Good friends,

What a day! Packed with meetings, info and revelation.

Before we get to that, though, we have an update.

We have 10 days left in Detroit. We no longer have time to take you point by point through our days; that phase of the blog has ended. Now is the time to get to the point; now is the time to editorialize more than report.

Now is the time for more answers and fewer questions.

We had our first property viewing, which took us to the 6,000 square-foot space above PuppetART Detroit Puppet Theater. The building is right downtown, a block away from Woodward Avenue (the main drag in Detroit separating the east and west sides) and Dan Gilbert’s Campus Martius Park.

The meeting was quite informative. We found out that this particular space would rent for $9,000 per month at market value. However, it would take at least $30-40,000 to bring up to code as a theater; we’d need to install sprinkler systems, a bathroom and adhere to a multitude of minuscule regulations — and that’s before adding pipes for lighting or seating or a stage. So is it better to rent?

According to Igor Gozman, founder and artistic director of PuppetART, yes it is. He cited all of the costs of maintaining a building: the air-conditioning breaks, $30,000; the plumbing breaks, $40,000. But what about when Dan Gilbert triples the rent because people are now flocking to our theater and the property value skyrockets?

What happens when we hit a rough spot 17 years after opening and our property manager tries to sell two 20 year-olds on how nice our theater would look in their hands after a few renovations?

We were the 20 year-olds in that scenario. The PuppetArt founder is older than both the building owner and his property manager combined; he’s about five times wiser, too. And yet these two men are talking about kicking this man and his 13 person staff out of a storefront filled with handmade puppets that they must have slaved over, the quality of which any craftsman would be hard-pressed to surpass.

Of course, these guys are doing their jobs; eviction happens, such is life.

This is a tough world. And while as artists we have to remain sensitive to the needs of our fellow artists and our community, we will also have to play hardball and punch the sharks in the nose.

“Nerds rule the world”

After leaving downtown, we drove out to Wixom, MI to see Dylan Larkins (who reached out to us after finding our blog on Reddit!). He is on staff at KIDpreneur, an educational facility that teaches children kindergarten through eighth grade how to use technology (programing, 3D modeling, robotics) and how to market the things they make.

That’s really cool, and unique. Dylan described their clientele as “very wealthy” and traveling “very far” to reach them, since no one else teaches both technology and entrepreneurship.

But coolness aside you may be thinking “what does that have to do with your research?”

Not a whole lot at first glance.

Looking deeper reveals that they teach kids in the area to pursue their passions. We plan to do the same.

Dylan contacted us to discuss education after reading our blog for Day 12. “You need to be ready to teach the class when you meet with administrators in public schools,” he said. This would be to prove the value of our product, but also because they may not know what our class would entail. Good to know.

Even better: “I’m one of the most significant male role models some of these kids have”. Further, Dylan is a techie teaching little techies how to do tech stuff; he may be the only teacher they’ve had who reflects their personality. This carries with it responsibility far beyond teaching curriculum.

This especially applies to our role in the lives of the young men we mentor: we will be the examples of men refusing to let negative stereotypes keep us from making theatre, just as Dylan creates an example for young techie dudes. This applies to young women as well, but not in the same way. Men in this town have grown up knowing that if they show weakness or look “soft” ridicule is the least of their concerns. Here weakness leads to injury; here people have the reputation of preying on the weak.

This is the very perception that leads many young men to stay away from the arts, whether they have a knack for it or not.

And that leads to an important topic: we artists and techies are alienated, ridiculed and put down as “uncool”. Worst case, this leads to actual harassment, verbal and/or physical.

Dylan had this to say: “Being a nerd means you like stuff; that’s what it boils down to. And nerds are usually good at whatever it is they like, but they’re looked down on. Why is it that nobody is ridiculed for being good at basketball? It’s the same thing: basketball players are good at what they do, but they get praised for it.”

Why the double standard, especially knowing that “nerds” corner markets, innovate the technology of the future, and make fortunes simply using imagination and ingenuity?

Societal conditioning: collectively we have been told and believe that it’s cooler/more attractive/more worthwhile to excel at sports than to excel at intellectual or creative endeavors.

Ryan and I have both faced ridicule for our art from adults, children, peers and fellow artists. We know that what we do is important.

But many people hear “art” and think “useless”.

Sad but true, as incorrect and detrimental as it may be.

Many Detroiters think this way, which we’ll need to change if we are to gain a following in this city.

“We need to raise a little hell”

Kirk provided us the opportunity to learn about the changes happening in this city…or not happening.

He invited us to a Fitzgerald community council meeting. It was very much like any community council meeting; except Detroit style.

“People are dumping garbage in our backyards and stripping the empty houses in our neighborhoods.” Those are the words of Lola, the leader of the meeting. “We need to have cameras, not with fixed positions but ones that we move around so they don’t know where they are. That’s how we’ll catch them. And we’ll have a direct line to the police, because 911 calls are prioritized. We’ll have a certain group of officers that are gonna be right on it. Now that’s what I’m talking about.”

This lady was on fire. She’s a pusher.

She pushes the garbage dumpers, the house strippers as well as the traffic violators: “People come to Detroit and ride dirty. And we have begged city officials until they gave their licenses back because without them they can’t get a decent job.”

But it’s evident that the city’s powers-that-be are moved by no little amount of pushing.

“I don’t leave it up to the city” one lady said. “I pay people to cut the grass on my street’s vacant lots”.

Meanwhile, according to another lady “money that was set aside for development and maintenance of the city was sent back [to the coffers] because it wasn’t being used.” And that’s not because there’s not work to do; that’s because they didn’t know where the work was needed.

Lola responded “they don’t have a problem raising our taxes or taking our homes if we don’t pay, so we need to raise a little hell to get things done”.

That’s right, Lola.

“I’m ready for my close-up”

At that point, Ryan had to run off to Slipstream’s rehearsal to take promo photos for their upcoming production of The Importance of Being Earnest.

And it was something else, as you can see.

Thanks for taking a look

Much love,

R&R