Edition No. 104

Arts and Culture

Internationally celebrated artist McArthur Binion brings his first exhibition in nearly two decades home to Detroit.

Community and Family

Christmas is here! In the final days before the big day, we take a look at a USA Today article that serves as a guide to over 100 family films to watch this holiday!


Detroit welcomes home internationally renowned artist McArthur Binion

Library Street Collective recently announced its exhibition with Detroit native and widely celebrated artist McArthur Binion titled Self:Portraits. With a career spanning over forty years, Binion is known for producing mixed media works that marry the language of rhythmic Minimalist abstraction with personal memory and autobiography. On display will be a selection of paintings from Binion’s Self:Portrait series, six of which were created in 2016, and seven of which were created over the last few months.

Within the Self:Portraits, Binion lays a foundation for each work constructed of personal photographs and documents—this critical underlayer is what the artist refers to as the “under-conscious” of the work.

Self:Portraits constitutes a homecoming of sorts, not only is it Binion’s first exhibition in his hometown in nearly two decades, but it also precedes his return to the city as a part-time resident. It is with a motivation to give back to Detroit’s creative community that Binion founded the Modern Ancient Brown Foundation, a nonprofit organization that supports the intersection between the visual and literary arts in the Detroit community through an artist grant campaign and residency program. Established in 2019, the foundation’s headquarters will open in 2023 in Detroit’s East Village. Binion will be donating 100% of his proceeds from the exhibition to Modern Ancient Brown; Library Street Collective will be donating a substantial portion of its proceeds to the further development of the public skatepark at the Shepherd, designed by Binion and legendary skateboarder Tony Hawk. The skatepark is spearheaded by the gallery and in partnership with Jefferson East, Inc, a neighborhood non-profit organization that serves low-income populations on the City’s east side and five historic bordering neighborhoods.

Binion’s Self:Portraits will be on view until Feb. 22, 2023. Learn more at the button below.

Photo credit: William Jess Laird


What to watch this holiday season 

Want to stay inside after Christmas and spend time relaxing and catching up with the family? One way to unwind as the year wraps up is by watching your favorite movie!

This week, we examine an article from USA Today that lists plenty of films to watch, ranging from steaming services like Netflix, Disney+, and HBO Max.  

On Disney+, Kevin McCallister in “Home Alone” and “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York” tops the list. Others include Disney’s “A Christmas Carol” and “I'll Be Home for Christmas.”  

Netflix selections include “White Christmas,” “Home for the Holidays,” and “The Christmas Chronicles.”  

From HBO Max, featured movies are “Elf,” “The Polar Express,” and seven movies from the “Harry Potter” film series. 

To read the article and pick which movies your family can enjoy this week, click the button below.  


Inspired Thoughts is a collection of highly curated content that embraces the spirit and purpose of The War Memorial: arts and culture, community enrichment, leadership, and patriotism.

Derived from the notion that learning from others is the key to success, Inspired Thoughts is meant to shine a light on those making a difference in the world around them. This collection features artists, poets, writers, architects, and every thought leader in-between. Inspired Thoughts is the strongest reflection of what The War Memorial stands for, and what we aim to be.

The content featured on Inspired Thoughts is curated by War Memorial leadership — we also look forward to featuring special guest curators in the near future. If you are interested in providing content for Inspired Thoughts, please email our Communications team at dmurphy@warmemorial.org.

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