I've thought about the relationship between Motown and Detroit, and I think for my IP, I want to focus on 'place'. I like the progression of a street, house, or building: what it looked like before and what it looks like now. I want to find the old streets that the Temptations crooned on before they were the Temptations, the corners where 11 year old Stevie Wonder played his harmonica. All of these artists started as just Detroiters, and became superstars. I also want to look at the street corners themselves, to see how they've changed since then.
WHAT I DID
-Went to the Music Library, checked out a couple books on Motown with great photos.
-E-mailed the Motown Museum about talking to someone about the streets surrounding Hitsville and where the artists used to hang out.
-Compiled some images of the Motown groups together
-Read
WHAT I ACCOMPLISHED
-Learned more about the beginning of Motown, starting with Berry Gordy.
-Established a clearer goal for my work.
WHAT'S NEXT
- Visit the Motown Museum
- Read "Dancing in the Street"
Michelle,
ReplyDeleteSounds like you made a solid step forward. Thinking about place – its past, its potential-using Motown as the framework, makes a lot of sense based on our conversation earlier this week about your own connections to Detroit.
I look forward to hearing about your trip to the museum and what you find in Suzanne Smith’s book Dancing in the Street. (I haven’t read it yet but have heard great things about it.)
--Stephanie