Authentically Detroit
Authentically Detroit is the leading podcast in the city for candid conversations, exchanging progressive ideas, and centering resident perspectives on current events.
Hosted by Donna Givens Davidson and Orlando P. Bailey.
Produced by Sarah Johnson and Engineered by Griffin Hutchings.
Check us out on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @AuthenticallyDetroit!
Authentically Detroit
Preserving Black Works of Art in Detroit with Dr. Kelli Morgan and Janette Phillips
This week, Orlando sat down with the Executive Director of SHARE Detroit, Janette Phillips and the Executive Director of Black Artists Archive, Dr. Kelli Morgan to discuss innovative strategies for nonprofit fundraising and fostering a nurturing environment where Black artists can thrive.
The mission at Black Artists Archive is to dismantle conventional art history by highlighting the experiences and contributions of Black artists, with a dedicated focus on Detroit artists. They aim to connect communities to these narratives, creating a space where history, culture, and creativity intersect.
Curator, educator, and activist in the cultural sector, Dr. Kelli Morgan is widely known as a leader in progressive museum practice whose work develops and advances anti-racist approaches to art curation, fundraising, and community engagement.
To learn more about Black Artists Archive and their work, click here!
FOR HOT TAKES:
MORALE IS HORRIBLE: STELLANTIS FACTORY LAYOFFS THIS FALL NEAR 4,000
WHAT IS GIVING TUESDAY? THE ANNUAL DAY OF CHARITABLE GIVING IS COMING UP
Up next. Authentically, detroit welcomes founding executive director of Black Artists Collective, dr Kelly Morgan, to discuss how they're working to foster a nurturing environment where creativity, exhibition, learning and the preservation of Black art, history and visual culture thrive. But first this week's hot take from the Detroit News and click on Detroit. Morale is horrible. Stellantis factory lays off this fall near 4,000. And what is Giving? Tuesday, exactly, the annual day of charitable giving is coming up. Keep it locked. Authentically, detroit starts after these messages.
Speaker 2:Founded in 2021, the Stoudemire is a membership-based community recreation and wellness center centrally located on the east side of Detroit. Membership in the Stoudemire is available on a sliding scale for up to $20 per year or 20 hours of volunteer time. The Stoudemire offers art, dance and fitness classes, community meetings and events, resource fairs, pop-up events, the Neighborhood Tech Hub and more. Members who are residents of the east side have access to exclusive services in the Wellness Network. Join today and Live Well, play Well, be Well. Visit ecndetroitorg.
Speaker 1:Hey y'all, it's Orlando. We just want to let you know that the views and opinions expressed during this podcast episode are those of the co-hosts and guests and not their sponsoring institutions. Now let's start the show. Hello, hello Detroit and the world. Welcome to another episode of Authentically Detroit, broadcasting live from Detroit's East Side at the Stoudemire inside of the East Side Community Network headquarters. I'm Orlando Bailey and I want to thank you for listening in and supporting our efforts to build a platform of authentic voices for real people in the city of Detroit. We want you to like, rate and subscribe to our podcast on all platforms. I'm flying solo today as Donna is out sick. However, I am joined by two very special guests. We have founding executive director of Black Artists Archive, dr Kelly Morgan, who will be here to share how they're empowering the art community, and we have the executive director of Share Detroit, jeanette Phillips, here to share how nonprofits can best raise funds this November. Jeanette, welcome to Authentically Detroit.
Speaker 3:Hi Orlando, Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1:We're excited to have you. How was the day finding you?
Speaker 3:I'm good so far, so good. I made it to the building.
Speaker 1:So a little traffic, but all good this building is notoriously hard to find for people who've never been here, so apologies if you experience stress trying to find the building.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it was just the I-94. Oh, I-94 is always a parking lot.
Speaker 1:Yeah, 94 is stressful and you know today is a beautiful day. It's kind of mild for mid-November. I think we're creeping up to almost 60 degrees today, so it's nice, but it's weird and scary.
Speaker 3:Yeah well, I'll take it. It's weird and scary. I don't want the snow.
Speaker 1:I don't enjoy the snow either, so I'm good with not getting snow. I'll take the cold, though, because I think we're supposed to. You know global warming, you know climate change is real, and I don't know if Trump's cabinet picks actually believe that. So anyway, it's a beautiful day in the city of Detroit. It's a new day.
Speaker 3:It's a new day.
