The pandemic has either delayed or entirely canceled most events across the state, but right now you can still take in an art exhibit or two. You could go on an interactive mystery adventure with classical great Franz Schubert as your musical guide. You could virtually attend a missing-person production where that missing person is none other than … Britney Spears? Yes, even a year into the pandemic, there are things you can do and places — remember those? — you can go. Some, however, require that you put on pants.
1. See Over a Dozen Local Artists Interpret Gender Through Art
An exploration of gender in all senses of the word, the "¿GENDƎR?" exhibit features over a dozen Michigan artists who use original art to depict their interpretation of gender based on their own experiences. Some explore gender roles or outdated stereotypes through self-portraits, like Darryl DeAngelo Terrell; others depict commentaries on sexuality and the financial implications it may have, like Callie Hoskins. The show is curated by lifelong Detroit resident and local artist Gary Eleinko. "I was traveling two years ago in March and I was at a collection of shows at a university in Mexico City," Eleinko says. "One of the shows I saw was '50×50'; it was artists doing 50 interpretations of women on canvases that were 50-by-50 cm. That's where the gender idea came from, and I wanted to expand it."
"¿GENDƎR?" opens on May 7 and runs through Saturday, June 5, at the Detroit Artists Market located at 4719 Woodward Ave. in Detroit. Preregister to this free, RSVP-only event at eventbrite.com.
2. It's Britney (and the Ringwald), Bitch!
Now streaming through May 10, "Murder, She Wrote" and The Holy Spearit unite in a matchup we didn't know we needed in "Murder, She Podcast: Baby One More Crime." Watch as famed author and amateur sleuth Jessica Fletcher records her first-ever podcast alongside sidekick Amos Tupper, the sheriff of Cabot Cove, the fictitious "Murder, She Wrote" town. The topic? The disappearance of Ms. Spears, of course! The duo will get to the bottom of the question on everyone's mind: "Where's Britney, bitch?"
Tickets for "Murder, She Podcast: Baby One More Crime" are available now and start at $20. Tickets can be purchased until Sunday, May 2, at this link: bit.ly/MurderShePodcast-Tickets. For more info, contact [email protected].
3. Solve a Mystery with Music by Franz Schubert
Classical music fans and those hankering for a good mystery, we've got just the thing for you: "The Wandering." An interactive show inspired by the music of Franz Schubert, "The Wandering" is a visual album, too. It has queerness! It has puzzles in spades! And it's designed so that those who don't know a thing about classical music can immerse themselves in figuring out the show's meaning, too. You can opt in to get clues to solve the mystery mailed right to your door. To begin your journey with "The Wandering," simply buy a ticket, receive your package and log in online.
Experience "The Wandering" now through May 15. Tickets start at $24.99. Learn more online at experiencethewandering.com/home.
4. Experience Photos of 20th-Century Gay Identity
With 856 works on paper by 404 artists from around the globe, this exhibition at the Flint Institute of Arts features selections from the Jack B. Pierson Print Collection that draws on his experiences as a gay man. Pierson was a Massachusetts-born photographer and visual artist famous for work like his "self-portrait" series. "Through highlighting public identity and activism, dissecting historic complexities of the gay male gaze, and considering the pensive and private moments of gay love and attraction, this exhibition captures the multi-dimensional nature of gay identity in the 20th century," reads the FIA description.
See the art in-person now through July 11, 2021. Tickets for non-member, non-residents of Genesee County adults are $10. Learn more and purchase tickets online at flintarts.org.
5. Go to the U.K. (Virtually) to See Andy Warhol's Iconic Art
Virtual attendance means it's way easier to travel to the Tate Modern museum in the U.K. to check out Andy Warhol's work during this professionally curated exhibition. Alongside the iconic pop-art images that are associated with the artist, curators Gregor Muir and Fiontán Moran will virtually guide viewers between rooms at the Tate and showcase Warhol's work through the lens "of the immigrant story, his LGBTQI identity and concerns with death and religion."
View the free exhibit online now at tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/exhibition/andy-warhol/exhibition-guide.
