Detroit Historical Museum Renovation Party

Opening and Closing

Dancing to beats by Carl Craig

It's been said before, and it's true, that Detroit knows how to throw a party. In this case the Detroit Historical Museum hosted a pre-Movement Electronic Music Festival party/kickoff event to the six month closing of the museum while it undergoes a major renovation. The technofest (aka Movement, I'm old school and still refer to it occasionally as technofest) is an annual Detroit electronic music festival that takes place at Hart Plaza during Memorial weekend. The dual purpose party at the Historical Museum featured a performance by Detroit's own Carl Craig, one of the most talented artists of the techno music genre.

Outdoors

Hand prints of techno legends

The party was held outdoors at the museum's Woodward Plaza. Part of the renovation will be the creation of a Detroit Legends Plaza, and before the party started Detroit electronic music legends Carl Craig, Juan Atkins, Kevin Saunderson and Eddie Fowlkes cast their handprints in cement to be showcased later in the new plaza. The Detroit Legends Plaza is scheduled to open in September 2012 a month before the museum reopens on November 23, 2012. Detroit Video Daily (DVD) missed the casting of the hand prints but managed to snap a few photos of the cement casts before they were removed from the party area.

The Music

Carl Craig

Carl Craig's set energized a happy crowd of dancers, minglers and historians. I will admit that I haven't been to a technofest since they started charging a fee to enter. It's kind of funny because I attended the first electronic music fest at Hart Plaza in 2000, and it was an awesome event with great music and a positive vibe. It was also free, and subsequently whenever I talk to someone about the Movement Festival they always say it was better when it was free. The price (free!) of the pre-party at the Historical Museum made it desirable to attend, but it really was the featured performance by Carl Craig that solidified the deal for me. The music accompanied a warm evening, and plenty of people were moving to the electronic beats.

Last Visit to the Old Museum
The Detroit Historical Museum is a great attraction for visitors and city residents, and anyone who enjoys history will not be disappointed if they visit. Since the museum waived the admission charge during the event, DVD and Mrs. DVD ventured in for one last peek at the museum before the renovations start. This rounded out the evening, and now we can look forward to the reopening in six months. DVD will be sure to head back then, for a look at what promises to be an exciting time for the museum.

Here's the video from the event...