DETROIT REPATCHED IS A 2021 KNIGHT ARTS CHALLENGE DETROIT WINNING PROJECT!
AN ARTS-INFUSED GREEN SPACE & ART HUB IN BRIGHTMOOR
Art + Land | Art + People | Art + Home
About Us
Welcome to Detroit rePatched!
In 2019, Yvette and Joshua Rock purchased a small house on Bentler Street in Detroit's Brightmoor neighborhood. The couple primarily used the house as a retreat space. They began purchasing side lots and Yvette's small business, Live Coal Gallery, LLC began to build out a former land bank home located across the street from the retreat house. Over the next three years, the couple worked slowly in restoring the lots that were once filled with trash, dead trees and overgrowth. Today, they have dedicated the space towards the beautification and vibrancy of that part of Detroit so that generations to come may enjoy it! The non-profit organization founded and directed by Yvette, Live Coal, now oversees the programming of the spaces. The program is called Detroit rePatched.
Detroit rePatched is an arts-infused green space and art hub in Detroit’s Brightmoor neighborhood. From the youngest of us to the oldest, Detroit rePatched will be a place where we connect Art + Land, Art + People, and Art + Home.
Art + Land means working around and with the naturally existing landscape. Our Live Coal Collective will create and install innovative works of public art, structures, and gardens utilizing our outdoor multi-functional studio spaces, our stage/outdoor classroom, and surrounding green space. Some of these works will be permanent and others temporary. We will break some of the barriers between private and public art processes. Even as the pandemic is still on our minds and in our lives, artists play a crucial role in the continual healing of our communities.
Art + People means connecting and engaging neighbors and the broader public with our project and each other. Now more than ever, Detroiters need safe, vibrant, and peaceful neighborhoods that are preserved and uplifted by native and long-time Detroiters. Detroit rePatched will provide the space and context for us to think creatively and outside of the box while fostering genuine connections with one another.
Art + Home means working to restore homes, structures, and vacant lots that have existed in and around us, including the renovation of a Detroit Land Bank property which we are turning it into an Art House. The Art House will host a maker-in-resident and community gatherings. We will set up a small tech hub for youth and adults interested in creative technology, graphic design and documentary work.
Detroit rePatched will be documented through video, photography, writing, and social media through the life of the project.
This welcome gate pictured here was designed and built by Brightmoor resident and Live Coal Collective member, Mark Schumack.
Educational Programming
We currently focus on educational programs that revolve around technology, sewing, and fine arts. Classes and workshops are led by professionals and local community members and open to adults and children. All classes are free of charge and on a first come first serve basis.
If you're interested in participating in a class, contact us! In summer of 2023, we are conducting sewing classes until June 20th; our computer graphic design class begin August 9th. Email admin@livecoal.org if you're interested in future workshops and classes.
About the Founder
Yvette Rock Bio
Yvette Rock received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Cooper Union in New York City and a Master of Fine Arts in painting from University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. She spent one year as a Visiting Scholar during her post-graduate stint at U of M. It was during this time that Rock conceived of Detroit Connections, a program that fostered collaboration between U of M and Detroit schools and organizations. She has worked as artist-in-residence with InsideOut Literary Arts Project, founded a local after-school program, is a community activist, and collaborates with artists of various disciplines. Rock has exhibited throughout southeast Michigan, including the Carr Center, Detroit Artists Market, Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center, Ellen Kayrod Gallery, and National Conference of Artists. She is the founder and CEO of Live Coal Gallery, a a Detroit-based small business that collects, curates, exhibits, and sells contemporary works of art. LCG also provides consultation and commissioned services centered around art-making, art practices, art education, and the art ecosystem. In 2018, she opened The RED, a children's art museum in Detroit. Live Coal Gallery is a 2017 and 2019 Knight Arts Challenge winner. In 2022, Rock founded Live Coal, the non-profit organization whose mission is to transform lives and neighborhoods through art, community development, and education. Rock is a 2019 Facing Change: Documenting Detroit fellow. She lives in Detroit with her husband and five children.
