Being an artist can mean many things . There are many different art forms and you can specialize in one or be an artist with many different skills up your sleeve . We call them multi-hyphenates, multi-disciplinaries, a jack of all trades, a renaissance man. 

Samuel Nalangira is an artist who has honed his artistic craft and expresses it through whatever form he chooses. Samuel is a singer, a musician, a dancer and choreographer from Uganda. He happens to be one of the four musicians selected for the Sounds Like Detroit showcase in just a couple of weeks. WDET is hosting a showcase for their Detroit version of NPR’s Tiny Desk.

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Metro Detroit’s Arab American community is large and has been through several waves of immigration. Long ago, the attraction was the $5-a-day Ford jobs that brought so many people here. Each of those periods brought new families, culture, and heritage.

From Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine, and Yemen, Metro Detroit is home. But the places people emigrated from will always be known as their original home. Part of what makes a place feel like home are the sights, sounds, and smells of the world around us.

Part of feeling at home is the simpler things, like food—the taste of home. Eating together as a family or with certain dishes your parents grew up making. The Arab American National Museum in East Dearborn has been building up a taste of home on the building’s rooftop.

The Al-Hadiqa Heritage Garden at the museum is hosting events like poetry readings and concerts. The next one is August 8, and events run through October 3, including a performance by Kasan Belgrave. Dean Nasreddine is a curatorial specialist at the Arab American National Museum.

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During the Great Depression, in the year 1932 to be exact, a local group of art lovers saw there was a need for spaces where artists could exhibit and sell their work. Mrs. H. Lee Simpson founded what was then called the Detroit Young Artists Market, focusing on artists 30 and under who earned a living wage. Since its inaugural year, the nonprofit has grown and become an important fixture in Detroit’s arts and culture community.

After a brief hiatus, DAM returned this past weekend with Hot Dam. It features 40 local artists working in a variety of mediums, from sculpture and fiber art to classic painting. Hot Dam! is on display through August 23 at Detroit Artists Market on Woodward and Forest.

Miah Davis is the Executive Director of Detroit Artists Market. Dr. Kelli Morgan is a curator, educator, and activist, and the founder of The Black Artist Archive.

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Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on demand.

A new collaboration between the Detroit and Windsor public libraries is shining a light on local creatives of all ages and backgrounds.

Libraries were once buzzing community spaces for families and book lovers. But the rise of audiobooks and online book sales has shifted how people use them, leaving libraries in Windsor and Detroit looking for new ways to engage.

The two cities share a rich, intertwined history dating back to the mid-1800s, and their library services have evolved over time. One recent initiative is Pagination, a literary arts zine from the Windsor Public Library that features flash fiction, poetry, collage art, and more from creators in both Windsor and Detroit.

Now, the two library systems have partnered to publish a free print and digital magazine celebrating the voices of local artists across the border. Joining The Metro to talk about the project are Pagination editor David Konstanino of the Windsor Public Library and Jennifer Nobles, lead librarian at the Detroit Public Library.

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The auto industry in southeast Michigan is showing signs of strain.

In May, Ford ended a major initiative to modernize its vehicles’ computing systems. The “Fully Networked Vehicle” project is estimated to have cost the company $10 billion before it was shut down this spring.

That decision had ripple effects for local suppliers. Bosch confirmed to The Metro that it laid off 160 employees from its U.S.-based “Mobility Cross-Domain Computing Solutions Division,” including staff from its Plymouth, Michigan office. Back in November 2024, Bosch had announced plans to eliminate 3,500 of these jobs worldwide by 2027.

Adding to the uncertainty are new tariffs enacted by President Donald Trump, the elimination of electric vehicle tax credits, and slower-than-expected EV sales in the U.S.—all of which have cast doubt on the country’s electric car future.

John McElroy, a longtime auto journalist and broadcaster, joined us to talk about the implications of Ford’s Fully Networked Vehicle shutdown and what lies ahead for EVs in the U.S.

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Detroit native and “wig engineer” Darnell Davis is making a name for himself in the beauty and entertainment industries.

Designing wigs for major artists like Beyoncé, Niecy Nash-Betts, Mariah Carey and Little Nas X, he has become extremely sought after by celebrities and Detroiters alike for his meticulous hand-sewn and stitched designs.

Darnell joined The Metro on Tuesday to discuss his love for hair and wig-making from an early age, and Detroit’s rich legacy in Black hair innovation.

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