The Carr Center Connects Artists and Scholars With First Converge Detroit Conference
The one-day public event is an opportunity for artists and scholars to discuss the ideas that are most important to them.
The first-ever “Converge Detroit” conference is described as an artistic laboratory that encourages collaboration and innovative thinking. Hosted by The Carr Center and taking place on October 19 at the Detroit School of Arts, the one-day public affair connects scholars and artists across various disciplines under the theme: Beyond Space: Unbounded Theory and Practice.
“I wanted to get people in the room and talk about the ideas that keep them up at night. The things that don’t make it into the book. The things that don’t quite make it into the thesis, but are important to them.”
Through mixed media presentations and interactive workshops, the goal of the program is to indulge curiosity and go beyond the in-the-moment conversation to develop real relationships that lead to future projects.
“The reason we’re doing this is really selfish,” says Erin Falker, curator and senior creative director of the Carr Center. “I wanted to have church with my friends and Detroit family. I wanted to get people in the room and talk about the ideas that keep them up at night. The things that don’t make it into the book. The things that don’t quite make it into the thesis, but are important to them. We want really strong links being made where emails are being sent and projects are coming out.”
The creative gathering will also feature an exhibit curated by contemporary artist and photographer Carrie Mae Weems, who serves as a mentor for Converge Detroit.
The exhibition is called “Beyond Space” and features the work of Ricky Weaver, a Carr Center Independent Scholars Fellow and photographer whose intimate images are inspired by text.
As a presenter and exhibitor during the converge, Weaver expressed her desire to keep the momentum going post-event, “We come together and have these really important conversations and then we leave. So, no matter how we’re talking about what happened there, it’s altered us in some type of way. So I think dispersing this conversation and dispersing this type of work and seeing it continue [is what I would like to come from this].”
