HENRY FORD ACADEMY : SCHOOL FOR CREATIVE STUDIES VOL I NO 2 • JAN/FEB 2013

THE DETROIT ISSUE

î IN THIS ISSUE

HENRY FORD ACADEMY : SCHOOL FOR CREATIVE STUDIES VOL I NO 2 • JAN/FEB 2013

The soon-to-be-refurbished, castle-like Grand Army of the Republic Building on Grand River Blvd. On the cover: A neon sign at the pop-up Detroit Shoppe downtown. Photos by Mark Hall.

3 NEWS CENTER Artistic endeavors recognized

in Scholastic competition

5 FOCUS Are today’s teenagers done

with Detroit?

7 CREATIVE 26 hands and 38 feet,

working to improve Detroit’s image

9 SHOWCASE Ten great Midtown eats (none

of which is a Coney Island)

11 SHOWCASE ‘Detroit is here’: The

communities that define the city

13 SHOWCASE Showtime in Motown:

When the world looks to Detroit; Stingray makes waves

15 SHOWCASE Old school: Q&A with

Mark Hall on his new photo project

16 CANVAS Editor’s Notebook: Give

Detroit another look; Editorial: It’s an art school—just draw

17 CANVAS Words of Advice:

Breaking free from bullying

18 STUDIO Lessons in Style: Q&A

with Marvin Ray

19 STUDIO Label This: Mustangs

express themselves out of uniform

21 MIXED MEDIA The Tales Teachers Tell:

‘I’ve been shot three times’

22 MIXED MEDIA Artist Spotlights: Zarius

Davis and Naomi Cook

HORSEPOWER • NEWS • JAN/FEB 2013

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Every year, dozens of students at HFA: SCS submit their best works of art to the prestigious Scholastic Art & Writing Awards and this year brought even greater work.

Over 5,100 individual entries and 324 senior portfolios were judged for the Scholastic Art Award by teams of artists and art educators. After 18 hours and careful, and sometimes lively, deliberation, they selected 250 Gold Keys, 344 Silver Keys and 408 Honorable Mentions.

As you can see, this award is very competitive. We are very happy so many students could be recognized.

To the students who entered and didn’t win:

We are very proud of each and every one of you for entering and complet-ing your art piece through refined detail and great craftsmanship. All of your artwork will be displayed at our NOTA [Night of the Arts] event at the end of the year which is also a great accomplishment in itself. Don’t be discouraged but understand that the only direction we can go is move forward and encourage your classmates to respect the arts so you can produce the quality work that the community is looking for.

To the HFA: SCS Student Body:

Art is a subject that requires extreme concentration and discipline to com-plete work where imperfections are not noticed. With that said, I encour-age all the students at HFA:SCS to understand that the dynamic within the art classroom must be conducive to the proper atmosphere for master-pieces to be developed. The amount of movement, off-task sounds and

conversations must be at the bare minimum so that those distractions don’t translate into your artwork and the artwork of the serious students who are around you.

Trust that we have some of the most highly qualified art teachers in any art program. Every teacher at HFA:SCS had to be interviewed by the SCS administration but also by the administration at CCS [the College for Creative Studies], which we all know as one of the most pres-tigious schools in the nation.

I challenge you to submit to your teachers’ art leadership and leave your disrespectful antics outside of the learning environment. We have the education background to justify our teaching leadership and we work tirelessly to come up with lessons that are being recognized across the design community. Don’t doubt that we care for each and every one of you even though, at first, you may be uncomfortable with our commands. We, the art teachers, want to walk around knowing that when we help one student succeed, that all the others are doing exactly what they were addressed to do in a respectful noise level (really, throwing erasers in high school?). It requires discipline but every student has the capability to be recognized. Get over the fact that you don’t know how to do art, because all of you can if you focus and discipline yourself to listen to the instructions and embrace your own creative vision within your instruc-tor’s guidelines.

Respect your teachers’ regulations, focus your mind without your own judgment, embrace your style and create your best work of art with your sharp, sharp drawing utensil.

Artistic endeavors recognized in Scholastic competitionA message to students from art team leader Manal Kadry, on behalf of the HFA: SCS art teachers

AND THE WINNERS ARE ...

Jalyn Baity “Self Portrait” (top) Gold Key/Drawing/Kuehne

Samara Richards “Tool Book of Art and Design” Gold Key/Mixed Media/Kadry

Noha Robinsion “Self Portrait” Gold Key/Drawing/Kuehne

Nando Felton “Anger” (center) Gold Key/Sculpture/Kuehne “Self Portrait” Silver key/Drawing/Kuehne

Naomi Cook “Mandala” Silver key/Kadry

Mark Hall “Fist” Silver Key/Photography/Bates

Majesty Bland “Hair Clip” Hon. Mention/Jewelry/Kuehne/

Kamau Haroon “Two Girls” (bottom) Hon. Mention/drawing/Kade Dareno Johnson “Portrait Study” Hon. mention/Drawing/Kade

Deja Jones “Deja” Hon. Mention/Drawing/Dobbins

Taharqa Jordan “Self Portrait” Silver Key/Drawing/Kuehne

Vincent Long “Untitled” Hon. Mention/Drawing/Dobbins

Najela Moore “Sparkly Universe” Hon. Mention/Jewelry/Kuehne

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HORSEPOWER • IN DEPTH • JAN/FEB 2013

î focus

BY AERIAL QUALLS

High school is a time for teens to become adults, to decide what college to attend, if any at all, as well as to figure out who they are inside.

One might think that after experi-encing this traumatic rush of respon-sibility, they would want to stay in a familiar surrounding. But that’s not what many of them want to hear.

Many teens in Detroit are spread-ing their wings and are ready to experience life in a new place, very far away from their hometown, and are making plans to leave right after graduation.

Leaving home is a scary thing for some, though it seems as though this generation of teens is ready to throw caution to the wind. They are ready to be free. Talk of becoming famous and finding new opportunities fills the hallways of schools almost every day.

HFA: SCS junior David Frison, 16, is looking to leave home after

graduation.

“I want to get to see other parts of Michigan,” he said. The one thing that would keep him in Detroit is less crime, which many students would also like to see.

On April 2, 2009, the Detroit News reported that Michigan has lost 465,659 people since 2001, with most leaving because of the loss of jobs.

Students also say weather is factor in their thoughts about leaving.

HFA:SCS junior Cierra Anderson, 16, felt the weather here was a major turnoff. What Detroit is missing, she says, is “heat! And nice beaches.”

