Do you consider yourself a storyteller? It’s in human nature to tell stories. Stories have been used to pass down knowledge and legacy. The power of storytelling has the ability to transcend time. It has a way of connecting people across scripted lines in our society. 

A new exhibition opening next week wants to explore storytelling through the lens of food, poetry, comedy, visual art, fashion, film, and performance.

“Many Tongues,” curated by Omo Misha of Irwin House Global Art Center, will use activations to dive into the power of storytelling, while uplifting Detroit creatives.

Brittini Ward or Eye N Eye is a storyteller, poet and multidisciplinary artist. Her recent works include “The Seer,” commissioned by the Kennedy Center, and “Grandma’s Baby,” featured in Wasserman Projects’ Bas Bleu Exhibition.

LaMarr Ward is a film maker, multidisciplinary artist and featured panelist for “Many Tongues.” His works, “Windstorm Chronicles” will be on display.

They joined The Metro to talk about “Many Tongues” and the importance of storytelling as a connector for all people.

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The Carr Center is a hub for the visual and performing arts in Detroit focused on promoting and sharing the work of Black artists.  For the last 3 decades, it has thrived on collaborations with local community groups and organizations. 

The Detroit Fine Arts Breakfast Club is a local art enthusiast group that supports the fine arts in Metro Detroit. 

Recently, The Carr Center and Detroit Fine Arts Breakfast Club teamed up to present Bridges: Because of Them – Honoring the Past, Uplifting the Present, Shaping the Future. 

The show is curated by co-founder of Detroit Fine Arts Breakfast Club, Henry Harper, local art buyer Kendale L. Jones and multi-disciplinary artist Andre Reed Jr. 

Oliver Ragsdale Jr. is the CEO of the Carr Center and Henry Harper, the co-founder of Detroit Fine Arts Breakfast Club, and owner of Harper Galleries of Art and Interior.

Henry and Oliver joined The Metro to talk more about the exhibition and Detroit’s fine arts scene.

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The Museum of Contemporary Arts Detroit is celebrating 20 years in 2026. As part of its anniversary, the museum is undergoing renovations and will remain closed through 2026. 

MOCAD will reopen with the theme of “Radical Imagination, Intersectional Futures.” The anniversary program will honor MOCAD’s roots as a site for civic and community engagement. 

Until the space reopens, MOCAD will host exhibitions and shows at the Mike Kelly Mobile Homestead. 

Right now, Heart Land, a solo exhibition by Detroit-based artist Mary-Ann Monforton, is on display. It’s free and open to the public.

Jova Lynne, co-director of MOCAD, joined The Metro to talk more about renovations, new exhibitions and 20 years of MOCAD. 

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For almost 30 years now, InsideOut Literary Arts has helped countless Detroit students find a love and passion for creative writing.

InsideOut was founded by Dr. Terry Blackhawk, a Detroit Public Schools teacher, who had a goal to inspire young people through the written and spoken word. Since 1995, the organization has expanded, offering classroom instructions, free performances and career opportunities after participation.

This year, the organization made it a point to fill spaces throughout the city with youth poetry. They purchased 30 billboards, replacing ordinary ads with student writing. And as you drive through the Avenue of Fashion, you’ll see a new mural by artist Oshun Williams.

To cap the end of its 30th year, a party at The Norwood celebrates the joy and impact InsideOut Literary Arts over the past three decades.

Suma Karaman Rosen is Executive Director of InsideOut Literary Arts. Hajjar Baban is an InsideOut Alum and has a master’s in fine arts from University of Virginia. She is an award-winning poet and currently a poetry reader for Muzzle Magazine.

They joined The Metro’s Tia Graham to talk more about 30 years of poetry and more.

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Dance is typically understood as a physical artform. A non-verbal expression of creativity, emotions and narratives. Dance is a cultural pillar that brings communities together under shared goals: to create and perform. 

Ajara Alghali is a cultural organizer and connector, who believes that dance can also be a tool for transformation and equity and a connection between ritual and our shared environment. With these principles in mind, she co-founded the TéMaTé Institute for Black Dance and Culture in 2018. 

The organization hosts an annual dance convening that demonstrates that vision through workshops and performances from experts who span the African diaspora. This year, it takes place October 18 and 19 at the Andy Art Center and Detroit School of Arts.  Ajara joined The Metro to discuss the upcoming event.

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In the 1999 film, “The Best Man,” we were introduced to novelist Harper Stewart (Taye Diggs), whose writes a book loosely based on his friend group that causes chaos and tests relationships amid a close friend’s wedding — for which he served as best man.

“The Best Man” was a staple film in the Black community. The friendships highlight the struggles of young adults trying to get their careers off the ground, early marriage stages and more. The bonds between those characters are so nuanced, it’s one of the reasons it became a hit.

For many it showed a multitude of different characters that we typically don’t see in film and television. That’s one of the reasons writer and director of the film, Malcolm D. Lee, says he created the film.

Now, 27 years later, after a second film and a series on Peacock, those characters are transitioning from the screen to a new book, “The Best Man: Unfinished Business,” co-written by Lee and author Jayne Allen.

Lee joined The Metro to share more about the book ahead of an author event on Tuesday at Detroit’s Garden Theater.

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

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