Speaker 1:All right, it's time for Hot Takes, where we run down some of the week's top headlines in the city of Detroit. For Hot Takes, morale is horrible. Stellantis factory lays off this fall nearly 4,000. This is by Luke Ramseff at the Detroit News. Stellantis has either cut or made plans to cut more than 3,750 full-time factory workers across Detroit and Toledo since September. That's a conservative estimate of the transatlantic automaker's recent indefinite layoffs, as the Detroit news could not obtain updated figures for some plants and Stellantis did not provide a total for its US footprint. The tally doesn't include nearly 500 supplemental part-time workers at several Michigan plants who were terminated in late September. It doesn't include parts companies that must scale back their headcount whenever Stellantis does. Some 370 jobs are expected to be cut at the pair of Toledo Jeep plant suppliers by early January, for example. The number also doesn't include thousands of Stellantis employees who have been temporarily laid off at various times this fall, some for weeks at a time as the company slashes production at several factories to reduce large vehicle inventories that piled up on dealer lots this year. Here's the quote. The morale is horrible. Not only are people laid off, they're having issues with unemployment, said UAW Local 140 President Eric Graham, who represents workers at the Warren Truck Assembly Plant, where more than 1,300 jobs were recently cut after production of the Ram 1500 Classic ended. The plant's remaining workers have frequently gone on temporary layoff this fall due to slow sales of the Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer. Graham said many of his members have struggled for weeks to get their state unemployment checks, which means they also can't access supplemental unemployment payments from the automaker. Under its current contract with the UAW, stellantis agreed to provide laid-off workers additional payments for one year on top of unemployment. That together equals 74% of normal pay. Those on indefinite layoff also receive health care coverage for up to two years At the Warren Stamping Plant, where 160 workers are indefinitely laid off and hundreds of others are temporarily off the job. Uaw Local 869 President Romain McKinney III said he's received numerous calls from members struggling to get their unemployment checks, wondering where they can get assistance with paying their bills or buying food, or simply demanding answers about the future of the plant.
Speaker 1:So there are a few things that I want to say about this, and I said this a while ago on this podcast. I think it is gross negligence on part of the city of Detroit, on part of the region and on part of the state government to put all of our eggs in this automotive economy here in the state of Michigan. I think we have not learned that singular economies is not helpful for the state. I think we have to figure out how to diversify and be and divorce ourselves from the singular automotive economy. Michigan loves automotive economy. Michigan loves automotive suppliers. We love to tout new plants opening. We love to tout battery plants opening. We love to tout production of combustible vehicles, electronic electric vehicles, all of the above. But I think it is a grave mistake for us to continue to put all of our eggs in this basket.
Speaker 1:I remember when Stellantis was expanding on the east side of Detroit, right behind where we are currently sitting in Eastside Community Network the expansion of the Fiat Chrysler, now Stellantis plant, and they promised all of these jobs. At the time, I think they promised about 5,000 jobs. We are now over 4,000 jobs, shy of layoffs, right, this is something that continues to be cyclical. This is something that is subject to the market and the city did everything that they can to get Stellantis the land that they needed. They engaged in land swaps, they sold public land to Stellantis. All in the name of this is going to create jobs for Detroiters, and it may have created jobs for Detroiters at the time, but it looks like that number has been eclipsed by the number of habitual layoffs since then.
Speaker 1:The other thing that I want to say about this and this is one of the contentions of the UAW when it was in contract negotiations is the usage of temporary part-time workers without having to hire them on and give them benefits, access to 401ks, paid time off, all of the things that come along with full-time work, right. And what was happening with a lot of those part-time workers was a 90-day probationary period for these temp workers, and they were being forced, after 90 days, to make a decision to whether hire them or to let them go. And so what's happening is there's this cyclical turnover where temporary workers are in and out because they're not being hired in. Right, this is adversarial capitalism, in my opinion, at its best, and I think we really need to take a close look at the stock that we continue to put in the automotive industry in the city of Detroit and the state of Michigan. If Detroit's bankruptcy, if the bankruptcies of the automakers GM and Chrysler didn't teach us anything, is that we need to diversify Michigan's economy. That includes automakers, but so much more. I don't even know what to say about the delay in unemployment checks. These folks are not working and these folks are not getting their unemployment checks. We also know that most people, most families in the city of Detroit, are one paycheck away from extenuating circumstances right, and they cannot get the supplemental pay from Chrysler or Stellantis if they are not getting their unemployment checks. So there is no income happening for a large swath of these people. That needs to be fixed. We need to figure out what's going on with the state. If the governor can stand in front of a newsroom full of news reporters and journalists and tout new jobs that the automakers are making, the governor needs to also have in place an unemployment department that is responsive. That is responsive and timely to those same people you promised jobs to that have now lost their jobs or that have been laid off from their jobs. All right, I'm used to me and Donna doing this, so I'm quarterbacking it by myself, but it's all good For Hot Takes.
