By Darren Cunningham and Chad Britton Wednesday afternoon, a federal judge blocked the Detroit Institute of Arts from moving or hiding a Van Gogh painting at the center of a lawsuit filed Tuesday. The order states the DIA is prohibited "from damaging, destroying, concealing, disposing, moving, or using as to substantially impair its value." A hearing is set for Jan. 19 at 10 a.m. The piece, "Liseuse de Romans" or "The Novel Reader," is at the center of a newly filed lawsuit against the DIA. A Brazilian art collector, Gustavo Soter, claims he bought the piece six years ago for $3.7 million. At that time, he said he gave possession of the painting to a third party but not the title. He said that a third party took off with the painting immediately. After six years of searching for it, the Brazilian art collector saw a photo of it on social media and learned the piece is on display at the DIA. Now, the art collector is suing the DIA. Wayne State University Fine Arts professor emeritus Jeffrey Abt told 7 Action News this type of ordeal isn't unheard of. "These things happen, and they've been happening more frequently in recent years as people who are disputing works of art discover that they are in a museum sometimes temporarily, sometimes as part of a loan exhibition as is the case here... discover that they are in a museum," Abt explained.

Detroit's Jazz community is mourning the death of Gretchen Valade, who passed away last week at the age of 97. The Carhartt heiress was a prominent arts supporter and philanthropist who founded Mack Avenue Records and kept the Detroit Jazz Festival alive. "I came to call her the 'Angel of Jazz' many years ago because she has this purity of vision, purity of dream," Chris Collins,  Professor and Director of Jazz Studies and Valade Endowed Chair in Jazz at Wayne State University, said. In doing so, Valade turned the dreams of countless artists into reality.  Sharing her success to ensure there was a thriving Jazz community in metro Detroit.  "What she's about is breaking down barriers so that people can participate in these things. Everyone is invited to the party," Collins said. One of those parties, the Detroit Jazz Festival, that Valade rescued more than a decade ago. She established a foundation with a $10 million endowment to keep the largest free Jazz festival in North America alive. In recent years Valade donated $9.5 million to Wayne State University for a new Jazz center that will bear her name. "It will put a footprint of Jazz right on Cass Avenue in a facility that is more than a club, but not quite as huge as the festival where we have 1000s of people just in that right spot," Collins said.

Feeling proud of your background is key to one’s mental health when dealing with online racism, a new study in the Journal of Applied Communication Research suggests. Identity affirmation was linked to better psychological health in Asian Americans who were faced by a rise in online hate speech at the start of the COVID pandemic. Being proud of who you are and what you stand for, a form of resilience, was also associated with better physical health, better personal relationships and greater satisfaction with living circumstances. “Online hate speech attacks deep components of human identity and so may have sparked people’s need to reaffirm core elements of who they are,” says researcher Stephanie Tom Tong, an associate professor of communication studies at Wayne State University in the US. “This may have offered them comfort, provided them with meaning or helped guide their behavior, making them more able to protect themselves against the damaging effects of online racial harassment.” 

By Lauren Hodges Following the shooting at The University of Virginia and a Ukrainian missile that crossed into Poland, Twitter users expressed hesitation about the information they saw on the platform. At the core of the confusion was Twitter’s new – and frequently changing – policies that have been implemented since Elon Musk’s tenure as a owner and CEO began in late October. A blue check mark used to mean a user’s identity had been verified. Musk introduced a now-paused Twitter Blue in early November to offer a subscription plan for the blue check mark. Soon after, Twitter was flooded was impersonators and misinformation. Musk announced the company was taking action to address fake accounts. But the damage may have already been done. “Many will be looking for other ways to connect with people and to get information,” says Donyale Padgett, a professor of communication studies at Wayne State University. Padgett has done extensive studies on how Twitter has been used to reach the public during natural disasters, most recently focusing on Hurricane Harvey in 2017. Padgett says the platform’s usefulness in these situations is mainly about access. “Especially in a crisis situation, it’s a way to share information with the greatest number of people. The people whose lives are most affected by the situation might not have a lot of options. They need to get this information and they need to get it quickly.” She said that’s also what makes people vulnerable to misinformation, making verification – which used to be Twitter’s job - so important. “Now, it’s a free-for-all,” said Padgett. “To think that could be compromised? It doesn’t make me feel good. It definitely is a breach of confidence in the whole system.”