However, 18-year-old Annapolis High School student Shelby Skeans

felt completely different on the sub-ject. “I don’t have enough money to move out for one,” she said. “Also all of my family is here, so why would I want to move where there’s a bunch of strangers? This is where I grew up … It’s home and no matter where I go it will always be home.”

Even though Skeans finds solace in Detroit, many feel the opposite way. Some 12,000 school-age kids left Michigan in 2007 according to an April 9, 2009, report by the Detroit News.

To teens, Michigan seems drab and this sense causes teens to speed up their development and forces them to know exactly what their plans are after graduation which, if followed with commitment and rigor, will take them somewhere far from home.

DONE WITH DETROIT?

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Detroit youths are also proving to be much more ambitious than they are expected to be, making plenty of grandiose dreams, ready to start careers in competitive fields.

HFA: SCS junior Deja Jenkins, 17, is an aspiring professional makeup artist and felt Detroit was too harsh for her.

“It’s too much,” she said. “Every day it’s another killing, another disaster. Young teens, innocent, getting killed. I just don’t want to be the next one. It’s everyone for themselves … well, at least that’s how it seems.”

On whether she’ll ever return to the city, she said, “Yes, of course. Hope-fully, I won’t have to leave. But I hope, if I do, to see change. Change in everything. The community needs to take a stand and make a change.

The violence needs to end.”

Perhaps it’s just a pandemic of teens catching a case of YOLO (“you only live once”), a response to the weath-er or just a new sense of liberation. They are going out to explore the world and to explore themselves.

Education also plays as a factor. From 2002 to 2009, the number of Detroit Public Schools students fell by 43.7 percent while the number of charter students increased by a whopping 82.3 percent, reported census data-gathering website Data Driven Detroit.

In this fast-paced world, one can’t expect anything to stay the same. Droves of people are seeking a new scene, a new voice, a song that describes only them. Can teens be blamed for wanting to do the same?

Sixteen-year-old junior Jalen Hall, a member of the local rap group Rebel Hope, felt many teens are un-willing to stick around and see what Detroit has in store for them.

“I believe most give up on Detroit or want to meet new people and learn more,” he said. “The few programs [and opportunities] we have get filled up by people who live past Twelve Mile.”

He went on to explain that Detroit is attracting “lost souls, people who are used to leaning on Ford and other motor companies for work and now that [it’s] over, we [are just] lost and trying to find a way.”

Graduation is becoming more than just a rite of passage. It’s becoming the wake up call for many. This spring, teens all over the country

will be walking across the stage and walking straight out the door giving plenty of sorrowful goodbyes and heart-warming hellos this fall.

It’s an internal alarm that evokes the fight-or-flight response, which will determine where their paths lead—seeking out the holy grail of youth, gilded with fame and filled with never-ending fortune.

These teens are ready for a change of scenery, and they are sprinting for the hills, hoping for the best and never expecting the worse.

What the year 2013 holds for many grads is still untold. The youth of Detroit are flooding the city with hope and drowning it in change.

Photo by Mark Hall

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HORSEPOWER • ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT • JAN/FEB 2013

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BY DARENO JOHNSON

Several deserted businesses dot the landscape, along with a few decaying, graffiti-covered buildings. Stub-born weeds mark their territory in unkempt parking lots, springing up through the cracks and hiding the trash that passersby carelessly toss.

It is truly a sight that’s far from im-pressive, even more so when looking out at it from the ninth floor of the Taubman Center at 485 W. Milwau-kee. But what was happening inside the brightly lit art studio heavily contrasted the scene of the surround-ing area.

Twelve kids are busy, working with paint-splotched hands and expen-sive brushes as the soothing sounds of jazz and house music play from Hubert Massey’s heavy-duty bumble-bee-colored radio. Focused, students carefully guide their brushes across the massive canvas.

Massey, a Detroit-based painter, demonstrates firsthand how to effec-tively use a paintbrush while the kids stand back and watch in awe. His many years of experience are evident in the way he instructs them.

Mr. Massey is a renowned muralist and distinguished alumnus of Grand Valley State University (’81). He has more than a dozen large pieces of art across Michigan, including a 37-foot terrazzo floor in the Charles H. Wright Museum of African Ameri-can History.

He became involved with the stu-

dents of HFA: SCS through a special program that pairs Grand Valley-au-thorized charter schools with com-munity partners. It gives artists who have Grand Valley ties the chance to give back to the communities they live and work in.

“It’s really nice to give back to the community,” Massey said. “If I can help work with these kids and make a difference, even if it’s only twice a week for a few hours, I know that giving them the gift of being able to tell their stories through art is a pow-erful one, one they won’t forget.”

So how did the students get selected for this big project? They had to ap-ply for it. Selection was based upon portfolio work, an interview process and good academic standing. Manal Kadry, art team leader at HFA: SCS, oversaw the entire process.

“They’re dedicated to this program, and dedicated to this project,” Kadry said. “It’s an emotional investment for them.”

And their dedication was apparent by their work. The enormous canvas they had been painting on was just lifeless, empty space with merely an outline of the images to be painted. Now, it has been transformed into a lively scene full of vibrant, rich color.

“It’s pretty amazing,” HFA: SCS senior Breonna Phillips said while coincidentally working on another piece of art inspired by the Audrey Hepburn film “Breakfast at Tiffa-ny’s.” “We did take a long time to do it.”

2638HANDS

FEETWorking for a new image

of Detroit

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She, along with the other 11 young artists, had been working on this mural—titled “Michigan’s Outreach: Evolving the Global Spirit”—since early 2012 from its conception, and now nearly a year later, it has reached completion.

Phillips went on to add that everyone asked why they worked on the mural for so long. “That’s a lot of canvas,” she said emphatically. The canvas is 8 feet tall by 38 feet long, roughly the same size as a city bus. It is made up of six individual canvases, each made from scratch. Sophomore Joisan Ale-sna said that making the canvas was one of the biggest things she learned how to do.

At the beginning of the project, Massey wanted the students to think about how Detroit is generally per-ceived by most and how they could change that perception through this mural. He made them think of the positive things the city has to offer and what it has the potential to become.

A surge of ideas spilled onto paper

as the kids drew up images depicting entertainment, sports, industry and food brands native to Detroit. They deliberated for a while on the im-agery they wanted to include in the mural and its overall theme.

“We worked on that idea for so long,” Phillips stated. “So to really see it on the canvas really is amaz-ing.”

On the morning of Tuesday, May 1, 2012, anxiety permeated the classroom as Massey and the students awaited the arrival of FOX 2’s Alexis Wiley. She was coming to do a story on this groundbreaking project. Some made sure that their clothes were neat and that they looked halfway decent in case the camera panned on them. Others worried that their charcoal-dusted hands would make for a bad first impression if she was to greet them with a handshake. And of course, the biggest concern was which student or students would get singled out to be interviewed.

