A New Art Renaissance Is Happening In Detroit.
BY RICK BROWN APRIL 4, 2024
Ty Rawls, Fine Arts Painter
There are two schools when it comes to the Detroit Fine Arts Breakfast Club, before Noni’s and after Noni’s. When the pandemic hit in 2018, and the Republicans screwed everything up, the DFABC was at Noni’s restaurant on Livernois Ave in Detroit. At that time little did the major players in the art world know that the artists to come out of that club in the next ten years would be the best in the world. On Mondays, every Monday, the best artists in Detroit would gather in one place, Noni's Restaurant on Livernois Ave. Livernois was a “hot spot”, but Noni's made it even hotter, and the breakfast club made it hot enough to produce some of the best art in America. The reason those artists gathered at that spot was because they knew one big secret, the most intelligent collectors were at the breakfast club, waiting to own a masterpiece from an undiscovered artist. The collectors of Detroit were no ordinary collectors, they were seasoned, educated pros, the best collectors of modern Black art that exist today. These collectors created an atmosphere for artists to thrive, and dream. Money doesn’t drive the best artists, but the best artists know that collectors only pay for the work that is worth it. When an artist sells a piece to a big collector it is validation of the work.
Noni's in Detroit, home of the DFABC
In 2018 an artist named Ty Rawls stepped into Noni’s restaurant expecting to be underwhelmed. Ty had been in gallery shows in New York, in Boston and in L.A., and he knew that diners were no place for an art show. But, as soon as he arrived he had to swallow his pride and realize he was wrong. Very wrong. That night he saw more art move than in the last event he had in Los Angeles. He was amazed. He was hooked, immediately. Ty showed up the next week, and the week after that, watching the spectacle, amazed at how much art was being purchased in a diner every Monday night. It was was a phenomenon! The competitive side of Ty was awakened, and he got to work, quickly upgrading his work to please his new audience. The collectors of the breakfast club, whether they know it or not are contributing to the creation of Ty’s work. Soon Ty would create “Sound Wave Experience”, a six by four foot awe inspiring painting that honors Jimi Hendrix.
"Sound Wave Experience" By Ty Rawls
Soundwave Experience is a unique piece among Ty's Body of work because this piece represents music, sound, and artistic expression. It is rare that Ty strays from the subjects of social justice, the black experience, and civil rights.
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