Odditorium Detroit, The Blog

Odditorium Detroit started as an art exhibit this Fall. After the show, we wanted to take time to showcase our artists, and to also build hype for future shows. It started as a mere Tumblr page, but as I researched more, and began to create a voice"in my writing, it became apparent that there was a lot more to say. So the decision was made to expand the theme of the blog beyond the art and collectibles showcased at the first exhibit. Additionally, it was clear that a better platform would be needed and Wordpress definitely stood out as a CMS.
While researching for the blog, amazing anecdotes and interesting factoids were regularly surfacing. Detroit has a very interesting and vivid history! After four years at District VII, I finally was able to figure out what the building had been in history. My friend Dan Austin, writer of the Buildings of Detroit series, taught me how to use the Sanborn Maps at the Burton Historical Library, and how to use the historic city directories to cross reference business names. Armed with this new skill, I was now able to research business names and addresses and discovered that our warehouse had once been home to Edgar A Murray's "Doom Pesticides." Furthermore, these methods for research could now be applied to names of companies on antique pharmacy bottles, Victorian trading cards, old newspaper advertisements, etc. Though not every trail leads to something fully qualifying as an "Oddity," trails always lead to something quite unique and interesting.
The blog will explore and showcase local art considered odd and strange, as well as incoming work from around the world for past and future exhibits. Blog entries will track art installations around Detroit, interesting events hosted by the Detroit Historical Society, various antiques/ephemera from Detroit, interviews with locals, historical photos and also the history of businesses and buildings that have been long forgotten or still exist today.