Speaker 1:What is Giving Tuesday? The annual day of charitable giving, is coming up. Since it started as a hashtag in 2012, giving Tuesday, the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, has become one of the biggest fundraising days of the year for nonprofits. In the US In 2022 and 2023, giving Tuesday raised $3.1 billion for charitable organizations, according to estimates from Giving Tuesday. This year, giving Tuesday is on December 3rd. The hashtag Giving Tuesday started as a project of the 92nd Street Y in New York in 2012 and became an independent organization in 2020. In New York in 2012 and became an independent organization in 2020. It's grown into a worldwide network of local organizations that promote giving in their communities, often on different dates that have local relevance, like holidays. Now, giving Tuesday the nonprofit also convenes researchers working on topics about everyday giving. It also collects data from a wide range of sources like payment processors, crowdfunding sites, employee giving software and institutions that offer donor-advised funds a kind of charitable giving account. The hashtag was started to promote generosity and the nonprofit continues to promote giving in the broadest sense.
Speaker 1:For nonprofits, the point of Giving Tuesday is to raise money and engage their supporters. Many will be familiar with a barrage of email and mail appeals that coincide on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. Essentially, all major American nonprofits will organize fundraising campaigns and many smaller local groups also participate. Share Detroit is a community engagement conduit offering simple ways for neighbors, nonprofits and businesses to come together and strengthen our local community. They make it easy for people to find local nonprofits and engage with them on how they choose, whether it's donating money, volunteering time, attending an event or buying much-needed items from the nonprofit's wish list. Their open and inclusive platform amplifies the needs of the entire nonprofit community, giving all organizations a chance to be seen and heard, regardless of size, focus area or budget. They believe that by doing good together they create a stronger, happier Detroit. Share Detroit is also a 501c3 nonprofit created to support all other nonprofits across Metro Detroit, and here to share more about Share Detroit is Executive Director Jeanette Phillips. Jeanette, welcome, welcome, welcome.
Speaker 3:Thank you, Hi Orlando.
Speaker 1:All right. So Giving Tuesday, it's always a big to-do right. Every nonprofit is bracing for it. A lot of nonprofits have fundraising goals. Tell me a little bit about how Share Detroit operates in this intermediary space for nonprofits here in the city and in the metropolitan area.
Speaker 3:So, sherry, detroit, I'll just say we're about four years old now. We started in February of 2021. Angel invested. Still we're working on getting some outside funding, but we have two men who really believe in bringing nonprofits together to make it easy for the community to we say do good. Our tagline now is the place you go to give.
Speaker 3:So during Giving Tuesday, the idea is to make it easy for community members. I mean, there are like seven or eight million people who live in Metro Detroit and I just daydream about. I mean, imagine if every person gave $10, that would be 70 or $80 million coming through to nonprofits in one day. That is so easy. You know people can give $10. Or if you're a family of five, you know people can give $10. Or if you're a family of five, give $50, you know $10 for each person.
Speaker 3:So Share Detroit is the official nonprofit for the Giving Tuesday organization that you described. We're kind of it. They work with us to provide us information, to give us those data, stats, all those things, and Detroit's very generous. And when I say Detroit now I'm including Wayne, oakland, macomb and Washtenaw County in this conversation. But last year, in 2023, nationwide Giving Tuesday kind of came the amount of money that was given on that day went down maybe one or 2%, not that much. But in Detroit, in our those four counties I just described, we actually went up. So even though we are philanthropic people in the city of Detroit.
Speaker 1:I know we're very generous. Every time there is a millage on the ballot for a museum or library, detroiters are like yes for our libraries, yes for our museum, yes, we will pay more. And if you step foot in any church on a Sunday in the city of Detroit, those Detroiters are sustaining the lifeline of their churches by giving philanthropically.
Speaker 3:Right. So I'm hopeful that this year will be another strong year for us. And again, the point of Share Detroit for your listeners is that we're making it easy. So all they have to do is go to our website, sharedetroitorg, and click on find nonprofits, and we have four I think it's like 476 nonprofits as of today and we have many filters so they can open up the it's called causes, but there are probably 200 different causes. So if a person cares about food insecurity, if they care about cancer, if they care specifically about breast cancer, if they care about the disabled, youth, anyone they can find the veterans, animals, they can find the cause that speaks to them. Then click that filter and find nonprofits who are doing the work right boots on the ground for what they care about, and so, and they can donate right off our website, 100% of the money goes to that nonprofit. So, again, we're just trying to make it easy for people to figure out how to support a nonprofit that they care about or a cause that they care about.
Speaker 3:And we also have geography filters. So if you are looking for a nonprofit that's in the city of Detroit or you're looking for one that is closer to where you live, no problem, just take a look at the filters and figure out who's there. Looking for one that is closer to where you live? No problem, just take a look at the filters and figure out who's there. So one thing I wanted to mention also I'm on here- now.
Speaker 1:So tell me a little bit. So does the nonprofit have to partner with Share Detroit to get on the website?
Speaker 3:Well, in the footer of every page website. Well, in the footer of every page, there is a little thing on the left-hand side that says log in or join.