In the nail-biting moments leading

up to her entrance, half the group worked on assembling a canvas while the other half was busy outlining ideas on yellow tracing paper using messy vine charcoal. Then she finally entered the room and instantly lifted the mood with her witty energy and radiant smile. Trailing behind her was an elderly man lugging his cam-era and sound equipment.

The spunky reporter interviewed former HFA: SCS principal Michelle White and Massey himself, and then talked to a few students. She told ev-erybody when the segment would air and excitement resonated throughout the room. And it was not simply be-cause the project was being featured on TV, but because they realized that this would impact a lot of people.

“Being part of the mural project gives us a chance to show off the good parts of Detroit, the parts we know,” HFA: SCS senior Taylor Childs said in an interview with Nate Hoekstra of GVSU.

The large mural is going to be entered in the Grand Rapids-based

art competition Art Prize for 2013. When asked if he thought they would win first prize in the contest, freshman Noah Robinson answered, “Yes,” with conviction.

Alesna lamented that the project is ending. “I won’t be able to work with my favorite materials anymore or work with those people again,” she said.

Undoubtedly, the mural has created an indelible bond among the stu-dents who created it, a true work of art that redefines Detroit. The unveiling of the mural will take place Feb. 22 at 4:30 at HFA: SCS. While the unveiling is not a public event, the mural will be displayed for one day in an alcove before be-ing moved to its permanent home at GVSU on Feb. 24.

Photos by Mark Hall.

Turn to Page 23 for a profile of Naomi Cook, a seventh-grader at HFA: SCS who was chosen to work on the Hubert Massey mural.

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HORSEPOWER • FEATURES • JAN/FEB 2013

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10 GREATEATS(None of which is a Coney Island)

BY BREONNA PHILLIPS

MOTOWN SOUL CAFE

1The Motown Soul Cafe is about a three minute walk from the A. Alfred Taubman Center building and is horribly overlooked. The restaurant is small but has been visited by some famous names. They offer southern soul food like salmon croquette,

N’awlins shrimp po’ boy and even crawfish. They are famous for their chicken and waffles, a personal favorite. The prices range from $4 to $15. It’s a great place to go after school with friends. 3011 W. Grand Blvd., (313) 556-9993

GOOD GIRLS GO TO PARIS CREPES

2Good Girls is owned and operated by Torya Blanchard and is her second of a trio of restaurants. The restaurant is tucked in the Park Shelton building next to the Detroit Institute of Arts. It’s dimly lit and the walls are lined with French movie posters.

You would never know there were so many crepes before you stood in front of the menu on the wall, contemplating what to order. The menu is split into two sides – savory and sweet – and every crepe is named after a female. Prices range from $5 to $9 (excluding beverages and ex-tras), which makes making a decision on what to order harder. Whether you get the Vera or the Jessica, you’ll be left wanting more. 15 E. Kirby St. Suite 115 (313) 664-0490

AVALON INTERNATIONAL BREADS

3Avalon bakery is more than just a bakery. It is a pizzeria, a cof-fee shop, the morning breakfast pick-up, even the after school hangout. Avalon Bakery bakes 24/7, ships to over 40 restau-rants and marketplaces and has two locations. Everything

they make is homemade, natural and organic. Avalon has something for everyone – if you love bread, that is. Open Monday through Saturday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., they offer everything from breakfast sandwiches to Greek salads to vegan options. So go and get some bread because whether you like it sweet or savory or not at all, Avalon has something for you. 422 W. Willis St. (313) 832-0008

START HERE

Day after day, people settle for the meal they had the day before or the same Coney Island menu they’ve practically memorized. Detroit’s Midtown has plenty of diverse dining options that will surprise your taste buds day after day and leave you wanting more. There is something for everyone – the picky one, the vegan or vegetarian, the meat lover, the sweet tooth and even the indecisive one. This list will make you want to challenge yourself, open up your mind or simply make you want to try something new.

Breonna’s natural curiosity for food is encouraged by her father who is currently the executive chefat Saint Mary’s in Pontiac. She is also impacted by

her sister who has achieved first place state’s Pro-Start culinary competition, second place in Nationals and currently works at Gastronomy in Southfield.

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WASABI

4Wasabi is a Japanese/Korean restaurant owned by restaurateur Chul-Woong Kang. The restau-rant is also in the Park Shelton

building but stands out from a distance with French windows and a pink awning. On the inside it is narrow. Wasabi has a bar on the right and traditional seating on the left. The menu resembles nothing of Chinese food. Here you have a wide variety of sushi, noodles and entrees. They even serve lobster and barbecued eel. The prices range from $5 to $20. If you’re looking for something you’ve never had before you can end your search at Wasabi. 15 E. Kirby St. (313) 638-1272

CASS CAFE

5So what is Cass Cafe really? Is it a restaurant, bar or art gallery? It’s all three and super unique. In the heart of Wayne State Universi-

ty, it offers the ultimate hang out for just about everyone. The Cass Cafe Gallery exhibits local and nationally known artists. They have seasonal menus which includes anything from tortellini to corned beef. The prices range from $2.50 to $15. Cass Cafe is different from any normal restaurant but whatever it is, it’s worth visiting. 4620 Cass Ave. (313) 831-1400

UNION STREET

6Union Street has stood ground since the ‘70s and has never left. The art deco themed restaurant still has its old wooden floors and

neon lighting but doesn’t seem dated at all. Nothing will impress you more than their skillfully designed menu. Everything is done well from the lemon-wine beurre blanc braised calamari to the baked pistachio crusted Atlantic salmon served on organic mixed greens, tomatoes, asparagus and fresh mozzarella cheese. If those aren’t re-ally your style have a burger, nachos, wings or pizza – they thought of everything. Their prices range from $8 to $23.95. Union Street is a jewel. With their thoughtfully crafted menu to the beautifully designed space, you’ll never want to leave. 4145 Woodward Ave. (313) 831-3965

SHANGRI LA

7Shangri La is an authentic Can-tonese restaurant featuring Thai and Chinese dishes. Owned by Cholada Chan, the restaurants

are family owned and operated. This is the second location due to high demand, the first located in West Bloomfield. The restaurant has many options, offering sushi, lunch boxes, curry and noodles, plus unique and authentic dishes like dumplings, spicy quail and Massaman curry. They also have a unique drink called bubble tea that comes in different flavors and has small balls of tapioca at the bottom, which is odd at first, but grows on you. The prices range from $2 to $20. 4710 Cass Ave. (313) 974-7669.

