Detroit’s cultural exports go beyond cars and techno; it's the blueprint for free public museums.

Detroit’s cultural exports go beyond cars and techno; it's the blueprint for free public museums.

Most people don’t realize the first free national public art museum has its roots in Detroit.  During the turn of the 20th century, Detroit experienced a cultural boom. The Detroit Institute of Arts opened in 1885. Pewabic Pottery opened in 1903. The Scarab Club began in 1907. The College for Creative Studies traces its roots to 1906 as the Detroit Society of Arts and Crafts. All of this was happening as Charles Lang Freer crafted his home to reflect the cultures of the world.   Freer wasn’t born in the city, but moved here for opportunity and economic growth. Following the success of his railroad car business, he retired at the age of 47. He became a student of art, collecting, traveling and amassing an impressive collection.  He turned his Ferry street home into a living gallery, collecting thousands of American, Asian and Middle Eastern art works. The collection went on to form the country’s first national art museum and the first Asian art museum.  So, why isn’t the Freer House and its history more known in Detroit? Why isn’t it considered a major cultural export like cars or Motown?  Dr. Chase F. Robinson is the director of the Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art [https://asia.si.edu/about/].  He and his team worked closely with the Freer House in Detroit to curate a new exhibition in honor of the nation's 250th anniversary. He tells The Metro more about the history behind the Freer House. A Museum in the Making  [https://asia.si.edu/whats-on/exhibitions/museum-in-the-making/]will be on display June 27 through August 8 at the National Museum of Asian Art in the Freer Gallery of Art.

Lyme disease cases surge as ticks expand into Southeast Michigan

Lyme disease cases have spiked in Michigan during recent years. Dr. Jean Tsao [https://www.canr.msu.edu/people/jean_tsao], professor and tick researcher in Fisheries and Wildlife department at Michigan State University and Dr. Peter Gulick, [https://osteopathicmedicine.msu.edu/info/faculty-staff-directory/view-staff-member/477/peter-gulick]professor of Medicine at Michigan State University join the show to discuss increasing tick populations in Michigan and how to identify and mitigate the risks of Lyme disease.

A children's art museum in Rosedale Park nurtures Detroit's next generation of artists

The Red: Children’s Art Museum and Gallery [https://livecoal.org/the-red] nurtures and displays the work of kids who want to exercise their creative skills. Yvette Rock is the founder and executive director of the gallery. She has been working with young artists for decades, encouraging them to develop their skills and exposing them to career artists right here in Detroit.  The museum re-opened in March in time for the summer season, so Rock joined the show to talk about the museum’s work and how she develops young artists.

Local stage play highlights the legacy of baseball icon Roberto Clemente

Roberto Clemente [https://robertoclemente.com/story/] is a baseball icon. Over his 18-year career [https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/clemero01.shtml#all_leaderboard] he won two world series, acquired 12 golden gloves, four batting titles, and is one of only 33 players in baseball history to collect three thousand hits in his career. Clemente’s resume jumps off the page.  But what Clemente was able to accomplish on the field may not even be his greatest contribution. Clemente’s record as an advocate for civil rights and helping others in communities is as synonymous with his reputation as his athletic achievements.  "Roberto Clemente: A Diamond Within" is an original play written by Candido Tirado. The play is being  produced by Plowshares Theatre Company [https://plowsharestheatre.org/programming/roberto-clemente-a-diamond-within/] and it runs from June 12 through June 28 in the Marlene Boll Theatre at The Boll Family YMCA.  Gary Anderson, Producing Artistic Director of Plowshares Theatre Company, joined the show to explain why he's bringing this take on Clemente's life to a Detroit stage.

Smartphone ban coming to Michigan K-12 classrooms

Michigan will be enacting a statewide school phone ban for students from kindergarten through 12th grade this fall. Many schools already have some form of phone restriction in place during the school day. Three researchers from the University of Michigan wanted to know what could be learned from different phone ban policies prior to the statewide mandate going into effect. Justin Heinze [https://sph.umich.edu/faculty-profiles/heinze-justin.html], Brian Jacob [https://fordschool.umich.edu/faculty/brian-jacob] and Elyse Thulin [https://firearminjury.umich.edu/person/elyse-thulin-phd/] compared nearly 800 schools in Michigan with phone use limits in place and shared their findings in an article published by The Conversation Detroit. In their article, they examine what different bans districts use and key points to consider when picking a policy. Eleanore Catolico, editor of The Conversation - Detroit joined The Metro to discuss what Heinze, Jacob and Thulin found. Read the full article here [https://theconversation.com/we-collected-data-on-how-779-michigan-school-districts-are-regulating-student-cellphones-here-are-the-trends-275544].