, as well as collaging to turn their concepts into tangible expressions. Participants learned about what is possible through bookmaking while giving them a finished product they can write, draw, or otherwise create in. 


Reflective Practice


Reflecting on the transition from summer to fall, Moore highlighted the importance of incorporating reflective practices like journaling and zine making. He believes these activities empower young people to gain a fuller understanding of themselves, recognizing patterns in their growth and development. 

Moore emphasized the importance of not just creating a product but understanding the cognitive function of imagining and building ideas, “After the summer's over everyone kind of naturally hits that reflective space, especially in the Midwest, you know, as we are approaching the colder months. It is an open door for them to creatively express and also work on cognitive functions of being able to imagine, you know, certain things, and bring them directly into a tangible space… So I thought it was really important to incorporate something that allows for reflection, natural reflection.“ 

The workshops offer a glimpse into the power of hands-on learning and open the door to the transformative potential of storytelling for young minds.

ProgrammingInside Southwest Detroitpotap, the alley project, Andre Moore
Finding Creativity Through Constraint
Finding Creativity Through Constraint

In her first-ever writing workshop, Samantha introduced the concept of "constrained writing," explaining how limitations or rules can ignite creativity. 

Drawing inspiration from the French literary movement Oulipo, she led the students through a series of writing exercises, including constrained, creative, and expressive writing. Rules and constraints can be powerful tools for channeling creative expression, especially for youth. Parameters can serve as guiding lights during our artistic journeys.

The constrained exercise pushed students to compose within specific boundaries, while the creative exercise invited them to collaboratively create fictional dialogues based on a painting. The students embraced this imaginative prompt with enthusiasm.

Finally, in the expressive exercise, Samantha encouraged students to free write about their loves, hates, or desires—emphasizing that sharing was optional, providing them a safe space to process emotions through unfiltered writing.

She was deeply moved by the students' enthusiastic embrace of experimental writing techniques. Initially hesitant about sharing their work, by the end of the workshop, many students proudly presented their creative pieces. 

This experience not only marked significant growth for the students but also boosted Samantha's confidence as a facilitator. Her workshops at The Alley Project are not only empowering young minds to explore photography and writing, they are also instilling a culture of recreational and safe critique. 

In Samantha's words, it is about "waiting in excited anticipation for what is going to be given to you, by your peers, or people who you enjoy, about how to improve what you're doing." This approach helped to reduce anxiety around feedback and fostered excitement for artistic growth. 





ProgrammingInside Southwest Detroitsamantha friend cabrera, potap, the alley project
We Can Celebrate And Critique At the Same Time
We Can Celebrate And Critique At the Same Time

During her residency at The Alley Project, Samantha Friend Cabrera transitioned from being an artist to a facilitator, leading a short series of workshops aimed at nurturing the creative spirits of a young audience. 

Although she doesn't typically consider herself a teacher, Samantha embraced the challenge of guiding a group of youth through a skill-building exploration of photography and writing. 

An accessible environment of learning was accomplished in what she called a "third space" on The Alley Project during the workshops. It wasn't school, and it wasn't home, but a unique blend of formality and informality, providing the students with a casual and educational atmosphere.

We Can Celebrate + Critique


In her photography workshop, Samantha curated a selection of works by renowned photographers like Martin Parr, Lourdes Grobet, and Rineke Dijkstra, whose bold imagery she found undeniably engaging. Throughout the workshop, she emphasized the importance of celebrating and critiquing art simultaneously, a perspective she adopted from Martin Parr. Samantha encouraged students to express their opinions, fostering an environment where both praise and constructive feedback were valued.

Recreational critique can help to generate excitement, instead of fear, around feedback: "Rather than fearing the red pen, or having an anxiety around what's going to be said about it, imagine being able to wait in excited anticipation for what is going to be given to you, by your peers, or people who you enjoy about how to improve what you're doing." Samantha felt that setting this foundation allowed the students to engage openly

Each student was invited to share three of their own photographs with the group. As each image was projected, the students explained their choices, opening the floor for group critique. Samantha enjoyed guiding the students through thoughtful discussions, exploring the artistic choices and deeper meanings behind their photos. This exercise not only enhanced their understanding of photography but also provided insights into their lives and interests.

ProgrammingInside Southwest Detroitsamantha friend cabrera, potap, the alley project, photography
Community Mural for SW Fest with DeMaciiio
Community Mural for SW Fest with DeMaciiio

A handful of creatives from around the neighborhood have come together to share time and space with Demaciiio for some basics in aerosol, oil paint, and mural planning.

