Category: EVENTS

JOSUE BESSIAKE OPEN STUDIO/ Thurs. March 26. 5-8PM

  

Join us for an open studio event with our Spring Resident Artist Josue Bessiake on

Thursday, March 26, 2026      5PM-8PM

Josue Bessiake is an Ivorian-American painter working across media. Bessiake employs multiple disciplines to investigate the ingredients of a phenomenon. Influenced by his experience as a second-generation immigrant and itinerant upbringing, his work reflects his desire to connect with his environment.

At the core of Josue Bessiake’s practice is interested in the structure of things; treating his studio like a living laboratory in a process that  involves using repurposed materials, destruction, and repair.

During his residency at Popps Packing Bessiake is expanding on themes from an ongoing project The Anatomy of a Home, using found and recycled material to make paintings that explore the particular light from domestic windows around Detroit and Hamtramck.

Josue Bessiake has presented work at the National Gallery of the Bahamas, Ballinglen Arts Foundation, and the Charles Wright Museum. Recent Exhibitions include exhibits at The Griffin Museum of Science and
Industry, New York Academy of Art, and The Institute for Public Architecture on Governor’s Island, NY.  Bessiake was a recent finalist for the AXA Art Prize at the New York Academy of Art and a grant recipient from the Elizabeth Greenshield Foundation.

 @https://www.instagram.com/josuebessiake/ https://josuebessiake.com/

Popps Packing + NCECA , March 2026

Popps Packing is excited to be part of NCECA’s 60th conference, Volumes, that takes place in Detroit, Michigan, March 25 – 28, 2026

Volumes, the 60th conference of the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA), explores material-driven experimentation and conceptual frameworks that animate art created through clay. The essential energy of voices and sounds of the Detroit region catalyzes this conference’s theme.

As part of the conference we are hosting two exciting exhibitions, featuring curators and artists from the region.

FRACTALS AND FAMILIAR THINGS

Curated by Zena Segre

On view: Mar 23-29 Tue–Sun 10:00AM–5:00PM (Thu open until 8:00PM) Fragments and Familiar Things reveals a constellation of ceramics educators whose entangled paths have shaped the fabric of Ox-Bow School of Art & Artists’ Residency. Featuring Liz McCarthy, Del Harrow, Ashwini Bhat, Marie Herwald Hermann, August S. Lantz, Chris Salas, Jack Troy, Saffronia Downing, Luka Carter, Nathan Tonning, and others.

THE CAR SHOW

Curated by Micah Lewis-Văn Sweezie

On view: Mar 24-28 Tue–Fri 10:00 AM–5:00PM (Thu open until 8:00PM), Sat 10:00AM–12:00PM

The Car Show is a ceramic group exhibition honoring Detroit’s automotive legacy. The exhibition explores the automobile as both object and symbol, examining its cultural and historical significance through clay. Artists include Janina Myronowa, Carly Slade, Vincent (Sniper) Frimpong, Tommy Lomeli, Jessica Brandl, Bradford Davis, David Morrison, Edward Salas, and others.

Robin Dluzen Open Studio

Residency open studio

Sunday March 30th,  2025        2PM-5PM

Robin Dluzen, Chicago/Detroit

Robin Dluzen is an artist, curator, and art critic formerly based in Chicago. Her artwork has been featured in venues across the country, including the Holter Museum of Art (Helena, MT), Dorchester Art Project (Boston, MA), Zolla/Lieberman Gallery (Chicago), Bert Green Fine Art (Chicago), Illinois State Museum (Lockport, IL), the Union League Club of Chicago, and the Hyde Park Art Center (Chicago). Dluzen’s writing has appeared in Visual Art Source, Art Ltd., ArtNet, Art F City, Chicago Art Magazine, Sculpture Magazine, and more. She holds an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

During her time at Popps, Robin has been developing a series of large-scale multimedia collages, created from reclaimed materials gathered during her work as a union graphics installer. These materials, including vinyl, wallpaper, and banners, will be transformed into collages that explore themes of labor, identity, and gender, reflecting her personal experiences in the trades.

robindluzen.com

Open Studio Event: Nelson Smith

Sunday, March 16, 2025      2PM- 5PM

Please join us for a special Open Studio event with our Artists in Residence Nelson Smith. Nelson is an artist based in central Kansas, originally from Detroit. He holds a Master of Fine Arts in painting from Cranbrook Academy of Art and a Bachelor’s from the College of Wooster, where he studied under mentors like Agnes Denes, George Ortman, and Charles McGee. His work, which explores the intersections of objects, images, language, and sound, is included in collections like the Museum of Modern Art’s Artist Book Archive and the Detroit Institute of Arts. Nelson has received numerous accolades, including four Michigan Council for the Arts Individual Artist Grants, the Art Matters grant, and residencies at places like the Ballinglen Arts Foundation in Ireland, Oregon College of Art and Craft, and Vermont Studio Center.