TRAFFIC JAM & SNUG

8Traffic Jam opened in the ‘60s and has continued to grow. Not only do they use local produce, but they have an in-house bakery, micro-

brewery and dairy. The restaurant features multiple dining rooms and a roof deck. Even the Food Network’s Guy Fieri stopped buy to have a panini. They offer your at-home favorites like meat loaf and lasagna, plus specialty burgers and sandwiches. The meal will make you feel right at home. The prices range from $2.25 to $18.75. You’ll have to pay more than one visit to take it all in. 511 W. Canfield St. (313) 831-9470

SLOWS TO GO

9Slows makes barbecue all year round. That should be enough to get your mouth watering. Slows To Go is the second location of

the infamous Slows Bar-B-Q and is just as popular. The food is good. Everything is made from scratch and the meats are smoked up to 12 hours. They have all the barbecue favorites like beef brisket, ribs and wings. Slows also offers a variety of sand-wiches including a crowd favorite, pulled pork. They have sides, too, like macaroni and cheese, black eyed peas and sweet po-tatoes. The guys at Slows are so great that they even have vegetarian options – how thoughtful. The prices range from $2.95 to $24.95. 4107 Cass Ave. (877) 569-7246

HONEST JOHN’S

10 Honest John’s is not your average restaurant. It is owned by John Thompson who started the Honest John’s Shakedown Society, a group organized to help the less fortunate in the area. The restaurant/bar is a bit intimidating at first. The small, dimly lit setting, a full bar and a pool table could fool you but yes, they do actually serve food, and good food at that. If you’re looking for entrees, though, you’ll be disappointed. But they have plenty of burgers and sandwiches like the Selden slider: thinly sliced steak and onions grilled and smoked in

barbecue sauce. They have a dedicated breakfast menu and plenty of vegetarian options. Prices range from $3.75 to $16.95 (excluding beverages, sides and toppings). Just don’t judge a book by its cover because Honest John’s is great, honestly. 488 Selden St. (313) 832-5646

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‘Detroit is here’HORSEPOWER • FEATURES • JAN/FEB 2013

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City’s communities illustrateboth pain and promise

A home in Woodbridge, above, that is being renovated; a derelict residential building in Midtown that is marked for reha-bilitation, facing page top; and a banner spotlighting new jobs in a downtown skyscraper. Photos by Mark Hall.

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By AERIAL QUALLS

Midtown Detroit has become one of the many cultural meccas of the United States, attracting the likes of artists, students and investors from all of over the world. The once-broken streets are now populated by hipsters, youthful students and regular commuters filling the emptiness. The neighborhood boasts 10 theaters, nine museums, 40-plus restaurants, 12 galleries and a hardware store as attractions. Coffee shops now line the street corners and tiny holes-in-the-wall have become the new hotspots. Detroit is like the famous Gotham City, though in this story, the city is being saved by the youth, not Batman.

Midtown is very much leading the march in the renewal, with its new and upcoming Whole Foods, and clean-cut townhouses filling empty lots. Even the famous Mike Ilitch is envisioning an eye-opening future for Detroit, and is proposing to invest a reported $650 million to build a giant arena and a housing community downtown.

Detroit comprises many tight-knit communities that intertwine and interconnect, and each story leads as an example of what can make or break the spirits of those who dwell inside the broken walls of the colorful houses lining each street.

HFA: SCS teacher Alexa Llibre, 23, moved to the Midtown area in 2011 and enjoys her roommates’ company and how her house reminds her of her childhood home. She also appreciates the new atmosphere converse to her time as a Harvard University student.

“After spending four years in Boston and away from the Midwest, I really wanted to live in a Midwestern city,” Llibre said. “The people in the Midwest are welcoming and friendly in a way that I didn’t find in Boston. Detroit being close to

Chicago and my family is also a big help.”

Woodbridge is one of the many Detroit communities that have witnessed the city crumble and rebuild right around them. The residents’ values and hopes are ever steadfast; they keep faith that Detroit will return to its once glorious state.

Stern-faced George Qualls, 51, is a prime example of the hardworking, strong, creative people Detroit has created. His outlook for the city is positive. “In five years, you will not be able to touch downtown Detroit,” he says. “Detroit is here, and if you don’t get in on it now, it’ll be too late.”

However, he’s less convinced Detroit will make a

full recovery. He exhales and says, “Parts … but never fully, or at least for years down the road.”

Youth are very much shaping Detroit’s future. Businesses try to appeal more to college students so that after their education is done, they will want to call Detroit home. Communities are creating trendy activities, such as urban gardens, that not only benefit the community but bring them together. There are 13 community gardens, 18 school gardens and 220 family gardens, according to slowfooddetroit.org.

Annapolis High School student Shelby Skeans, 18, feels that Detroit is a place far more accepting of people, than other cities. “I think it’s unique because it allows many different cultures into it, and people don’t judge others,” she says.

As for Detroit’s bad reputation, “People just see what they want,” Shelby says. “Half the people that talk badly about it don’t know anything about Detroit.”

HFA: SCS student Jalen Hall, 16, feels Detroit is unique “because we have the art scene, music scene, and we are a large city, but you feel as if you belong in a way,” he says. Out of all of the communities in Detroit, Jalen favored Greektown the most. “Greektown, Five Guys and ColdStone. Plus the people mover that takes you to the Renaissance!” he says. “Good business there, and a beautiful view of the river.”

So the real question is: What’s next for Detroit? How much longer can residents witness mass violence and destruction without walking away? The blood of the weak, innocent and broken acts as the paint, and the streets are the canvas that displays Detroit’s glorious story. Though many tears have been shed, citizens hold on to one thought: Nothing stops Detroit.

Detroit is like the famous Gotham City, though in this story the city is being saved by youth, not Batman

HORSEPOWER • FEATURES • JAN/FEB 2013

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13 BY HALEY SIMMONS

That special time in Detroit rolled around again this year when the city’s pride and joy of cars is recog-nized.

The North American International Auto Show was held at Cobo Center downtown and has been held in the city for over a century dating back to 1907. The event has been managed by the Detroit Auto Dealers Asso-ciation since the beginning of its existence. Public viewing took place from Jan. 19 through the 27.

The NAIAS is one of the world’s largest and most prestigious auto showcases. Everyone is always pumped up to see what’s in store for the new year.

Press and spectators travel from all around the globe, and local families keep a tradition to see the spectacle first-hand. Over 771,000 people came during the public viewing days. Over 5,000 journalists from 58 coun-tries attended the event and nearly 30 percent of those journalists were international, making the show even more popular worldwide, according to the show’s website.

