There’s nothing happening here. Or at least, it sure can seem that way, given the sprawling nature of our community. One man has made it his mission to reverse this misconception, person by person. He keeps himself abreast of all cultural activities in the region, attending nearly every one of them, sometimes six in one night. Should you meet him (if you go to an art opening, you will) he’ll happily share his resources with you.
James H. Dozier, or just "Dozier," is an accomplished multimedia visual artist whose work can be seen at Ferndale’s Batista Gallery. He has long been involved in Detroit’s thriving — if, in his words, "under-recognized" — cultural scene. Frustrated by what he feels is an increasing lack of comprehensive information concerning cultural events in major media, he began compiling his own listing. He found that as people began to notice his regular presence at gallery openings, they would ask about other events that evening. In recent months he’s started collecting people’s e-mail addresses in order to distribute his weekly listings quickly and efficiently via the Internet.
While Dozier’s e-mail list has steadily grown, his enthusiasm for sharing hasn’t wavered. "I enjoy doing it. I like informing people, exciting people about our community," he says.
Not content to confine his listing to metro Detroit, Dozier includes (and attends) openings as far as 150 miles from Detroit. This geographical inclusiveness is another testament to his commitment and support of our region’s cultural community.
Dozier has proven that there is a lot happening here if you know where to look, and his efforts have helped a lot of folks discover just that.
For more, read "4 Questions with Dozier," an interview by Nick Sousanis on his Web site, thedetroiter.com, starting June 10.
Nick Sousanis is a freelance writer. Send comments to [email protected]