Over his 25-year career, Nelson has worked as an educator at various higher education institutions and has served as co-director of the Contemporary Art Institute of Detroit. He is currently the co-founder/directoer of the Mother’s Milk Art Residency in Newton, Kansas.

During his residency, Nelson has been focused on his sound art composition titled “Thank You For Having Me,” consisting of layered crowd-sourced voices speaking the title phrase accompanied by hacked toy keyboards and other sound elements. For the open studio event he will invite visitors to contribute their voices to the project, while sharing a current sample of the piece. In addition, Nelson has been working on two mixed media drawings, a sound piece composed from field recordings of HVAC systems (including Popps’ studio heater) and other infrastructural sounds with accordion.

If you are interested in participating in the “Thank You For Having Me” project follow this link and add your voice to the mix.  https://www.nelsonsmithart.com/Thank-You-For-Having-Me.html

 

Hand Puppet Workshop with Torri Ashford

 

Popps Packing is excited to welcome Torri Lynn Ashford to their residency program for January and February 2025.
UPCOMING: SAVE THE DATE!!!

3-Day Hand Puppet Workshop

Friday, February 21, 5pm-6:30PM
Saturday,  February 22, 1pm-4PM
Sunday,  February 23, 1pM-4PM

Location: Popps Packing,  12138 St. Aubin, Hamtramck, MI

Description: Participants will create hand puppets using paper mache techniques and learn movement and voice skills to bring their puppets to life.Torri is an Auntie, actor, activist, puppeteer, and teaching artist who engages with communities through collaboration and exchange. She has performed with Detroit-based ensemble theaters including A Host of People, The Hinterlands, Matrix Theatre, PuppetART Theater, and Detroit Puppet Company, among others. Torri has also taught with Living Arts and Detroit Wolf Trap, and led children's puppet workshops and summer camps at PuppetART Theatre.

Currently, Torri is a dance and movement facilitator, loving daughter, tap dancer, avid road traveler, long-time company member, brass band musician, and aioli-producing puppeteer with Bread & Puppet Theater (Glover, VT).

During her time at Popps, Torri will develop new puppet and performance works and lead movement classes. Check out "Twisting with Torri" dance classes Sunday evenings @playhouselabs .

Open Studio With Adrienne Hayden Friday, 12/20. 7PM

Please join us this Friday, 12/20 at 7PM for a special Screening of “Homeland” as well as other works in progress created during Adrienne’s 2 month residency at Popps Packing.

Based in Copenhagen Denmark, Adrienne is a self taught photographer and filmmaker who has been practicing photography for over eight years and experimenting with film for the past two. Through her artistry, Adrienne aims to inspire deep introspection, foster meaningful dialogues, and cultivate a sense of collectivism.

Often depicted through a lens of vulnerability and melancholy, her artistic  focus rests on women, people of color, and individuals within the queer community, capturing their essence with a gentle and soft touch.

Currently she is working on an ongoing film project titled Homeland, which she will screen for the first time in Detroit during her open studio. During her residency Adrienne has delved into research and begun a new film project, conducted workshops in collaboration with Bulk Space, as well as other collaborations. Originally form the Detroit area, Adrienne has been taking time to re -acquaint herself with this place “home” and  this open studio is an opportunity for our community to get to know this wonderful and thoughtful artist and to learn more about her work and process.

@adrienne_hayden
adriennehayden.com

Archipelago : A night of Fashion with Stargazer

Saturday, November 9, 2024

7PM-11PM

A one night performance event featuring new works by Levon Millross, AKA Stargazer.

This new collection of wearable sculptures by Levon Millross is profoundly inspired by the rich landscapes and vibrant culture of Hawaii, a place he has cherished over the years. Bursting with lively colors and playful forms, the pieces also evoke the moody essence of Hawaiian nights, promising an unforgettable visual experience. The exhibition will feature live performances by Jimbo Easter and CCrose, along with live models and DJ Pappa Kitty.

A self-taught designer based in Detroit, Millross masterfully blurs the lines between art and fashion, creating one-of-a-kind sculptures that exist at the intersection of clubwear and futurism. His meticulous, original designs are entirely handcrafted and often created for friends, making each piece a unique expression of community and creativity.

The wearable sculptures will be on view through November 23rd by appointment only.

Contact us at poppspacking@gmail.com to set up a time.

locationa: 12138 St. Aubin, Hamtramck MI 48212

@1stargazer1

@djpappakitty

@jimbo_easter

Residency Open Studio W/ Emma Sandstrom

Open Studio Alert with AIR Emma Sandstrom
Thursday, October 24th 2024
6PM-9PM.