Speaker 3:So, we're free every now and then. It's free for nonprofits to join Share Detroit. They have to be a 501c3. They have to serve Metro Detroit. They cannot be a school, church or club, basically, and we vet them to make sure that they're real. We don't want community members donating to a charity that's not, you know, it's fake, whatever. But we do a little bit of that work ahead of time and then they can be live on the page for free. We have four pillars. So donate money, which is a big piece of Giving Tuesday. Donate money, volunteer, which is our largest, strongest pillar. Events, Attend events and shop a wish list. So they have to have two pillars up at any given time.
Speaker 3:So, typically it's a donate button and then hopefully, volunteer opportunities or a wish list or an event or all of the above, so you can see on the nonprofits how many pillars they have active and you can click through the logo to their profile page. So they're responsible for keeping it updated and keeping it current. Our job is to keep the website going and then communicate with them on the fact that they need to do things right. We're a very small team, but the other advantage I just want to sneak this in because of this Stellantis thing you mentioned but community members can also use Share Detroit to research things that they might need.
Speaker 3:So, all these Stellantis people who are, you know, find themselves out of work and then still waiting for cash to come through Google, you know, don't Google Use our filters to find food pantries or food insecurity? Find a nonprofit that supports the community by giving food and go there. Talk to them Volunteer if they have some spare time. Wouldn't that be nice?
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Get some food. So, and some of the community members, if they're feeling tough about the fact that 4000 people just lost their jobs, wouldn't it be interesting on Giving Tuesday to donate to these food pantries, Because guess what they care about and what's really important right now? And maybe your conversation about Stellantis resonates with people here. Maybe they need the food, but on the other hand, maybe they they want to give to those nonprofits who are giving out the food.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah. So you know. Selfless question I run a newsroom, a nonprofit newsroom, right, and so folks who may be passionate about factual, relevant information, right. So do you guys partner with nonprofit newsrooms as well to for them to be on the site? And we're sitting inside the Eastside Community Network, ecn, has to join this site. I didn't see them on there, well come on over Come on in Come on whatever.
Speaker 3:And again, like if there's a cause that you think should be there, like it took us a long time to get some of the Information systems.
Speaker 3:I like it. Okay, like theaters took a while for us to crack the code and say, hey, you know, just come on in and now we have some of the theaters. But you know, if there's a new cause filter that we need to build, because you know different radio stations, you know your podcast, whatever. If it's a nonprofit that supports the community, bring it on and we'll add the cause and people can find you.
Speaker 1:Jeanette, I want to ask you a question about data right, Especially if folks are giving through your website. What are the top causes and trends that you've been seeing within your four years of existence?
Speaker 3:So I, we, you know, what's interesting for me is the thing that we notice most is that people want to volunteer, and so it's kind of it goes across all causes, but that's the filter, or the pillar. We call it the pillar. That is most I don't know pinged. You know what?
Speaker 2:I mean People say I'm interested, I'm interested, I want to volunteer.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and why is that? Because people are looking for things to do that matter to them and you know you may not want to give money to an organization if you're not sure who they really are. So that's what I'll say. I mean as far as the filters go and like different kind of causes. Of course everyone's going to flock to your nonprofit when you're on Journey. Detroit, but beyond that. I mean some people care about veterans, a lot of people care about youth children you know disabled.
Speaker 1:And then the food insecurity section is very strong, especially on the volunteer side too.
Speaker 3:Yeah, exactly, and it really is easy to give back. And Giving Tuesday I'll just say a plug to the big givingtuesdayorg is it's a day of giving. It's not the United States has made it into a money, you know, give money day, which of course, I want people to use Share Detroit and give money to the nonprofits. They can also donate to Share Detroit. We have our own little profile page on the site, but really we're here for the other 476 nonprofits on the site, but they're about giving, and so in other countries that are not, as you know, rich in quotes, put that in quotes.
Speaker 3:It's giving, it's about giving giving back, giving your time going somewhere and, you know, building community. So that is important too, and that is a bit again, a big piece of what we, share Detroit, are trying to do is build community and have people know oh, my son is in high school and he needs community service hours. What am I going to do with him? Love it, yes, come to Share Detroit research, find out the geographic filter or what he cares about and say listen, little Johnny, there's no excuse, right?
Speaker 1:There's no excuse little.
Speaker 2:Johnny, here's six of them.
Speaker 3:Right. So, or a Girl Scout troop, or, you know, a church group that wants to support X, Y or Z Use this as a research tool. But also, we hope they will give back. So, again, Giving Tuesday is a big day of generosity, as you said, nonprofits are. You know, we do the work, we're doing the mission work that corporate America falls down on you know, and government can't do it all, and a lot of people don't want government to do any of it, right?
Speaker 3:So then what? But the nonprofit industry or the nonprofit ecosystem is filling those gaps, and has been for a long, long time. So they need, they need people, they need support, they need goodwill. But they also, on Giving Tuesday, please send them, you know, a little check. Send some money through your credit card, through Share Detroit, over to them. You'll feel good and they will be grateful.