The mural, as a product, will be featured at the upcoming SW Fest to be held at Senate Theatre on Michigan Avenue in Southwest Detroit on Saturday, September 4th.

As a process, the outdoor mural workshops are providing space to build relationships, skills, and working collaboratively during this extended period of time of limited interaction with one another.

The final mural design incorporated themes of community building, sustainability, and collaborative imagined futures.

ProgrammingInside Southwest Detroittap833, outdoor classroom, the alley project, demaciiio, southwestDetroit
Rebel Nell Shares Creativity, Process In Jewelry Making Workshops
Rebel Nell Shares Creativity, Process In Jewelry Making Workshops

Almost 10 years ago we were introduced to Amy and Diana, business partners, who were starting a company that made jewelry from decayed, flaking paint of local murals. We had questions. They had intentions. We got together around those things and it was the start of a relationship that continues to this day between Rebel Nell and The Alley Project.

We are honored that Rebel Nell has joined us at The Alley Project for a residency where youth and neighbors will be able to learn how to make their own jewelry, Rebel Nell style, from start to finish!

Zoey, Russel, Amanda, and Ethel have been spending time with two cohorts of participants to create jewelry from start to finish—from harvesting to shaping, placing, and finishing their custom jewelry. .

“Rebel Nell began in 2013 with the mission to provide employment, equitable opportunity, and wraparound support for women with barriers to employment. By repurposing meaningful materials into wearable art, we mark life’s important moments and connect them to your personal journey.”
— From Rebel Nell's Website

Be sure to check back soon for updates to see how the process and pieces turn out.

ProgrammingInside Southwest Detroitrebel nell, the alley project, potap, porch on tap, tap833
Demaciiio Welcomed as Porch On TAP Artist In Residence
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 Detroittap833, demaciiio, potap, porch on tap, community mural, southwest detroit, the alley project
Stitching Up Detroit | Youth Run Co-Op To Worker-Owned Collective
Stitching Up Detroit | Youth Run Co-Op To Worker-Owned Collective

Stitching Up Detroit hosted a launch party this week—with food, live screen printing and performances, DJs, and info booths for local artists and orgs—as a formal celebration of their evolution.

Formed in 2012, Stitching Up Detroit began as a youth-run co-op and was one of the first that made up Grace In Action Collectives, a network of youth-run and worker-owned collectives and cooperatives in Southwest Detroit. 

Specializing in graphic design, screen-printing, and vinyl, they had fulfilled orders in a storefront on Vernor, a church on Central, and a one-press garage on The Alley Project before building out their current space at Grace In Action on Lawndale. 

Co-founder David Camarena said the launch was important for several reasons, "It is a good way get people to gather, meet new people, and celebrate the transition from a youth run co-op to a worker-owned collective, with the same members, now as adults."

The party featured live performances by Motor City Street Dance Academy and Object The Band and booths by local artists and organizations including Garage Cutural, Philip Patrick, and Freddy Diaz. DJ Skipz and two young DJ’s he mentors in weekly sessions provided the soundtrack for the party. This week was their first time performing in front of a live audience. They took requests while taking turns spinning tunes from start to finish.

Community, ProgrammingInside Southwest Detroitstitching up detroit, Grace In Action, object the band, freddy diaz, dj skipz, the alley project, motor city street dance academy, mcsda
Annual Angels' Night Event Features Arts, Activities, and Performances
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 Howard8869avis, the alley project, potap, southwest detroit, mariachi
Back To School Notebook Decorating
Back To School Notebook Decorating

Back To School time is right around the corner! In between playing hard and watching artists create murals the youth decorated the fronts and backs (and some insides) of notebooks for school with collage. 

ProgrammingInside Southwest Detroittap233, the alley project, mary luevanos, back to school, art, detroit, swdetroit, southwest detroit, street artComment
Southwest Urban Arts Mural Project Spends Time at TAP
Southwest Urban Arts Mural Project Spends Time at TAP

SUAMP (Southwest Urban Arts Mural Project) spent some casual time at TAP this week as Benny and his son performed some routine maintenance to the benches.

fter work this summer several SUAMP artists have been coming over to paint and this time their instructor, Ms J, came with them.

She will be leaving Michigan very soon and her youth (and community partners) are grateful for the passion and excellence that SUAMP has displayed with her leadership.

ProgrammingInside Southwest Detroittap233, the alley project, swdetroit, southwest detroit, detroit, graffiti, street art, urban neighborhood initiatives, uni, suampComment