MetroArts Detroit
Featuring a diverse group of artists from the metro Detroit Area
Kathy Kieliszewski
Kathy Kieliszewski is a multimedia story teller at the Detroit Free Press. Kathy is the photo and video director, where she oversees the video and photographic efforts of a group of photographers and editors. She is also the co-founder of the documentary film festival: the Freep Film Festival. Kathy is also a National Emmy award winning producer, editor and/or writer for her role in some documentary shorts. Most recently, Kathy worked on the documentary featured on this episode of MetroArts “12th & Clairmount.” A documentary capturing the turbulent time in Detroit history.
Tim Burke
Art runs in Tim Burke’s blood: Burke’s grandfather was a master plasterer, who worked on notable Detroit structures such as the Fox Theatre and the former Lafayette building, and Burke’s father was an artist and sculptor with studios around the city. This deep connection to not only art, but historic parts of Detroit drive Burke’s own works and art practice.
Burke refers to himself as an “outsider artist,” since he is self-taught, but he wears many other hats. Burke is a passionate preservationist and treasure hunter. He joins and leads community efforts to save and restore notable structures and rescues and repurposes their parts if the efforts are unsuccessful. Burke also gives back to his community by facilitating art-as-therapy sessions for those in various forms of recovery.
Burke runs the Detroit Industrial Gallery, which is housed on Heidelberg Street. Burke’s work can be seen all around the city, such as Lafayette Greens, the corner of Fourth and Griswold, the new YMCA, the Legacy Art Park, and much more. Some of Burke’s reclaimed-materials jewelry is sold at the Detroit Institute of Arts.
Mexican Knives
The 5-piece known as Mexican Knives consists of the vocally dynamic Ruth Synoweic, guitar players Zach Weedon and Josh Bud, drummer Blair Wills and bassist Johnny Salvage. Described as hypnotic and undulant, their music tends to stick in the back of your mind. They have been active since 2013 and tour regularly.