Midtown Detroit, Inc. today announced details of Dlectricity 2017, the nighttime outdoor festival of art and light. The festival will feature the work of 35 international, national, and local artists who have been commissioned to illuminate the Woodward corridor with installations of light, video, performance, and other works of art. The festival will take place Sept. 22-23 in Midtown from 7 p.m. to midnight. DTE Energy Foundation will be returning as the event’s presenting sponsor.
This will be the first year the festival’s art installations will span from the Detroit Institute of Arts to the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD). The event will feature artists from Australia, the UK, Japan, Germany, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Portland, Baltimore, and Cleveland including Rashaad Newsome, Pope.L, and Klip Collective. Detroit-based artists will also be represented at the event.
“Dlectricity has bonded audiences in public spaces with art that has surprised, enlightened and awed us. It promotes art that is of the moment, yet speaks to timeless themes through new means,” says Benjamin Kennedy, managing director of Kresge Detroit Program. “Within that context, we are particularly proud to support Midtown Detroit’s focus on recruiting and commissioning Detroit-based artists and artists of color, and elevating the legacy of the 1967 rebellion and other themes relevant to Detroit residents.”
The Light Bike Parade through Midtown will also be returning this year. Cyclists are encouraged to participate and register in advance.
Dlectricity debuted in 2012 and in 2014, drew 150,000 people and more than 3,400 cyclists. The festival was inspired by other international festivals that brought the best of contemporary light and technology-based arts to major cities such as Paris, Sydney, Toronto, Minneapolis, and New York.
“With arts and culture at its core, Dlectricity inspires connection and inclusivity, offering a unique chance to advance collisions between Detroit’s talented creative community and some of the most influential artists in the world,” says Katy Locker, program director for Detroit at the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