By Eddie B. Allen Jr. The Detroit Metro Times is covering the case of Mario Willis, who supporters say was wrongfully sentenced for up to 30 years behind bars following a 2008 fire that resulted in the death of Walter Harris, a Detroit firefighter. As part of the investigation, the Metro Times’ telephone calls and emails seeking interviews from the Detroit Fire Department were not answered, and Michigan Freedom of Information Act requests for fire and police investigation records remain unanswered by the City of Detroit. Fred Vultee, a Wayne State University journalism instructor whose courses address reporting about government agency operations, says withholding public information hinders citizen trust. “In my journalism professor capacity, I’d say that’s not cool. That’s not how it’s supposed to work,” Vultee said. “Whether it’s for good or ill, we don’t attached any blame to people who say, ‘I’m just trying to protect my friends.’ The point is to make sure that matters are being done and addressed in the public’s interest.”

By Duante Beddingfield Wayne State University will bid farewell to its Hilberry Theatre on Nov. 20, after the venue hosts its final performance. Over the past 58 years, more than 600 productions have been mounted in the space. Following its closing, it will be transformed into the Gretchen C. Valade Jazz Center. “There is a great sense of readiness, joy and anticipation that everyone is feeling,” said Mary Anderson, chair of Wayne State’s Maggie Allesee Department of Theatre and Dance. “We do not feel like we are saying goodbye to the former Hilberry space, so much as we are making way for the incredible opportunity to build the Valade, a world-class jazz center that will feature our extraordinary educational music programming and also welcome guests from all over the world.”

The Maggie Allesee Department of Theatre and Dance in the College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts at Wayne State University is proud to present Rent, which is directed by Michael Barnes and runs through October 2. Rent is about falling in love, finding your voice, and survival in the precarious climate of the East Village in 1980s New York City. During the run of Rent, the Hilberry Theatre will host a block of the 54-ton AIDS Memorial Quilt, which is the premiere symbol and living memorial of a generation lost to AIDS as well as an important HIV prevention education tool. A past member of the Hilberry Graduate Company, Alan Harvey, died due to pneumonia caused by AIDS shortly after receiving his M.F.A. diploma. Theatre and Dance at Wayne will be dedicating the run of Rent to Alan, and the quilt will serve as a demonstration that the themes covered in Rent are not only relevant to the present, but are close to home as well.  

By Sue Suchyta Theatre and Dance at Wayne launches its 2022-2023 theatre season with the Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning Jonathan Larson rock musical “Rent,” which runs Sept. 23 to Oct. 2 at the Hilberry Theater. Set in 1989 in New York City’s East Village during the first wave of the AIDS crisis, “Rent” is about falling in love, finding one’s voice and living for today, as a group of diverse artists and friends struggle to follow their dreams. Director Michael Barnes said “Rent” has developed a large following. “In many ways, it was the first rock opera that was written about Generation X but it has continued to reverberate with young people because all the characters are 20-somethings,” he said. “The music would not sound out-of-place on popular radio today.” X. Alexander Durden, who plays Roger, said the show still resonates with audiences more than three decades after it debuted. “This show still rings true in its themes of wealth disparity, classism and following one’s passions,” he said. “I hope it inspires everyone to be the change they want to see and fight for the things all people should be granted as a right.” Jessica Annuziata, who plays Joanne, said the show’s music is filled with energy and passion. “’Rent’ is a story about really living live, striving to make the best out of bad news and being there for our fellow human beings,” she said.

By Sue Suchyta  Whether you prefer the rock musical “Rent” or Shakespeare’s “The Merry Wives of Windsor” – or both – there’s an exciting round of shows ahead as Wayne State University launches its new season in anticipation of the opening of its new Hilberry Gateway Theater in late winter. Department chair Mary Anderson said she is both proud and humbled by the tenacity and creativity of the faculty, staff and students who have weathered the pandemic and developed a vision for the department’s upcoming season. “The 2022-2023 season will engage and enchant us with the beauty and power that only dance and theater can express,” she said. Anderson expressed appreciation for the community partners and patrons who have continued their support throughout the challenges of the last few years, amid a pandemic and the construction of the Hilberry Gateway. “We are building the Gateway together,” she said. “We are all entering into an extraordinary new chapter of collective creation.”