‘In An Effort To Be Held’ Serves As A Reflection Of Detroit’s Rising Art Community – Essence

When the Shepherd opened its doors in Detroit’s Little Village this past May, the goal was to educate, uplift, and provide a variety of resources to the surrounding area, as well as the arts community as a whole. Co-founded by Anthony and JJ Curis of Library Street Collective, this Romanesque-style building serves as a symbol for opportunity, and houses works from some of the most influential creatives of this generation. On August 3, the gallery will host In an effort to be held, an exhibition curated by Allison Glenn; her first since being appointed the Shepherd’s Artistic Director.

The upcoming exhibition explores the narratives that surface and materials hold, and features over twenty artists working across different media. In putting together the group show, Glenn reminisces on the factors that inspired the direction of In an effort to be held. “I’m endlessly taking notes through photographs, and sometimes I take photographs of things that I see are trends, and this is something that I had just been following for about the past year,” she explains.

“Artists that are thinking in some ways about surface, process, form, very active ways of wrapping, pouring, silk staining, and then more surrealist ways of painting, like the work of Ilana Savdie.” Glenn continues. “There were two exhibitions planned on the calendar when I accepted the role, so I knew that I had to work rather quickly, and I thought this would be a great exhibition to start to really just think about these very bodily implications of materials that artists are looking at.”

Many of the artists featured in In an effort to be held examine history through methods such as transfer, collage, and casting. Kennedy Yanko, Ed Clark, and Angel Otero refer to the paint, film, silicone, and nylon they use as “skins,” while artists—such as Cameron Harvey—push the boundaries of their bodies, at times drawing parallels to the human form with objects in nature and the like. Surface, materiality, spirituality, and mythology are further explored in the work of Wangechi Mutu, Naudline Pierre, and Paul Verdell, among others.

Two artist’s works included in the show will be viewable to the public for one year. Genevieve Gaignard’s Public Matter is to be exhibited across a series of billboards in The Belt, while ZavOvé’s Mothership Connection, a 26-foot tall illuminated sculpture, will be on view on the Shepherd’s campus, right near the former church. ZavOve’s work resonates with Glenn in a unique way, especially with it being her first project after accepting her position at the gallery. “I wanted to bring this to Detroit because the Mothership speaks to the city and lending Zak Ove’s Mothership Connection is a metaphor for this return home,” Glenn tells ESSENCE.

“The work in particular references mud masks of Mali,” she adds. “There are Vévé symbols in the trunk of it, which references African Diaspora culture in Haiti, the Cadillac lights reference Motor City consumerism, Western design, and of course, it’s a literal and enduring beacon to the future.” What was most important to Glenn, however, was that it also references Parliament Funkadelic’s iconic concept album, Mothership Connection, which was recorded at United Sound Systems in the heart of the city. The Wayne State University graduate says, “I was thinking about this return to Detroit and returning a kind of Mothership felt like a beautiful sentiment.”

Highlighting Gaignard and ZakOvé’s work also speaks to the larger conversation of providing more accessible viewing opportunities in public space, but also building a foundation that will thrive for years to come. The Shepherd, and Little Village in general, is so much more than just an artist’s haven, it’s a project that is invested in the neighborhood in which it lies.

“That is what predominantly Detroit is known for, it’s a city of neighborhoods,” Glenn says. “It is located in a neighborhood, it is not building something new, it is reusing what already existed. That will definitely lead the ethos of how we work. Nothing I do is in a silo, it’s in deep collaboration with my colleagues, and I’m really looking forward to also collaborating with other organizations and finding ways to come together to create really meaningful art experiences.”

In an effort to be held is on view at the Shepherd in Detroit’s Little Village from August 3 – October 12, 2024.