“The Auto Show was awesome, the best one yet,” said HFA: SCS senior Sean Estes, who has a vibrant inter-est in automotive design.

But not everyone agreed with Estes. “The show was okay, HFA: SCS senior Quintin Johnson said. “There were not many cars that stood out, but companies like Maserati and Porsche expanded the number of cars they brought to the show. Organization took a step up, and the added space within Cobo was put to good use.”

There were 42 vehicle debuts, with 38 of those being the first to be seen worldwide; they were just a frac-tion of the more than 500 vehicles featured.

Several exciting cars were featured, from the Acuras to the Volvos. DC Comics and Kia Motors teamed up and designed vehicles for the “We Can Be Heroes” campaign which is working to end hunger in Africa. Best in show this year included the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, 2014 Kia Cadenza, Lincoln MKC Concept, 2014 Infiniti Q50 and 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT, among others, according to Time magazine.

SHOWTIME MOTOWN

When the whole world looks to Detroit

HORSEPOWER • FEATURES • JAN/FEB 2013

î showcase

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SHOWTIME MOTOWN

BY QUINTIN JOHNSON

The 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Sting-ray was the talk of this year’s North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The Stingray is the newest in the Corvette line of cars that date back to 1953.

The Stingray name has been used only once within the line, in 1967. Many older fans were delighted at the name choice, which brings a new sense of familiarity to the car.

Within the show itself, massive crowds surrounded the car, where people seemed to be generally happy with the design of the new car.

The Stingray gained notoriety in mid-2012 when rumors about the car were swirling around the Internet. First known publicly as the Corvette C7 Prototype, there was much hype

around the car and as the NAIAS grew closer, the anticipation began to increase.

A virtual test drive of the Sting-ray was given to video game fans through the PlayStation 3 exclusive simulation racer, Gran Turismo 5. The car was released as a free down-load in the prototype form, with material covering all details of the car until its unveiling. Another “test drive” of sorts was given to show attendees in the Chevrolet section.

Boasting an estimated 450 horse-power and a 6.2 LT1 V8 engine, the Stingray is powerful by American automotive standards, according to the Chevrolet website. Engineered to be “the lightest and stiffest Corvette to date,” this balance of lightweight, power and speed puts the Stingray in direct competition with the SRT Viper, looking to hold a previously gained edge over its competitor.

The Stingray will arrive during the fall of 2013 with an unannounced price. On Jan. 16, a Corvette repre-sentative announced on the “Today Show” that the first car would be auctioned off and that all proceeds would go to charity.

The Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, left, the Chevy Camaro, top left, and the Toyota Corolla Furia Concept, top right. Photos by Mark Hall (Corvette, Corolla) and Rachel Fernandez. (Camaro).

At busy Chevy stand,Reborn Stingray makes waves

15

HORSEPOWER • FEATURES • JAN/FEB 2013

î showcase

When someone speaks of a “normal teenager” most people don’t think of 16-year-old HFA: SCS soph-omore Mark Hall. Being “normal” definitely does not mean walking around Detroit every Saturday morning to photograph buildings. But to him, this seems perfectly normal.

Mark has also joined the Detroit Artist Market, a pres-tigious gallery that features only the finest of the city’s artists. The gallery has an age minimum of 18, but

art teacher Anita Bates told Mark to just “forget” to answer that question when filling out his application.

Mark is currently working on a project where he is photographing every one of the 100-plus Detroit Public School buildings that have been shut down. He believes that, with the destruction of so many old Detroit Public School buildings, important history is being lost, and he wants to inform people of this history.

Old school

BY RACHEL FERNANDEZ

Q: You’re working on a project having to do with Detroit’s abandoned schools. What are you doing?

A: Yes, I’m working on photographing all of the abandoned schools, I’ve been working on it for a year now.

Q: Why do want to this? What’s the motive?

A: I think it’s important to photograph them before they’re all destroyed. I’ve seen so many schools that have been torn down without any history being known about them.

Q: Why are you doing just abandoned schools? Why not old, open schools?

A: I want to photograph them in their worst state. It shows how we don’t care about these buildings and all that they’ve done for us. [Mark also said he wants to show the “beauty in decay.”]

Q: I’ve heard that you’ve entered abandoned schools illegally.

A: I have, but only buildings that are open. I have never broken into buildings. But this is history that needs to be captured before it’s gone.

Q:When were you first interested in photog-raphy?

A: Three years ago I started becoming interested in photography. So many memories are being forgotten and I feel like they should be captured.

Q: You have a substantial interest in archi-tecture. Why?

A: I’ve always had an interest [in] buildings. Peo-ple neglect to pay attention to them and they take them for granted. I wanted to photograph things that are overlooked.

Q: Do you shoot by yourself, or with some-one?

A: I usually shoot with my friend David.

Q: Some of your photos have been featured in the Metro Times. How did you get your-self noticed?

A: I have my own website. People have mostly just contacted me about my photos.

Mark Hall’s photography is available for viewing on Flickr under his name “Mark Hall Aka Mark The kid.”

14

“I think it’s important to photograph them before they’re all destroyed.”

17

HORSEPOWER • OPINION • JAN/FEB 2013

î canvas

The bully and the victim of the bullying both need help. The bully needs help learning how to relate to others and finding positive ways to release anger. The victim needs help learning how to cope with the problem.

If the bully does not “unlearn” bullying, they will continue to do it for the rest of their lives, causing a perpetual cycle of hurt to unwilling people.

A 2004 national survey by Utterly Global LLC reported that 60 percent of those character-ized as bullies in sixth- through fourth-grade “will have at least one criminal conviction by age 24.”

Even teens or adults who bully can take a lesson in showing kindness. A 2010 survey by Workplace Bullying Institute, which has been studying bullying trends in professional atmospheres for over 15 years, found that

53.5 million Americans, or 35 percent of U.S. workers, have experienced bullying.

If the victim does not learn how to deal with the issue, they will either continue through life in a passive manner or lash out because they’ve built up resentment.

Children should be trained at an early age to be empathetic and considerate of others. Par-ents have the responsibility to instill these traits in their child. It is proven that kids who are taught to be kind to others are less aggressive than those who aren’t.

Here are some tips to help victims avoid trouble:

• Keep cool. Don’t give in to rage. Try to put

away thoughts of revenge.

• If things appear to be getting heated, get away.

• If bullying persists, speak up. Talk to a re-sponsible, caring adult about the bullying.

Also, when confronted by a bully, project a sense of confidence. Stand up straight, make eye contact, try to keep arms and hands relaxed, and speak in a firm, steady voice. This can dissuade the bully from doing anything.

