Detroit boasts a history of legendary axmen—Jack White, Ted Nugent, Robert White, Wayne Kramer and Dennis Coffey to name a few. And now, thanks to the passion project of commercial real estate director and woodworker Mark Wallace, the next great musician on that list may kick out the jams with a guitar made from a chunk of the city itself.
Built in a Corktown workshop, Wallace Detroit Guitars are fashioned from wood salvaged from the city’s recently demolished buildings. Each instrument will be branded with the address of the home that provided the wood, reinforcing the local heritage of the material.
So far, Wallace has created two prototypes that need to be tested, but a recent $8,000 matching grant from the Knight Foundation should allow him to expand production. Eventually, he wants the finished product to include more salvaged material from other local companies, like a strap made out of leftovers auto parts.
“One of the great things about Detroit is the collaboration,” he says. “Everyone wants to work together because they know they’re making the city a better place.”
Wallace's project is currently getting off the ground thanks to a grant from the Knight Foundation.
Hot off the heels from opening a new flagship store in New York, Shinola has new wrist candy available online, including a limited restock of the Runwell 47mm and new stainless steel styles of its little brother, the 41mm.
The company, also known for its leather goods and American-made bikes, is building timepieces from Swiss components right in the heart of Detroit, in hopes to bring high-end craft and manufacturing back to the United States.
Stock goes quick so you better head over and act fast before it’s all gone.
Visit Shinola for more on Detroit-made goods.
Curated by Gregory Tom of Eastern Michigan University, the exhibition includes work from Jason J. Ferguson, Matt Kenyon and Osman Khan. The artists play with typical elements found in an American home; a table and chairs, a houseplant, or a beam, and alter them to express ideas about faith, the mortgage crisis, and the American family.
The exhibit ties into "Mobile Homestead," a permanent artwork by the late Mike Kelley located on the grounds of MOCAD and based on the artist's childhood home in Westland, a neighborhood which primarily housed many workers for the Big Three auto makers.
The Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD) presents (in)Habitation on Friday, June 7, 2013. The exhibition runs through July 28, 2013. There's an opening party tonight, June 7, with a live set from Illy Mack, $5 at 7pm.
Matt Kenyon, Spore
Osman Khan, House