Living in Michigan often means experiencing a grueling winter, with heavy snowfall and below-freezing temperatures. It’s a rough season for art lovers; outdoor concerts and festivals have come to a halt. But it doesn’t have to be that way! Here are some fun things art enthusiasts can do in the Detroit Metropolitan area, all while staying warm in the process.
Ferndale is a hotspot for art crowds — if you take a drive down Woodward Avenue, you’ll find some of my favorite spots: the Magic Bag, The Loving Touch, The Rust Belt Market and Found Sound.
The Magic Bag and The Loving Touch are stylish live music venues that give visitors an opportunity to explore new artists and have an intimate listening experience. Both of these venues are a great way to explore Ferndale’s nightlife. While the Magic Bag hosts a variety of smaller artists, The Loving Touch is known for its tribute dance parties.
On Feb. 14, The Loving Touch is hosting “Party Iconic: Charli Parti” for any Charli XCX fans out there. On Mar. 7, they’ll be hosting “party iconic presents: HOT TO GO,” a fun night to dance and sing along to your favorite Chappell Roan songs. For upcoming events or more information, visit https://thelovingtouchferndale.com/events/.
Just a block over from Woodward Ave is The Crofoot. This music spot in Pontiac is known as an “independent entertainment complex” composed of three venues in one building: The Crofoot Ballroom, The Pike Room and The Vernors Room. This is a busy concert venue for larger acts, and you can view all upcoming performances here: https://thecrofoot.com/events/.
Moving onto shopping — The Rust Belt Market is a Ferndale hotspot bursting with creativity. It’s important to note that this is strictly a weekend event; the market is only open Friday through Sunday. Not to be confused with a flea market, The Rust Belt Market hosts over 30 independent shops and small businesses. Here, you can find Detroit merchandise, The Plant House and endless trinkets. This pop-up market is regularly rotating vendors, so for a current list, visit https://www.rustbeltmarket.com/directory.
Just a few stores away from The Rust Belt Market is one of my favorite record shops, Found Sound. This is a full-service shop that caters to the needs of all music lovers — you can find CDs, records, cassette tapes, DVDs, pins, magazines, merch, posters, comic books, etc. If you enjoy collecting music, you’ll definitely find something worth adding to your collection here.
Further down on Woodward Ave is the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA). If you’re in the mood to appreciate some art up close, this amazing museum has a wide collection of over 65,000 works, making this an all-day viewing experience. The museum contains art from all over the world, spanning centuries, including Ancient, Asian, African, Oceanic, Native American and Islamic works. Paintings by Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse and Vincent Van Gogh are just some of the most valuable pieces art lovers can find there.
General admission at the DIA is always free for residents of Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties, so you may as well take advantage of this during the colder months!