Parents should make themselves available to their children and listen to their concerns with patience and empathy. Instill in them a feeling that they are wanted, supported and loved. This treatment goes a long way and helps the students’ understanding and adaptation of life skills, making them stronger, better prepared individuals.

WORDS OF ADVICEDARENO JOHNSON

Breaking free from bullying

16

horse powerHENRY FORD ACADEMY : SCHOOL FOR CREATIVE STUDIESVOL I, No. 2 • JAN/FEB 2013 • DETROIT, USA

Horsepower is the voice of the students of HFA : SCS and an open forum for student expression. All opinions in the Canvas section

are those of staff writers. If you have any concerns about the content, wish to respond to stories or want to join the staff, leave

a note in the main office addressed to the Editor in Chief.

Editor in Chief: Matthew D. Ford

Reporters and Columnists: Amanda Byrd, Taylor Childs, Demetrius Cornelius, Rachel Fernandez, Janay Flournoy,

Dareno Johnson, Quintin Johnson, Franchesca Lamarre, James Meadows, Morgan Parker, Breonna Phillips,

Aerial Qualls, Haley Simmons

Photographers: Rachel Fernandez, Mark Hall

Advisers: Krishnan Anantharaman, Akousa Burris

HORSEPOWER • OPINION • JAN/FEB 2013

î canvas

BY MORGAN PARKER

Apparently some of us students have a hard time comprehending our school’s name when it comes time to draw, we act like it. When the art teacher says, “Okay class, today we are going to draw…,” and the moans begin. What do we want the teacher to say? We go to Henry Ford Academy: School for Creative Studies. It’s practically in the name!

Our school is based on a partnership with the Henry Ford Learning Institute and the College for Creative Studies, a school for art and design - not a performing arts school. CCS is a college where students study in cre-

ative design field such as automotive design, illustration, and fine arts. According to Busi-nessWeek, CCS is one of the 60 best design schools in the world; we go to their middle school and high school, HFA: SCS, which opened up more than four years ago to invite students into a classroom of expression.

I guess some of us struggle with accepting the fact that we go to an art school where we are going to make art, look at art, and learn about art. They did not open this school only to teach us, but to prepare us for our future in art and design. We don’t just go to middle and high school, we go to HFA: SCS, so we are going to have to draw.

It’s an art school. So just draw.

STAFF EDITORIAL

Detroit is not a field of lilies, or a muddy ditch. It is a complicated city, like the Little Engine That Could but Cannot Anymore. People from my hometown are frequently associated with perpetual violence, unem-ployment, failure, and overall sadness and destruction. B-rolls of vacant houses—not homes —are often shown in documentaries. Even Johnny Knoxville showed up here.

Once again named the most dangerous city in the United States last year, Detroit seems as though it’s still on an endless path of destruction. As Sammy Davis Jr. croons, “Hello Detroit!” I find myself enjoying the tune but thinking, “Goodbye, Detroit.”

One of Horsepower’s photographers, Mark Hall, whose work is heavily featured in this special issue, is currently working on a project photographing every abandoned Detroit Public School building in the city and has already captured over 75 of those schools, translating them into digital

history that can never be destroyed. One evening, we grabbed dinner after a movie and the conversation over our sandwiches and fries turned toward his project (See article on Page 7). We both recognized that this issue is not helping Detroit or its students but is only reducing the quality of the city even more.

It was awkward for me to tell friends I met at the Medill-Northwestern Journal-ism Institute last summer that I was from Detroit. While a few of the students were oblivious to the horrors that my hometown faces, others would make cracks about our government and crime. I had to explain to them that while these things happened in my city, I have never witnessed a murder or a robbery myself. Detroit’s reputation followed me and this, I found alarming.

My hometown is not much to be proud of. However, while I take the time to reminisce and explore interesting parts of the city and its history with friends, visiting places I’ve never or rarely been to before, I must eat my words. The origin of Detroit is stunning. The stories behind the skyscrapers, Coney Island restaurants, celebrities and neighborhoods are pure magic. It is important because underneath all of the adversity and negative news clips, there is beauty, and it has made me more empathetic, quicker to explore and slower to judge my beloved, twisted hometown.

In this issue, I hope that you, the reader, take the time to read closely and digest each and every story and form an opinion of Detroit as though you have not already.

Get a new perspective and know that Detroit is not perfect but it is on its way to higher glory and getting better each and every day.

Take another look at DetroitEDITOR’S NOTEBOOK

MATTHEW D. FORD

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HORSEPOWER • LIFESTYLE • JAN/FEB 2013

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8.

It’s ironic that at a creative school, students are mandated to wear uniform every day. Sure, students get tired of pulling the same old polos and black bottoms out of their clos-ets day after day, but what they lack in originality most days, they make up for on Free Dress days.

Here’s a look at how Mustangs work their fashion senses and shine on these special days.

We asked them two questions:

a. What is your style inspiration? b. Who or what influences the way you dress?

1. Daniel Fitzpatrick

a. “Skateboarder style and tumblr fashion blogs.”b. “The people I hang around and what I see on blogs.”

2. Vladimir Johnsona “I see other people’s fashion trends and I try to do the opposite.”b. “My father is my biggest influence.”

3. Breonna Phillipsa. “Trying to be resourceful, a lot of old-er movies, 1930s, 1950s, a lot of vintage Chanel ... Kamau.”

b. “Things that people see as beautiful, nature, life”

4. Kamau Haroona. “Hip hop culture, urban influences, city life [and] conceptual art.”b. “‘My girlfriend,’ my influences aren’t necessarily people but what I see around.”

5. Vincent Longa. “I like to have things others won’t. I do a lot of online shopping from overseas.”b. “My love for fashion.”

6. Angela Fredericka. “People around school [who] aren’t afraid to express themselves.”b. “I can’t copy, but I can pull pieces from others and be able to pull some-

thing off.”

7. Kenneth Franklina. “Life, colors and differences.”b. “Kanye West and Pharrell Williams.”

8. Devon Yancya. “Seeing others’ style and what they can create.”b. “My friends and my dance studio.”

5.

LABEL THISFRANCHESCA LAMARRE Out of uniform, in style

3. & 4.1. 2.

6. 7.

Q: If you could choose one item from your closet that defines you, what would you choose and why?

A: It would probably be a cardigan sweater. Car-digans keep me warm and are also pretty fashion-able.

Q: Where did your sock trend [regularly wearing multi-colored, patterned socks] come from?

A: The sock trend started probably as a kid watch-ing my dad in terms of him showing me that your socks are supposed to coordinate with your clothes, and as I got older, that kind of just carried on with my style of dressing, making sure my socks were always in coordination with whatever I had on.

