Of Things That Are And Should Be Pink

I know, I know...I said I'd be back a few days ago. Here I am. Back. With....pink. A seemingly random collection of pink that will have a point by the end of this post. Which will be mercifully soon. For all of us.

I have occupied some of my time away touring the Access Arts exhibit that opened on Belle Isle this weekend. One of my favorite pieces is shown above. The artist is Andrew Thompson. I liked how it resembled a giant sea creature washed up on shore.

Made (stuffed with?) partially from empty plastic water bottles and ornamented with plastic bottle caps of all sizes and colors, this work made a cool statement about the havoc being wreaked on our waterways by the never-ending stream of never-degrading plastic trash. For me, it referenced the trash islands now building up in our oceans, as well as the more local trash problem on Belle Isle itself.

(you might want to skip this long rant about the lack of trash cans on Belle Isle added to people's laziness added to a completely discouraging discussion at Hipster Hole with visitors from afar about how simple things become bizarre, convoluted, excuse-filled and embarrassing conversations in the Detroit twilight zone:
Visitor: What's up with the lack of trash cans? There are hardly any, and they are piled to overflowing. No wonder people don't use them. They can't. And stuff just blows out of them anyway.
Me: Um, well, the city council needed more money for their aides, and Roger Penske doesn't have cleaning authority here, and I think the trash guys don't want to empty more cans, and um..
Visitor: (looking puzzled, changes subject) And what's up with the new bridge crossing? Seems like a no-brainer that it would be a good thing.
Me: Um, well, there's this guy, Matty Moroun, who owns the existing bridge... and he thinks it would be unfair competition since he thinks he's entitled to a bridge monopoly-
Other visitor: (interrupting) How can one guy own an international crossing? That doesn't make any sense.
Bystander who is kayaking: I have to leave now because my head will explode if I let my beautiful day be ruined by he-who-must-not-be-named.
Me: (nothing coherent to say in response, wishing I could leave with the nice kayak lady)
End of rant.)

The Access Arts folks are throwing a bit of a gathering this Friday night (posts on their facebook page give more details), since opening day Saturday got rained out. You may not connect with every installation, but you will surely find something that amazes, enchants, and ignites you. Details here. And another of the installations (but not pink), from Nancy Q. Burns:

Next on the pink tour, the lovely wildflowers below are from the urban prairie located behind the Elevator Building. The Elevator Building is a well-done rehab/reuse of an old warehouse that has been turned into small business incubator/office space. I went to a presentation there sponsored by Hamilton Anderson Associates on how volunteerism and non-profits are contributing to pockets of rebirth in the city. The next presentation that HAA is sponsoring, on Aug. 17, at the Recycle Here! warehouse, is called Deconstruction Detroit, A Regeneration Strategy ..... It is sure to be interesting.

As for the field behind the building, bounded on one side by the Dequindre Cut and on another by the state park on the river, it is soon to become a wastewater overflow thingie. 'Cuz that is the best we can do with riverfront redevelopment in Detroit. (see previous rant)

More pink...these are filler to lower my blood pressure for a moment...from the Belle Isle Conservatory and a backwoods path on the island...

And for my next-to-last stop on the pink tour, because of the unwritten "dogs must appear in most posts" rule....

Notice how the pink in each of these pictures really stands out? What a vibrant effect it creates?...and so now we come to the point. I apologize for the roundabout path, but it is the path that took me away from the blog and now has returned me to it.

The final stop on the pink tour is at another blog, link below. If you are an art lover, or a pink lover, or a Detroit lover, or someone who, like me, is totally overwhelmed by thinking of all the gigantic, terrible problems our city faces...the crime (dead children and police officers, an acquaintance pistol-whipped and skull broken coming home from work on a DDOT bus recently), the abandonment, the budget issues, the corruption issues, the poverty and joblessness issues, the school system issues, etc.; you may find a little comfort, and a little re-inspiration by helping tackle this smaller project to bring pink back to Cass Park.

click here: One More Spoke:  How To Save A Pink Landscape