Speaker 1:Sharedetroitorg is the website. You can also find them on Twitter, facebook, instagram, linkedin and Vimeo. Jeanette Phillips, executive Director of Share Detroit. Thank you so much for coming on Authentically Detroit. Go for it.
Speaker 3:Can I just add one more thing?
Speaker 1:Sure.
Speaker 3:The hashtag locally is hashtag GivingTuesdayDetroit.
Speaker 1:Hashtag GivingTuesdayDetroit.
Speaker 3:GivingTuesdayDetroit, that's us Use it on.
Speaker 1:Giving Tuesday Tuesday December the 3rd 2024.
Speaker 3:The big Giving Tuesday. People are going to track us with that extra.
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Speaker 1:Welcome back to Authentically Detroit everybody. The mission of Black Artists Archive is to dismantle conventional art history by highlighting the experiences and contributions of Black artists, with a dedicated focus on Detroit artists. They aim to connect communities to these narratives, creating a space where history, culture and creativity intersect. Intercept, curator, educator and activist in the cultural sector, dr kelly morgan is widely known as a leader in progressive museum practice, whose work develops and advances anti-racist approaches to our curation, fundraising and community engagement. Here with us is dr kelly morgan. Welcome to authentically detroit thank Orlando.
Speaker 5:It's such a pleasure to be here. It's a pleasure to have you, how you doing. I'm good Tired but good Listen listen.
Speaker 1:I feel like everybody's been tired for at least the last couple of weeks. Yeah, seriously, you doing okay with all that.
Speaker 5:I am Everybody's like with all that's going on. You know, unfortunately I wasn't surprised.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 5:Working in the anti-racist area or the anti-whiteness area.
Speaker 5:You know it was like. Tell me why you weren't surprised, because I study whiteness and have you know for decades, and so I don't think. People think often about the cultural capital of whiteness, particularly not just for white Americans, right? And when I say whiteness I mean whiteness, um, particularly not just for white americans, right? And when I say whiteness I mean whiteness as a system, you know, for white folks who uphold it, who need it, you know, and for bipoc folks who are adjacent to it you know it's very helpful.
Speaker 5:You know when you don't necessarily have to explain. You know yourself um going into a starbucks, at the grocery store, at the voting booth, right what, in whatever capacity, um, and I think we saw that you know in these results, you know in the, and by the time, you know arizona and nevada, you know, came in for him as well.
Speaker 1:I was just like well well, here we are here we are, this next iteration of America. Yes, I'm interested in this next iteration of America. What does your work look like?
Speaker 5:so for me, it's really about blackness, cultivating black spaces and cultivating black people. A lot of that came out of, you know, working in traditionally white institutions hitting a wall. Just to be honest, orlando last February or February 23, where I was like I am so tired, you know, of having the same conversation.
Speaker 1:It's exhausting, ain't it? I was in, I won't name it, but I was in a corporate office setting today, most of the day working, and I was like I have to get out of here. Oh my gosh, yeah.
Speaker 5:It's like you feel the walls caving in Sheesh, and particularly if you're somebody that's willing to speak up about it. So I went from this person who was adamant about as black folks or people of color. We got to be in these white spaces so I need to, like, teach people strategies. You know how to survive them. Now excuse my French, I'm like fuck these institutions.
Speaker 1:It's the pot. We're going to put it explicit on it.
Speaker 5:I'm like create your own institutions, take care of your own folks. Yeah, because it's safer and it's healthier.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So tell me, from your perspective, what was missing in the ecosystem that you had to create, the resources that are there, so, like the pathways, so there was a couple of things that happened.
Speaker 5:I was at the Wright Museum for like two minutes While I was there. What year was this? This was six months ago. Oh, okay, so I was working at the time. I was working.
Speaker 1:Shout out to Kevin Davidson.
Speaker 5:we love Kevin yeah, kevin was a colleague of mine. Kevin was great, um, and honestly like him talking to me about Dr Wright's like overall vision oh my gosh, was like was also kind of the impetus for this. So I was meeting with all of these artists around the city or family members who are like over the age of 85. Many of them unbeknownst to me, orlando, have been like following my career, which is kind of cool Because they're like the work that my mom had like in the living room. So it was fascinating. I was like, well, can you help me, you know, apply for this grant, or can you help me with cataloging? Like some of the individuals who are photographers or have you know large photography collections, was like can you help me with licensing? And I was like, yeah, but when I got like past five I was like, oh no, this is a thing. And then dabbles happen.
Speaker 1:Right, so I'm originally from here.
Speaker 5:I'm 44 years old. I know that building has been there since at least. I was like eight right so I was like where is Kresge? Like the roof ain't just falling yesterday like a roof. Don't just cave in, like it has to have, like there has to be some other things.
