Edition No. 85
Arts and Culture
Artist Tunde Olaniran’s exhibit Made a Universe combines tropes from horror movies and TikTok videos to comment on serious issues such as environmental injustice.
Photo credit: Steven Piper/Tunde Olaniran
Community and Family
The World Tournament of Historic Base Ball returns to at Walnut Grove in Greenfield Village!
“A Midwestern museum known for mid-century design may have found the next big art world star”
Tunde Olaniran, a musician, filmmaker and artist who grew up in Flint, Michigan, just opened their first show, Made A Universe, at the Cranbrook Art Museum.
Beginning in 2019, Cranbrook partnered with Olaniran to help create their most ambitious project to date — the short film and exhibition Made a Universe. According to a recent NPR article, the show is partly a short movie, and partly an exhibition of pieces including: artifacts of furniture, old cars and unpaid bills that combine science fiction and social realism. Olaniran worked with Detroit-based artists to create the film’s scenography, costuming, and props. These elements are re-imagined in the galleries along with a screening room, offering visitors an immersive, parallel journey through Olaniran’s creative universe.
With the narrative arc of a hero’s journey, this contemporary horror film takes its inspiration from archetypes like those found in storylines from The New Mutants, an X-Men spin-off comic book series. Within this premise, the character’s often perceived weakness translates into their unique superpower. The film examines what it means to unlock your power in the face of fear and repression, and how one must unify various fragments of their psyche to connect with the world and themselves on a deeper level.
The unique storyline combines tropes from horror movies and TikTok videos to comment on serious issues such as environmental injustice and the carceral state. Check out the button below for more information and exhibition details.
Batter up: Historic baseball comes to life in metro Detroit
Greenfield Village baseball tournament features visiting teams from throughout the Midwest for family fun! The World Tournament of Historic Base Ball returns to Greenfield Village in Dearborn Aug. 13 and 14.
The all-day tournament goes from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. It will be held at Walnut Grove in Greenfield Village. The tournament is held to commemorate Detroit’s 1867 World Base Ball Tournament with a gathering of teams that play one outstanding weekend of America’s game by the rules of 1867.
The experience Includes baseball played with uniforms, equipment and rules from 1867, live music from the Dodworth Saxhorn Band, a group that was featured in Ken Burns’ popular baseball series on PBS, visiting teams from throughout the Midwest and live commentary throughout the game by the umpire and scorekeeper.
In the 19th century, the game was known as base ball. Although Americans had played baseball both before and during the Civil War, the game experienced phenomenal growth after 1865. Baseball's earliest players were "amateurs" meaning they were not paid to play. At the same time, large crowds would often watch many of these amateur games.
Learn more about the full season of historic base ball programming in Greenfield Village at www.thehenryford.org.
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.
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