Edition No. 111
Arts and Culture
Institutions in and around Detroit celebrate Black History Month
photo credit: Detroit Institute of Arts
Community and Family
Amy Chesterton had a unique perspective as the new Fred M. Alger Center went from merely an idea, to being a home for art, culture, and the humanities.
Celebrate Black History Month!
Black History Month kicked off yesterday, Feb. 1. Looking for ways to celebrate and learn more about the history of African Americans in the United States? check out a few suggested events below.
Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History
The Wright is a prominent museum in Detroit and celebrates Black History Month with a slew of events every year. Each Thursday during Black History Month, The Wright will host virtual presentations and discussions on their core exhibit, "And Still We Rise." The presentations are at 12 p.m. and 4 p.m. The full schedule can be found here.
The Detroit Historical Museum
The Detroit Historical Museum will have an in-person celebration honoring Black entrepreneurship in the city. The event will highlight some businesses and history makers who make and made Detroit great. There will also be guided mini tours of Detroit67: Perspectives and other exhibits honoring Black history in Detroit. More information can be found here.
Detroit Institute of Arts
Celebrating Black Stories is a free family-friendly event that spotlights short films that share the joy, determination, resilience, and complexity of being Black and young. Explore a range of genres and styles in a program that spans the globe. These amazing short films were audience favorites and award-winners at the 2022 New York International Children’s Film Festival. Learn more about the film selections here.
The Henry Ford
Guests are invited to visit The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation throughout Black History Month to reflect on the past and to celebrate Black futures. The event aims to revitalize visitors’ spirits with weekly live performances and information about the work of African American trailblazers.
Performances include:
North Star Chorale
Institute of Dance at Marygrove
McLenon and Mann
The Will Cyprian Trio
There are additional events and featured exhibits that you can learn more about here.
The Ford House
The Ford House is celebrating Black History Month with performances in the gallery at the main residence, hosted by talented poet One SINGLE Rose. The original stories were written and directed by Robbie Tayor, and they will showcase poets, actors and singers. More details about the event can be found here.
Board director part of two teams involved in developing new Alger Center
Amy Chesterton jokes that she got her chocolate mixed with her peanut butter when it comes to the new Fred M. Alger Center at The War Memorial.
“When we were going through it, considering the possible renovation, I was hesitant to recommend ROSSETTI, but knew that we were the best from a hospitality standpoint.”
Chesterton, of Grosse Pointe Park, has been on The War Memorial Association Board of Directors for about seven years. She is also a partner at ROSSETTI, a Detroit architecture firm, and the director of urban planning. Chesterton has worked at ROSSETTI for five years. ROSSETTI was the architect for the new 25,000 square foot facility at The War Memorial, which opened in November.
Chesterton described the development of the Alger Center as nerve-wracking for her. She explained her involvement in the project as an “arms-length” partner, trying to not get involved in the day-to-day work, rather, she received a monthly update about the project’s progress from ROSSETTI colleagues.
“The Alger Center was the first thing we’ve done at ROSSETTI that was in our backyard,” Chesterton said. “So much of our work is national and international. It’s something that I’m going to see every day.” Walking through the center for the first time last year, Chesterton said she was super proud of the work done by all.
To learn more about Chesterton, check out 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.