Speaker 1:What would happen to all of those philanthropic organizations that participated in a grand bargain to save Detroit art? What happened with that particular piece of art? Yep, right in the city of Detroit. And where was philanthropy?
Speaker 5:Yep, I mean they were too late, because I did eventually find out that Kresge was working on something, but the city, right, beat him to demolition. But at the same time I was like, ok, 10 years ago, right, who's helping him? Right, kresge gives him an eminent artist award and you don't like give, like, help him go through a strategic plan, you don't put him in contact with, like national funders. So I was living and I was like, okay, yeah, I know enough people globally. Right, I have enough sort of pool, you know, in the sort of arts museum world that I can get this off the ground. And so I just wrote like a five-page proposal and sent it to people that I knew, you know, at different national funders. And everybody was like this is a great idea, you know. And I was like OK. So there was also a step of faith too, because I think God has been kind of, I think he pushed me into the work.
Speaker 5:At first Orlando, because I was in school to become a professor. All of my degrees are in African-American studies, so I was gonna teach African-American art. You know, have my nice little tenure strike job and I sabbatical.
Speaker 1:Yes, all the things right.
Speaker 5:And then I was teaching a civil rights photography. I was teaching a civil rights history course through civil rights photography and the students gordon parks yep, and I could see how they like needed the tactile right experience so I went into museum curation from there and it's just been this interesting winding road um that folks have been following and folks who knew your mom.
Speaker 1:Yeah, tell me about your mother she is a mess.
Speaker 5:I love my mom like she's one of the reason why I came home yeah his mom is like, she just turned 81 wow but she totally thinks she's 50 good right, which is probably look like it, which okay, both true yeah not not good when she's like I got a 50 50pound bag of salt that I just got off the trunk.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 5:I'm like what are you doing? Wow, Sit down, yeah. Or like I'm going to go trim the pear tree limbs off the tree in the backyard.
Speaker 1:Wow.
Speaker 5:But mom was always a collector. She collected British willow air, which is like the blue and white sort of chinese export porcelain kind of stuff. Um, she collected ronald scarborough, scarborough prints, and so there was always this presence right of like european decorative art, weird and american lithographs, like printmaking. You know that was very much so present in the house, which I didn't realize was a thing you know until I got into you know, museum work and I was like, oh my god, my mom had a print yeah, oh my god right you know.
Speaker 5:So she has an original thomas hart benton print wow yeah that's.
Speaker 5:I don't even know how much it's worth, cause I don't know. Praise, unfortunately. But it was fascinating to me. When I asked her cause, I was like mom, you know, I was doing research on Benton as a social realist, you know, painter, you know after the depression, and I said, did you know? You know that this was a bend when you buy? She was just like that's what the names say on the corner I was like okay, so appreciation, but never really. There was never any like this is something you can do but just having it around the house as an impetus.
Speaker 1:You know, like one of the things that I always keep around the house everywhere, especially when my nieces and nephews are over. I keep books everywhere. Yes, I want them to know that books are here. They're there for you. Crack one open. I want to ask you a question about your observation of the current arts ecosystem in Detroit. Yes, and what you make of it. What's going on? It seems like it's an exciting time, but I am an outsider looking. I'm an artist, but I'm not a traditional artist, I'm a journalist. Right, y'all don't be calling us artists, but we literally, you know, take a blank sheet of paper and put something that wasn't there there, and it makes sense, yes, so what do you make of the ecosystem here in the city?
Speaker 5:of Detroit. It is fascinating, to be honest, you know it is. I mean, it's wonderful. It has its issues. What issues, right? So it's like there is no shade to nobody, but it's like this critical mass of like our stars, absolutely Right. So it's like there is no shade to nobody, but it's like this critical mass of like our stars, absolutely Right. Right, which is like, OK, that's fine, but there's this other, larger group of people, right, you know, who are not included, you know, in those same opportunities.
Speaker 1:So what you're saying is because I'm trying to get you to say it the arts ecosystem in the city of Detroit has an elitism problem.
Speaker 5:Oh, every art ecosystem does. Yeah, and I was talking to.
Speaker 1:But it's so weird for me not to cut you off in the city of Detroit, because white supremacy and elitism looks very different in the city of Detroit, because we black.
Speaker 5:Yeah, so like the thing that pissed me off the first, like when I Because I've been home for about a year and a half now I got back last June of last year, so the first thing was I was like, okay, so DIA and Cranbrook, this is going to act like they haven't ignored black artists in this country for the last 75 years.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Right, you put Mario Moore in there and we, we good, you put Tiff and.
Speaker 5:I went to high school together. She was also one of the people that, like, encouraged me to kind of take this role.
Speaker 1:She's amazing, right, what an amazing person. But.