Emma Sandstrom is concluding a two-month residency at Popps Packing, where she has been developing an ongoing project about fossils, specifically ammonites. She has experimented with found materials and photographs, focusing on the myths surrounding ammonites before scientific explanations emerged.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Popps Packing has been privilegedto host many wonderful and thoughtful artists over the years, and Emma has truly been a gem. And we will miss her when she goes.

We invite you to join us for an intimate open studio gathering to meet the artist and celebrate her explorations and share thoughts and a glass of wine before she returns to Sweden. Special thanks to @kulturvastragotalandsregionen for their ongoing partnership and supporting Swedish artists to spend time, and make art on the Hamtramck Detroit Border.

Emma Sandström (b. 1986) is based in Gothenburg, Sweden. She holds an MFA in Photography from Valand Academy, Gothenburg (2020), and a BA (Hons) in Fine Art Photography from Glasgow School of Art (2015). Emma works with photographic installations, combining sculpture and video. Her work explores archaeology, symbolism, and the relationship people have with place, both personal and historical. She is interested in how feelings, memory, and materiality are expressed and negotiated through inanimate objects, depending on context and ownership. Inspired by archaeological sites, museums, and private archives, she creates narratives that blur the lines between fiction and reality. Emma is also part of the artist duo Emma & Conti, collaborating with Italian artist Stefano Conti.

OPEN CALL: Spring/ Summer 2026 Studio Residency

Deadline to applyhas been extended to:  February 27, 2026


Residency Details:

  • Duration: 1-3 month, 
  • Spring/ Summer ( April 2026-August 2026) Application Deadline : February 27, 2026
  •  The space accommodates 2 resident artists at one time
  • Accommodation: Resident artists will be provided with a private bedroom within a 2 bedroom loft-style studio. In this communal living arrangement, you will have access to shared kitchen, bathroom, studio spaces and the Popps gardens and private yard. Please note that the Popps Residency is a studio  forward space. The private bedrooms are comfortable and cozy.
  • Cost: $850-$1000/ Month utilities included payment for the full residency term can be paid upfront or on the 1st of each month if staying for multiple months. 

Who We Are Looking For:

We are seeking artists with a serious studio practice who can make the most of the facilities, space, and time that Popps Packing offers. Artists must be able to live/work alongside other artists and be comfortable in a semi communal living and making environment. 

More about life at Popps Packing:

Popps Packing is a communal and familial environment that fosters a sense of community among resident artists. A permanent resident resides on the premises in a separate apartment above the studios and has regular access to laundry facilities, the Popps workshop  and the yard. Our founding Resident artists, Graem Whyte and Faina Lerman, live across the street and have their studio and workshop spaces within the same building.  

Popps Packing occasionally hosts small gatherings, public events, workshops, open studios, tours, and other community activities. We prioritize clear communication and will inform resident artists in advance of these events. We also encourage resident artists to propose and host public-facing programs during their residency, which could be a workshop, performance, open studio, artist talk or screening. 

Please Note:

The Popps Packing building is an old warehouse, and as such, continuous maintenance and upkeep are performed throughout the year.

Application Process:

To apply for the Popps Packing Local Studio Residency, please email poppspacking@gmail.com.

Include the following information:

  • ‘Studio Residency’ in the subject header
  • Name ( first and last)
  • Preferred pronouns
  • Contact info, including email address and phone #
  • Where are you from (do you live here now?)
  • Brief bio and Resume/CV
  • A link to a website or other online platform where your work can be viewed.
  • PDF attachments of work samples( details below)
  • Preferred Months (December- March)
  • A brief description of any proposed projects that you would like to work on while in residence 
  • Reference name and phone number

PDF PORTFOLIO GUIDELINES:

File Size: 10 MB maximum
Naming:  Full Name_(year)residency ’
Work samples should include CV/Resume and one of the following submissions:
STILL IMAGES: ​​up to 10​ still images (JPEG, max 1200 pixels on any side). Each image should have a caption of ​2​00 characters or less​ that includes title, date created, medium and any other information that informs the work​
TIME-BASED: URLs to specific work on host sites (Vimeo, YouTube, Soundcloud, etc.). Each URL should have a caption of 2​00 characters or less

Welcome Artist in Residence, Claudia Holzinger

Popps Packing in excited to welcome Claudia Holzinger for a month long residency during November 2023. Holzinger is an artist based in Germany and Austria and describes herself as a teller of new pictorial stories who creates expansive installations in which photography acts as the main narrative.

During her residency, Holzinger hopes to continue working on her upcoming  film project called LOBSTER LOVE (working title). Lobster Love moves between the genres of romantic comedy, animal documentary and slapstick-porn. The centre of the narration is the sexual behavior of the Atlantic lobster, which is surprisingly devoted, vulnerable, bold, tender and sensitive at the same time.

http://www.claudia-holzinger.de