Q: How has your style evolved over time?

A: As I’ve gotten older, I probably tend to be more comfortable with making my own decisions in terms of staying away from trends. I’ve never really been that type of person to follow trends but there are some eras in fashion that I’ve been a part of that I’m not proud of. The shiny denim era, the NASCAR jackets … the tons of colors of Guess jeans that match with your sneakers, and also prob-ably the ‘gator trend from the early 2000s. Some of those trends were not as favorable looking back on them as I thought they were at the time.

Q: Do you think your style outside of your job

is any different than your style here?

A: No, it’s actually funny. A lot of people say, when I’m not working, ‘You dress like you’re going to work.’ Even sometimes I go to functions that are dressed down and I’m still wearing a sweater and a pair of slacks. To me, clothes are clothes and … if I have to dress down, I’m still gonna find a way to dress down but be comfortable and that might mean wearing a t-shirt and a sweater or something … whatever makes me feel comfortable so I’ll nev-er compromise my comfort for looks or anything like that.

Q: How many pairs of shoes do you own?

A: Including all types of shoes, probably less than 30 pairs. At one time, in my heyday of being a se-rious shoe collector, probably over 100 pairs. Some shoes I have are classics. I’ve had them for 10, 11, 12 years. Some shoes I’ve had since I was [in] 10th or 11th grade. ... I’ve always been into shoes. The only thing that’s changed is my shoe size.

Q: You dress in a way that most people proba-bly consider preppy with a few subtle differ-ences or things that are unique for you. How do you put things together?

A: I stay away from “matching.” I prefer to use the word “coordinate.” Someone might say, “That doesn’t match.” Well, it’s not supposed to. To me coordination trumps matching any day. In terms of the style, I probably would call it “preppy sprinter”

because I do know that it’s a tad on the prep side but I also kind of like to keep it leveled with gym shoes.

Q: What’s with the Polo [Ralph Lauren]?

A: Polo started when I was younger but I think it really become my go-to clothing of choice prob-ably sometime around 10th or 11th grade. The coolest thing about Polo – and I like other clothes besides Polo, let’s just make that clear – is that it’s timeless. I’ve seen a lot of different designers over my years that were in fashion go in and out. And people – this is when you get into trends – spend a lot of money on things that are trendy and then when that trend’s over, you’re stuck with a closet full of nothing. So with Polo, I’ve found myself able to have a shirt for five or six years and, granted if I haven’t grown out of it, it’s still a good shirt.

Q: Explain the action cartoon lunch boxes.

A: I bring my lunch to school every day and I felt personally it would be kind of boring or whack to just bring my lunch in a little plastic bag. I thought that [using the lunch boxes] would be kind of corny to do. I picked the lunch boxes based on some of the things that personally resonated with me as a kid. I don’t buy boxes that don’t represent who I am, things that I don’t like.

Interview by Matthew D. Ford and Franchesca Lamarre; Photo by Mark Hall

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LESSONS IN STYLEQ&A WITH MARVIN RAY

HORSEPOWER • LIFESTYLE • JAN/FEB 2013

î studio

‘I’ll nevercompromisemy comfort’

21

SHOT NO. 1

“THE FIRST TIME I was shot, I was high school age. I was hanging out in a treehouse with my brother and my best friend.

“I grew up in a town named Ortonville, which is country area—it’s about halfway between Flint and Pontiac. To give you a characterization of the town, we were excited when we had our first stop light. The treehouse was about 30 feet in the air. We’re making jokes and goofing around with each other and then the next thing I know, I am on my back laying on the ground and it felt like somebody had punched me in the chest.

“I start yelling at the guys up in the treehouse, ‘Hey, who is the fool that hit me?’ And they’re both like, ‘We didn’t do anything. You just fell over.’ I look and I have a small hole through the jean jacket [and] T-shirt I was wearing, little bit of blood and I look and there’s this little piece of metal, very deformed and about the size and shape of a dime, just sitting on my chest and it ended up making a small scar.

The story that we pieced together afterwards is that there was a farming community at the time and there was a farmer whose fields were right next to the treehouse that we were in and he was shooting at rabbits with a .22 rifle in his field. One of those shots must have hit a rock, bounced, hit me in the chest when I was up in the treehouse and knocked me down. Other than a rather large bruise on both my butt and my chest, there was no damage.”

SHOT NO. 2

“I WAS IN COLLEGE [in 1994]. I was friends with a lot of people from the Michigan State hockey team at the time, and they were friends with some of the Michigan State football players … and a group of seven of us ended up winning tickets to a Red Wings game down at the Joe. So we drive down [and park] over by Trapper’s Alley, which is now Greektown Casino, and walked over to the Joe.

“On our way back after the game, it’s dark and from out between a couple buildings comes this crackhead waving a gun, demanding money. The guy can’t even keep the gun pointing straight—his hands are shaking and he’s talking with a slur to his voice and we couldn’t barely even understand him but we understood what the gun was. Basically having this tiny little guy point a gun at a bunch of big, corn-fed, white hockey players is tantamount to asking to have his butt kicked and so he prompt-ly did get his butt kicked … One of the hockey players just looks at the guy, looks at all of us, looks

‘I’vebeenshot

threetimes’

Richard Olson, 41, teaches earth science and environmental

science at HFA: SCS. He lives in Farmington and enjoys hanging

out with his wife, reading history and “cheesy sci-fi” books and

watching action or high-level special-effects movies.

THE TALES TEACHERS TELLRICHARD OLSON

HORSEPOWER • ODDS & ENDS • JAN/FEB 2013

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20

at the guy again, makes a fist and breaks the guy’s nose, at which point the guy goes falling straight onto his butt, lands, shoots up straight into the air.

“The bullet flies up an unknown distance … hits a ledge on a building, bounces off that ledge, bounc-es down, hits the sidewalk, bounces up and hits me in the armpit, at which point I started yelling, “He shot me!” At which point, there isn’t just one big guy pounding on this little … crackhead, but there are now five of them and the number six was looking after me, making sure I’m OK … About 20 seconds later, one of Detroit’s finest show up and he decides that what amounts to seven white guys beating up one scrawny, little black guy is a race crime and the seven of us get thrown into the back of police cars and the guy who actually shot me gets taken into an ambulance … to Henry Ford, promptly treated and then released.