Speaker 5:I was like, and how are we not talking about the fact that so, like you know, even Sydney and Senghor, like there are actual, like blood lineages, right, yes, and professional lineages?
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 5:So that was like huge red flag. And then, coming from the East Coast, because I spent a lot of time in Philly and Boston going back and forth to New York this elitism that we're kind of witnessing is a formula. It's a New York formula, it's a Miami formula, a Paris formula. It works, works. And so I'm always I hate to say warning, but like just just you know, in terms of like you know, our critical mass, I'm always like be careful, because all the glitters ain't gold yeah you know, and it's like, because what is it, you know?
Speaker 5:what is it? You know, and it's like, because what is it? You know? What is it really doing? It's building the market, which is great, but what happens when that bubble bursts?
Speaker 1:So do you see it as your lane to help build the power of those who are not our stars but are still dope, and make the city the creative epicenter that it is?
Speaker 5:Yep, that's exactly what I'm trying to do, okay.
Speaker 1:How are you doing that?
Speaker 5:So right now I'm working with, like I said, some of the older artists and helping them digitize what they have.
Speaker 1:Auntie this how? Yes, actually, let's take a quick break. Okay, we're going to take a quick break and we're going to come back to that. Okay, we'll be right back with more Authentically Detroit.
Speaker 2:Founded in 2021, the Stoudemire is a membership-based community recreation and wellness center centrally located on the east side of Detroit. Membership in the Stoudemire is available on a sliding scale for up to $20 per year or 20 hours of volunteer time. The Stoudemire offers art, dance and fitness classes, community meetings and events, resource fairs, pop-up events, the Neighborhood Tech Hub and more. Members who are residents of the east side have access to exclusive services in the Wellness Network. Join today and live well. Welcome back to Authentically Detroit.
Speaker 1:We are here with Dr Kelly Morgan. You were talking about helping our elders, whom we love and adore, digitize. You know some of their work, so to help really fill this gap that exists in helping to build power among those that are not the stars.
Speaker 5:Yeah, because they're like. You know, I want to create a culture because there hasn't been an institutional culture that's been cultivated either.
Speaker 1:You know that, where there's an actual trust, Even with the right, even with the right In the city of Detroit.
Speaker 5:Yeah, even with the right, you know there's been a lot of mismanagement, there's been a lot of lack of infrastructure, lack of professional what is it called Professional maturity, you know, at the right. So there's a lot of like. You know I would love to give it. However, I know it's just going to sit. You know, if I do, dia doesn't collect archives, really, you know. And then the only two, when you're talking American art and particularly black folks, you know that exist on a national level is Smithsonian and Getty. So we can't depend on two archives to chronicle our entire history, especially Detroit.
Speaker 1:Detroit needs its own, it needs its own, it needs its own. The mother of movement, yeah. The city of Detroit, yeah.
Speaker 5:I can do that, um so yeah. So I started having conversations, you know kind of walking our elders through the process, because you got to build a relationship, you know as an archive and a non-profit everything yeah, like, and it's not like I can pay them. You know per se, where I can be, like you know I'm not a gallery so I can't go like here's. You know a 1.5 million dollars, you know, for this archive, um, but many of them are very adamant about preservation in the community so you're a cultural preservationist as well.
Speaker 1:Let me ask you this question, because I think you know there is a physical aspect to archiving as well when is the archive housed? Is it in the public sea.
Speaker 5:I don't have a building. I got my eye on one.
Speaker 5:Actually I got my eye on two, okay, but I'm trying to be because this is the thing like you can bite off more than you can chew with this, because there has been Orlando, the more that word is getting out. People are like, hey, I got this thing and hey, we come looking and I'm like, wait a minute, I don't have no space. So keeping digitizing, it is like my main actually. Well, digitizing, yes, but what I need to add to that is we're working with Purple Rock Scissors to to like embed a digital archive like right into our home website.
Speaker 1:Okay, Okay, good, good, good, yeah. So that's what I'm starting with, sort of like how we archive newspapers. I mean, like the library still has like physical newspapers where you can go, but yeah, the universities and even some of the library had, you know, archives, print presses and we could see it that way, okay so that's like a hundred and eighty thousand dollar price that I'm fundraising for I have what's the math?
Speaker 5:we got about 40 of it all right 40 yeah okay, I'm like I need some money yeah.
Speaker 1:For sure, for sure.
Speaker 5:But yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I want to. I want to just lean into this conversation that we are afraid to have in the city of Detroit, just about elitism. Why are we afraid to have this conversation?
Speaker 5:I think everybody is right. It's been an unspoken, at least among curators and black curators across the country. It is this there's only three of us in the field. It's me, latanya Autry, who's at the Schomburg, and Portia Moore, who's the head of museum studies at University of Florida. We are the only three that will talk about it openly, publicly, transparently. Um, it is like a non. What do you call it? Like a non-spoken? True, right, it's.
