CLOCKWISE:
Work by Amanda Parer.
A projection by Sollars
Strohacker. Malek Chidester.
An element of Gary Schwartz’s
project.

“The goal of this project is to
take things that are opposite
and put them together. The
idea is to have a metaphor for
a sense of community. I want
them to think about what the
motto means in the past, the
present and the future,” Gary
said. “It’s really important that
the students work together
because Detroit, as far as I’m
concerned, is all about com-
munity.”
As a full-time Detroit arts
ambassador, advocate and
chair of Dlectricity, Marc
Schwartz knows all about com-
munity.
“Gary is a positive force
of nature, whose work
exudes energy, creativity and
playfulness,” Marc said. “The
Dlectricity artists this year
are extraordinary, and we are
excited to bring this incred-
ible event back to Midtown.
In many ways, the eyes of the
contemporary art world are on
Detroit at this moment.”
Marc Schwartz says that, this
year, the footprint of art instal-

lations has been condensed to
make the event more walkable
for visitors. Schwartz projects
over 150,000 attendees plus
more than 3,400 cyclists who
will participate in the Light
Bike Parade. The “Rolling Light
Exhibit” Parade will start in the
heart of Midtown on the cam-
pus of Wayne State University
and will wind its way through-
out the area where the public
will line the streets and enjoy
the light show.
“We’re hopeful that even
more people will come to our
festival this year to celebrate
the best things about Detroit,”
Marc said. “The projects and
performances we selected were
based on a number of criteria,
including artistic merit and
how well the project uses vari-
ous media ... and other creative
technologies, as well as how
the projects exist within an
urban environment.”
Growing up in L.A., Gary
Schwartz taught animation
workshops at the Wilshire
Boulevard Temple and, in the

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summer, was a counselor at
Camp JCA Shalom, teaching art,
photography and animation.
“I approach life and art-
making in an open-ended way
— not based on a hierarchical
structure of rules,” says Gary,
whose entire life mission since
the age of four has been, “How
am I going to subvert the domi-
nant power structure today?”
“The job of an artist is to
question things and see them
in a fresh new light, just like
Dlectricity,” adds the former
professor at CCS and an
adjunct professor at U-M’s
Penny Stamps School of Art
and Design.
“A lot of fundamental meta-
phors and stories in Judaism
are about light, like the miracle
of keeping the menorah lit for
eight days. There are so many
stories about searching for
the truth in the open light and
moving away from the dark-
ness. Judaism is about putting
the light on things of knowl-
edge and understanding.” •

September 14 • 2017

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