5/09/22: One Detroit - Thurgood Play, Songwriter Gabriel Duran, Cranbrook Art Exhibit, Trunino Lowe Quartet

Originally posted on October 4, 2021. Updated on May 9. 2022.

This Week on One Detroit:

Detroit Public Theatre Performs ‘Thurgood,’ the One-Man Show About Thurgood Marshall

Many Americans know who Thurgood Marshall is, but the history books failed to teach us about who Marshall was beyond the first African American U.S. Supreme Court Justice. That’s where the Detroit Public Theatre hopes to step in with its production of “Thurgood,” the on-stage story of Marshall’s life, who was a pivotal civil rights leader and more.

One Detroit’s former Managing Editor Christy McDonald sits down with the show’s director, Steve Broadnax III, and Detroit Public Theatre’s Co-Founder and Producing Artistic Director Sarah Clare Coporandy about returning to live theater for the first time since COVID-19 began, how they hope the “Thurgood” production can be a vehicle that educates and entertains viewers, and the lessons that Thurgood Marshall left behind for all of us to learn from.

Southwest Detroit Singer/Songwriter Gabriel Duran Reflects on His Artistic Journey

Growing up on Detroit’s Southwest side was a unique experience, artist and musician Gabriel Duran explains. Just outside of the City’s downtown district, Duran says his community reflected a melting pot of diverse people who are as close-knit as a community can get. It was this live for his community that ultimately pushed him and other local artists to create the first SWFest in August of 2021, which hosted 32 performances of local Detroit artists across three stages.

One Detroit’s Will Glover caught up with Duran to reflect on his history as an artist and musician, what motivates him to pursue art as a career, and how he hopes to blend his love for music-making with a mission to work with the community and help it grow.

Cranbrook Academy of Art Showcases Pioneering, Present Artists in “With Eyes Opened” Exhibit

For the past 90 years, the Cranbrook Academy of Art’s story has remained an integral part of America’s history of design, with some of the most notable artists, designers and furniture makers leaving their mark at the academy. The academy’s influence can be seen around metro Detroit in landmarks like the GM Tech Center and the Spirit of Detroit statue downtown, and in the Cranbrook Art Museum’s latest exhibit, “With Eyes Opened,” where visitors can see how art and design has converged to create some of the most iconic mid-century forms we cherish today.

One Detroit’s Bill Kubota visits the Cranbrook campus to talk with art museum director Andrew Blauvelt about the exhibit’s influence and significance. Plus, he talks with designer/furniture maker Chris Schanck and sculptor Jack Craig about the works they’re showing in the exhibit and how working in Detroit has impacted their work.

Trunino Lowe Quartet

The Trunino Lowe Quartet, led by one of Detroit’s promising young jazz musicians Trunino Lowe, performs for “Detroit Performs: Live From Marygrove.”