Speaker 5:I call it exotic chicken syndrome you know, where you are like it is clearly a duck and everybody's like, no, it's this new genetically modified chicken. Um, and there is a packing order, you know, very literally, um, particularly in, like the new york, you know, community, um, I call it the shark tank, which is why I've never wanted to work in the new york institutions or the um smithsonian system, right, because there are particular I hate to call them fiefdoms, but it's's like, but it is, it's like these particular sects, so it's like the Genetical Spellman, you know, andrea sect right, cheryl Finley, it's the Thelma Golden Legacy, russell.
Speaker 5:You know, ru Hockley. Right, thomas Lacks sect. Right, thomas Lacks sect. And coming out of any I should say either Right, coming out of either one of those spaces sort of dictates what institution you go into. Right, you know Thelma is like the top, you know, tier person of African-American art and so she pulls a lot of strings. You know, she opens a lot of doors, she shuts a lot of other ones. Right, like I've definitely experienced it, you know, from both sides, white folks and black folks.
Speaker 5:You know, because I will talk about it like, like this you know, it's a, it's a, it's a formula you know, in terms of the art market. So it's like, and it transcends race it transcends everything.
Speaker 1:I just wonder you know like why the systems and structures in America are built on white settler colonialism and capitalism and rugged individualism?
Speaker 5:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And all of those are antithetical to who we are intrinsically, as we are a communal people. But it's so pervasive and smart that we begin to subconsciously or consciously take these things on and perpetuate them on ourselves.
Speaker 4:Because it works right. You see the air quotes it works.
Speaker 5:This is the type of culture that white, patriarchal, hegemonic capitalism requires yeah um, it's one of my biggest beefs. You know, with a lot of these like athletes it requires cast yeah, you know where it's just like you have to be better capitalist and I'm like, no, do you understand like capitalism works, because it kills us?
Speaker 1:and we were the capital.
Speaker 5:Yes, yes, right, right. And so I get so frustrated sometimes, me too, I see it in your face.
Speaker 1:Okay, let's think happy thoughts. So let's talk about. Let's talk about how folks can work with y'all. Yes, get with you, meet with you, archive their stuff I'm talking about, even like the dude. There's a kid right now at the Detroit School of Arts who got a dope collection who's probably thinking about. I want to preserve this. Yes, right, this is a time capsule. These are my high school years. I want to be able to come back. Who do? How do I? What's my entry point? What's my armrest?
Speaker 5:so our website right now blackartistarchivecom. No, it's blackartistarchiveorg.
Speaker 1:Yeah, because you're a nonprofit.
Speaker 5:I'm like you got a com. That is how tired I am. That's a nonprofit. That is how tired I am Because it has been like nice, because you know I've only been in business right since early July, yeah, you know. So it's been a whirlwind, but like signing up for our mail, our mailing list, and because we are so small, we do check our email Right. So if you email, you will be emailing me so I can respond and I do. I'm pretty I respond pretty quickly. We have a community roundtable called Angles and Archives that we'll start promoting this week or next week, happening on December 12th at some day with Sam and Jante, which is gonna be dope, and this is a new thing that people can look for. Probably around December 1st is I'm launching our Black Curatorial Institute with my anti-racist approaches to art museums today. Course on Teachable.
Speaker 5:You know so people can literally, like you know, pay for it. Download it. I have like all kind of payment plans. She's teaching us.
Speaker 1:Yeah, don't forget the doctor in front of her name. I love it, and folks can also connect with you on Instagram, youtube, facebook, linkedin and Twitter. You are on all of the things. And who number is this? 313-263-6400. That's your number.
Speaker 5:It's coming, it comes to my cell, it comes to your cell.
Speaker 1:So if you want to talk to Dr Kelly Morgan, 313-263-6400. I have enjoyed this conversation with you.
Speaker 1:I know that you are tired, but you are a pro. You did this and you did it well. All right, if you have any topics that you want discussed on Authentically Detroit, hit us up at authenticallydetcom or you can email us at authenticallydetroit at gmailcom. All right, it is time for shout-outs. So I am flying solo today, dr Morgan. I have a co-host who co-founded this podcast with me. Her name is Donna Givis-Davidson. She also is the CEO of this place. She's out sick today, so I want to send good vibes, love wishes, to my co-host and my friend, donna Givis-Davidson do you have any shout outs?
Speaker 5:anybody want a shout out? Oh my god. Yeah, I have to shout out my partner in life and my partner in this, reginald Dockery. You know who's at the end of the table? He's our COO at BOT alright and Malika Shabazz who put this together. Who's?
Speaker 1:our VP of media relations. I love it. I love it. Well, everybody that's going to do it for this episode of Authentically Detroit. We'll see you next time, but until then, love of somebody, and allow yourself to be loved on Outro Music.
