All in a Month...

Pinckney Homecoming 2009

Wii Bowling at Ma Howard's

Wedding

Me and Jay at the Wedding Reception

Halloween with Friends

Filming of Red Dawn outside our office window (New Center, Detroit)

Makeover

Birthday Party

Metromode - highlighting the positive

Metromode is a website that chose to go against the trend and highlight the positive instead of the negative. I was chosen to be featured on their "Jobs Landed" page that highlights those in metro Detroit that have landed a job within the last year or so. Check it out :) http://www.metromodemedia.com/jobslanded/Default.aspx

They approached me for a profile and this is what you'll find on the site:


Lynn Blasey

Job Title:	Community Arts Partnerships Program Coordinator
Company:	College for Creative Studies
College:	Michigan State University, Bachelor of Arts, History, East Lansing, MI
High School:	Pinckney Community High School, Pinckney, MI

I work in the Community Arts Partnerships (CAP) Department at CCS. CAP develops and maintains partnerships between CCS and the Metro Detroit community to provide unique and effective art and design education and enrichment programs for young people, schools, and community organizations.

Community involvement is a crucial component of CAP’s successful approach to providing programs that inspire young people from diverse backgrounds to make the visual arts a part of their lives, bring education in art, design and new technologies to the greater community, and inform young people about career opportunities in visual art and design. All CAP programs are free for Detroit youth and are facilitated by professional artist faculty. CAP programs serve over 4,000 kids annually. I also work with community+public art: DETROIT, a public art movement in the city to involve the community in the process of creating public art.

I manage 25-35 faculty in addition to interns and work study students. This includes payroll, communication, scheduling, billing, filing, supply orders, problem solving, teacher support, etc... I also schedule & coordinate Career Day tours of the CCS campus for area middle school students. Tours are designed to enhance their art experience and give those students interested in arts careers insight into what Art School can be like.

DEMF 2009

I had a wonderful time this year at DEMF... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detroit_Electronic_Music_Festival

Beatport Tent Monday Afternoon

Vitamin Water Tent Monday night

Vitamin Water Tent Saturday afternoon

Me Monday afternoon

Me and Tara Sunday Afternoon

Me, Tara, Kellen Sunday Night

For fun videos - look on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=D6ECDA69A12E5D8D&search_query=DEMF+2009
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2BE7mvKu5Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5D99pgGadS4

creations

I've gotten into sewing lately...


making shoes for the neighbor's dog

and some shirts for me.

shirt 1 front

shirt 1 back

shirt 2 front

Shirt 2 front detail

shirt 2 back (kinda bad, took it myself)

Arab American National Museum

The Arab American National Museum is the first museum in the world devoted to Arab American history and culture.

Arab Americans have enriched the economic, political and cultural landscape of American life. By bringing the voices and faces of Arab Americans to mainstream audiences, the museum continues its commitment to dispel misconceptions about Arab Americans and other minorities. The Museum brings to light the shared experiences of immigrants and ethnic groups, paying tribute to the diversity of our nation.

Art in Detroit

sculpture garden planning class at Del Ray 2009

instructors: Janice Polzin and Christy Spidell

I work at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit in the Community Arts Partnerships office. We equip artists with teaching skills and they go into the community (schools, comm centers, and religions institutions) and teach high quality art to Detroit’s youth for free. Saturdays, we provide portfolio building classes that work with each student to build their portfolio and help them get into art & design schools/careers.

DNAW (detroit neighborhood arts workshop) Family Day 2006
student drawings

community+public arts: DETROIT unites public art artists in Detroit and they work to beautify the city and unite communities through public art pieces. We have a public art artist roster open to anyone creating public art in the city - used as a resource that we direct our many inquiries to.

mosaic benches in sw detroit - 2008 project
lead artist: Mary Laredo Herbeck

I was devastated when they whitewashed the highways into Detroit last week (for the final four). Beautiful graffiti murals are gone and everything is so impersonal and sterile. Detroit is a vibrant community and art is its breath. Art is Detroit’s past, present, and future.

photo of graffiti taken by 07-08 SURA Arts Academy student
chadsey-condon neighborhood
photo instructors: Ashlee Rezin and Micaela Ruiz

Follow this link to learn more about the threat to art in Michigan.
http://www.miartattack.org/

DIWAN: A Forum for the Arts

DIWAN: a forum for the arts

DIWAN was awesome this year! Here are some pics to summarize.