“They threw each of us into the back of a differ-ent one and about an hour later, a detective starts going around interviewing. I’m the last one and I don’t know what any of my friends said—I suspect that they all said the truth because when it comes to me, he’s just like, ‘So what’s your story?’ and I basically tell him that this guy went, tried to mug us, my friends decided to not be mugged, hit him, he pulls the trigger on his gun and he shoots me, at which point the rest of my friends decided they were going to basically beat the living crap out of him. And the detective, he looks at me and he’s just like, ‘You were shot?’

“At that point I lift up my arm and he could see the fact that my armpit looks like I’ve just been running a marathon but instead of sweat it’s blood, and he’s just like, “You’ve been shot. Did you tell any of the officers?” And I said, “Oh yeah, I told them when they were throwing the handcuffs on me and throwing me in the back of the cop car, told them when they first showed up … told them when they were reading me my rights. Guess who’s gonna have a lawsuit!” Shortly after that, the detective decides to release me and all of my friends except that for me … he released me to the ambulance where they took me to Henry Ford … and they go and put two stitches into my armpit—that’s how much damage there was, two whole stitches – and give me a shot of antibiotics and some pills and send me on my jolly way.”

SHOT NO. 3

“I WAS IN ECUADOR [in 1997] … in the Peace Corps in a community that could best be described as a truck stop. The restaurants there are set up a little bit differently. It’s actually uncommon to have an indoor restaurant. Restaurants are typically

outdoors. The kitchen is indoors, the restaurant itself is outdoors and they have three walls and a big garage door and when they open, they open up the garage door and when they close, they close the garage door.

“I had been a volunteer there for about a year and a half so I had six months to go and I knew most of the people in the community. I worked for the local government. I’m sitting there at a restaurant eating my lunch and there are a couple cops that are sitting there. Just as I get up, I pay my bill and I’m walking out, I see this car that had pulled in not even five minutes before I was getting out and another car had just pulled in but didn’t set his parking brake and his brakes failed. He rolled and his car hit the car that had pulled in about five minutes before—just a little fender-bender type of thing, except that it caused the trunk to pop open and inside the trunk of this car were baggies of a white powder and a there was probably close to 500, 600 pounds of said white powder in baggies.

“I happen to be the guy that’s standing right next to it all and inside the restaurant about 10 feet away from me are two cops. The cops in South America don’t have guns—they have machine guns. One of them had an Uzi, the other one had an AK …

“I say, “Hey, Jorge … come here, look at this” and he goes, “I’m eating,” and I say, “No, seriously, come here, look at this.”

So he gets up and he walks over and he takes one look and he cocks his Uzi and he points his Uzi at the other table. His partner sees what’s going on—he cocks his AK-47 and he’s pointing it at the one table. The cop at that point yells (translated from Spanish), ‘You two bad people stand up with your hands in the air now!’

“The two guys who own the car, they go, they look at me, they say, “Ooh, gringo,” they look at the cops, who are basically pointing machine guns at them, they look at the fact that the trunk of their car is wide open and they know what’s in the trunk of that car. So they pull out guns … [and] the cops pull the triggers. Bullets start flying, these two people get turned into hamburger.

“I wasn’t actually hit by any bullets, but in the process of spewing bullets all over the restaurant, one of the bullets hits a plate and the plate shatters into a million pieces and one of those pieces shoots and … hit me right on the butt. I had to go to the doctor to have a piece of shrapnel removed from my buttocks and I had difficulty sitting down for a week and a half or so.”

“I start yelling at the guys up in the treehouse, ‘Hey, who is the fool that hit me?’ And they’re both like, ‘We didn’t do anything. You just fell over.’”

HORSEPOWER • ODDS & ENDS • JAN/FEB 2013

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NAOMI COOK is a seventh-grade student at HFA: SCS and is one of the more dedicated artists in the school—and has the experience to prove it.

She has participated in the Hubert Massey mural project, the Community Arts Partnerships, entered the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards and won a Sil-ver Key for her piece “My Mind’s Kaleidoscope” (above), Second Saturdays at CCS, ArtPrize 2012 and won runner-up for her “Art Park” drawing for the Detroit Thanksgiving Parade in 2012. She plans to attend CCS and maybe become a graphic designer.

Reason for attending HFA: SCS: “I wanted to get better experience with art and to enhance my skills.”

Primary media: “Usually, I do pencil on paper and then sometimes I paint but mostly with oil or acrylic.”

How has this school shaped you as an art-ist? “When I learned the elements of art, it sort of helped me to bring everything in an art piece together and it got me into a lot of programs that, if I had stayed at my old school [Macomb Chris-tian], I wouldn’t have gotten into.”

Did you consider other schools? “I started at the Second Saturdays [a monthly program with CCS where each class features a unique way of creating art] when I was at my old school but then my mom found this school … so I said, ‘Oh, I want to try,’ and I shadowed and then I came here in

sixth-grade. [I was expecting to] do art every day and that’s all I cared about.”

What pieces have you created that really shaped your sense of creating art? “My best piece is ‘My Mind’s Kaleidoscope,’ and the [Hu-bert Massey] mural really helped me a lot.”

How did you get to work on the mural? “I brought in a few sketchbooks and talked with Mr. Massey … It’s made me a better painter because I could not paint at all before.”

How do you feel about the high school art? Are you hoping to get to that level someday? “If they could do it then maybe I could work hard-er and get to that level as well.”

ARTIST SPOTLIGHTNAOMI COOK

Before Massey, ‘I couldn’t paint at all’

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HORSEPOWER • ODDS & ENDS • JAN/FEB 2013

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ZARIUS DAVIS is a freshman who has been creating digital art since the sixth grade.

He began his craft using 2-D Adobe software programs like Photoshop and Illustrator and

was later introduced to 3-D by his sixth-grade art teacher. While he mostly enjoys digital drawing, sculpting and animating, he does traditional work, too. He came to HFA: SCS in the sixth grade because he used to draw

traditionally and wanted to be a 2-D animator for Disney. Davis now wants to attend the College for Creative Studies to be a 3-D animator or character artist for Pixar Animation Studios, and because CCS is “awesome.”

HUMAN BODY

“The basics behind the human body piece is that all good artists in my opinion should have a good knowledge [of] anatomy. The human body was just an anatomy study, just putting what I know about the body together in a sculpt. I used my mom’s anatomy books for reference.”

NORMANDY SPACESHIP

“For starters, the [‘Normandy’ spaceship]

is from my favorite videogame, ‘Mass Effect.’ I made the ship entirely in a 3-D sculpting program called ZBrush. ZBrush

is primarily used in game design and animation and

has even been a part of the workflow for the makers of

games like ‘Mass Effect,’ ‘Halo’ and ‘Gears of

War.’”

Filling out forms

22ARTIST SPOTLIGHTZARIUS DAVIS