Pop-up Detroit diversions now include free House of Vans events at a four-day inside destination, unlike the outdoor Winter Blast downtown and Ford's Winter Festival at the train depot.
The new "Off the Wall" attraction kicks off at 5 p.m. today in the former Jefferson Intermediate School, 950 Selden St. in the Cass Corridor, with a skate park in the gym and vendor booths. At 8 p.m. comes an auditorium concert by bassist-songwriter Thundercat, local post-punk band Protomartyr and soul music from Amber Mark.
Main stage acts Saturday, starting at 7 p.m., are Danny Brown of Detroit, a rock quartet named Joyce Manor from Torrance, Calif., and New York City cellist-singer Kelsey Lu. Local musicians also get a chance on stage Friday night, starting at 7 p.m..
Other events through Sunday include art installations, a photo show, a zine-making workshop, poster screen-printing classes, open skating daily, a girls' skate clinic and board-building workshops. A "street market" will include records and other merchandise from nearby Third Man Records, plus sportswear, sunglasses and refreshments. A waffle brunch Sunday runs from noon to 2 p.m.
The Vans apparel firm, based in Costa Mesa, Calif., calls its first Detroit pop-up "a cultural hub to celebrate art, music, action sports and street culture." It has permanent House of Vans event spaces in Chicago and London, and has done pop-ups in Paris, Montreal, Hong Kong, Mexico City and Guangzhou, China.
To the editor of Detour Detroit newsletter, it "sounds like an adult Discovery Zone -- art, skating, fashion, workshops and shows." In her shout last month, Kate Abbey-Labertz added: "There’s something grimly symbolic about a streetwear brand taking over an abandoned school in gentrifying Cass Corridor."
The corporate take comes from Brooke Burt, whose title is senior manager of lifestyle brand marketing. "Detroit has a rich and eclectic history across music and art, along with a burgeoning skate scene that closely aligns with Vans' own history and mindset," she's quoted as saying at the Playground Detroit site.
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