Friday, March 27th

Open Mic Night

...and Dance Party

Saturday, March 28th

Panels

Comedy

Presenters of Arab Culture

DIWAN: A Forum for the Arts

Thursday, March 26 through Sunday, March 29, 2009


DIWAN: A Forum for the Arts is a biennial program of the Arab American National Museum (AANM). DIWAN unites Arab American artists, scholars and performers representing myriad academic fields and artistic genres for a weekend dialogue that reinforces the AANM's commitment to providing a place for community members and artists to meet, exchange ideas and exhibit their work. DIWAN also encourages audiences to expore the boundaries of art in addressing social issues related to Arab Americans and the community at large.

The AANM convenes its third DIWAN: A Forum for the Arts Thursday, March 26 at 7:30 p.m. with a Global Thursdays performance by writer/actor Suheir Hammad, star of director Annemarie Jacir’s film Salt of This Sea, Palestine’s submission for 2009 Academy Award consideration.

DIWAN continues Friday, Saturday and Sunday, March 27-29 at the AANM with panel discussions, a lively open-mic session, meals and fellowship. Among the featured weekend performers are dancing drummer Karim Nagi and performance artist Najla Said, the daughter of noted Arab American scholar Edwar d Said.




Among the topics being examined at the 2009 DIWAN are:

• the use of comedy in combating Arab stereotypes
• how Arab American artists address war as subject matter
• the cross-cultural experiences of today’s “digital youth”
• how Arab ethnicity affects artists and their work
• the challenges and rewards of presenting Arab arts to the public

To view the schedule, scroll down or download the brochure HERE (schedule/biographies).

The 2009 DIWAN is dedicated to the memory of the Palestinian poet, author and activist Mahmoud Darwish (1941-2008). Click HERE to read more about Darwish.

Who should attend DIWAN? Anyone with a personal or professional interest in Arab American arts, culture and history, including students, educators at all levels, artists in all disciplines and adventurous arts aficionados. Is it just for Arab Americans? No – all are welcome.

DIWAN Registration

The registration fee for DIWAN is $25 for single-da y attendance and $65 for Friday through Sunday ($55 for Museum Members).

A special individual Museum Membership rate of just $15 (regularly $35) is available to DIWAN participants; check the appropriate box on the registration form to become a Member and get the reduced DIWAN registration fee.

Included in the fee are lunch, dinner and live performances Friday and Saturday** and breakfast on Sunday. Parking is free in the municipal lot adjacent to the Museum.

Students of any age with a current school I D may take advantage of a special registration rate of just $15 covering events and meals Friday through Sunday, March 27-29.

For a printable registration form, click HERE (registration form). Advance registration is recommended but not required.

Complete the form and return with payment to:

DIWAN, Arab American National Museum
13624 Michigan Ave., Dearborn, MI 48126


**PLEASE NOTE: The Thursday, March 26 Global Thursdays performance by Suheir Hammad is not included in registration fees; tickets are $8 in advance online only at www.arabamericanmuseum.org and $10 at the door.


For further information, call 313.624.0219 or email diwan@accesscommunity.org.

DIWAN Credits

The AANM gratefully acknowledges members of the 2009 DIWAN planning committee:

Alise Alousi, InsideOut Literary Arts Project
Holly Arida, Cranbrook Educational Community
Lynn Blasey, College for Creative Studies (me)
Adnan Charara, Artist
Annie Higgins, Wayne State University
Mike Mosallam, Writer/Actor/Director/Producer
Kevin Rashid, Wayne State University

From the AANM: Thomas Abowd, Devon Akmon, Anan Ameri, Suzy Mazloum, Celine Taminian and DIWAN co-chairs Lama Mansour and Jumana Salamey

DIWAN receives generous support from Ford Foundation and Nathan Cummings Foundation.

Dream Bedroom

I want this bedroom.

I'm Famous

My friends and I are in a commercial for charity poker at MVP Sports Bar (Merriman and Ecorse in Romulus) that will air through August. Check it out!

http://scvideo.zftp.com/TripKingsF.mpg