Before beginning this internship, I had only been to Detroit three times and each time to a specific location downtown, so I had never gotten a chance to get to know Detroit for more than that. However, living and working in Detroit during my time with FATE is allowing me this opportunity at last.
One of our first opportunities to explore Detroit came in our visit to Eastern Market. An errand provided an excuse to expose us interns to Detroit culture. The market wasn’t in session as it was a Thursday afternoon, but it was a beautiful location nonetheless. We went into Detroit vs. Everybody, which is a brand whose name precedes itself. I had had no clue this was a brand and not just a trend until a couple of weeks before the internship began. I see clothing proudly emblazoned with “Detroit vs. Everybody” practically everywhere I go in Michigan and even outside of Michigan as well, so it was interesting to see the place that this embodiment of Detroit strength and hope started. It’s a small shop tucked into a basement in the Eastern Market, yet its name holds so much power. We also explored a print shop, Signal-Return, that I fell in love with and immediately began brainstorming excuses to come back.
My favourite part of exploring Eastern Market was looking at all of the murals. I’ve loved getting to see street art around Detroit because I feel that city street art is a true embodiment of those who live there and their vision of their own city. The murals in Eastern Market are beautiful and encompass many different styles of art. They were all impressive and awe-inspiring in their own ways. Rachel took a picture of the three of us standing in front of murals by FATE’s own Creative Director. It made me happy to think that we have a personal connection to this unique city art.
The creativity and beauty of Eastern Market were on full display that day.
- Abigail Findley, Summer 2019 Give Merit Intern
