Friday • 4
24-Hour Improv Marathon to Benefit Tsunami Victims
COMEDY
There’s nothing funny about the devastation caused by the recent tsunami in the East, but the laugh masters over at the Improv Inferno Ann Arbor have decided that humor is the best medicine for those in need. The comedy club will be holding a 24-hour improv marathon to benefit victims of the recent Indian Ocean disaster. Starting at 8 p.m. with a showing of the Damnation Game (a hilarious interactive improv game) and continuing until 8 p.m. on Saturday, the talented cast of comedians has taken on the potential misery and mishap of creative and physical fatigue. “When you see all the devastation, you wish you could do something. It’s going to be a great time for a great cause,” director Dan Izzo says. At 309 S. Main St., Ann Arbor; 734-214-7080.
Friday • 4
Harold Allen and Cliff Harris
ART
In honor of Black History Month, the Creative Art Center in Pontiac welcomes an installation from Black Artists Researching Trends (BART), a student organization at College for Creative Studies. The show will feature the works of Harold Allen, one of BART’s founders, and Cliff Harris, a past president. Formed in 1984 by a small group of African-American students who wanted to establish a support network, this organization has become an important resource for students of color by providing them with a connection with other students, the campus and the community. At 47 Williams, Pontiac; 248-333-7849.
Friday • 4
Nivek Monet’s Deep Passion: A Journey into the Soul of an Artist
ART
Painter Nivek Monet, otherwise known as Kevin Cartwright, began his artistic career at a very early age. So talented was the young Cartwright, his grandmother began to lovingly refer to him as “Nivek Monet” (“Nivek is “Kevin” spelled backward) and somehow the pet name just stuck. Cartwright’s, er, Monet’s latest installation, Deep Passion: A Journey into the Soul of an Artist is a compilation of original oil paintings that depict his own creative process and artistic drive. At the Johanson Charles Gallery, 1345 Division St., Detroit; 313-586-9499.
Saturday • 5
Ken Marzorati’s 4 Hours in Detroit
ART
Ken Marzorati presents a breathtaking collection of photographs taken over the course of a four-hour trek through Detroit’s East Side. “I shoot commercially in Detroit with such frequency that I am beyond being desensitized to what I see. While there are pockets of revitalization, I don’t see a city in decay, I see a city that doesn’t give a damn,” Marzorati says. From images of a street shrine to a 17-year-old girl who was murdered the night before to the desolate docks of a lakeside park, these photographs — though taken in an incredibly short span of time — expose a side a Detroit that even some people who have lived here all their lives have never seen. At Octane Photographic, 22750 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; 248-399-2355.
Saturday • 5
African American
Family Day
COMMUNITY
To kick Black History Month, the Detroit Historical Museum presents African American Family Day, an all-day event that offers families of all ethnic backgrounds an opportunity to learn about African-American culture. And oh! Did we mention it’s free? Visitors will have a chance to see one of the museum’s latest acquisitions, an original program from the June 19, 1966, Martin Luther King Jr. rally at Cobo Hall, as well as experience several workshops and educational programs. Highlights include a performance from the musical “Paradise in the Valley,” a tale of Detroit nightlife from the 1930s to the 1950s, and a traditional African dance performance from the Thiosane Performing Arts Company. At 5401 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-833-1805.
Saturday • 5
18th Erotic Poetry and Music Festival
MUSIC/ART
In recent years, the Erotic Poetry and Music Festival has been a little bit light on the eroticism and a bit heavy on the nasty, but truth be told — we kinda like it that way. This year, pervy dilettantes can enjoy music from Inoh Sivad, Blair, Gretchen Wolff, the Twilight Babies and everyone’s favorite player-of-the homemade-instrument, Frank Pahl. There’ll be spoken word from Cindi St. Germain, Lauren Chiasson (the Barefoot Poet), D-town’s master of the diatribe, Jimmy Doom and many others, plus erotic artwork on display and for sale by Gwen Joy and Jeff Hocking. Hosted by the Impaler and Peter Schorn. At 313.JAC, 624 Brush, Detroit; 313-962-7067.
Saturday • 5
Shiver on the River
FUN FOR ALL
Michigan winters can leave even the most enthusiastic snow lover a bit weary, but there’s no need for icy emotions at Belle Isle’s annual Shiver on the River event. Indoor activities such as children’s crafts and a magic show will take place at the Belle Isle Casino, while ice skating and other winter activities take place outside. (Bring your own skates, sleds and snowman-making tools!) Festivities take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Belle Isle in Detroit. Call 313-852-4075 for information.
Wednesday • 9
Hugh Masekela
LITERATURE
Hugh Masekela may make you feel the passion of his life in his music, but the facts of his life, laid out in his recent autobiography, are captivating. The South African-born musician behind the hit “Grazing in the Grass” combined the township-style jazz he grew up on the American styles he emulated; he’s tripped with hippies, jammed with Afro-beat king Fela Kuti, toured with Paul Simon, struggled against apartheid and crammed more loving, living and excess into his 65 years than seems possible. He reads from his Still Grazing in the Grass twice Wednesday on Wayne State University’s campus. At 1 p.m., he’s in the English department’s 10th floor conference room in the old Maccabees Building (5057 Woodward Ave., at Putnam). At 7 p.m., he’s in Room 100 of the General Lectures Hall (West Warren at Anthony Wayne Drive). Call 313-577-2450.
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