Would you like to craft with your friends, while relaxing in the middle of a Detroit street? Or browse hundreds of handmade zines, while surrounded by one of the city’s biggest parties? On Saturday, September 7, these opportunities will be yours, when Small Craft and the Trumbullplex Zine Library converge at Dally in the Alley to create a cozy and inspiring outdoor lounge.

We’re so excited about these opportunities that we’ve altered our customary schedule. Please note that we will gather on the first Saturday in September, rather than the second.

Craft-A-Way Camp

From Craft-A-Way Camp to our Garden Party, we’ve spent much of our summer crafting outdoors with friends. Dally in the Alley offers us one last chance to do so, before the winter sends us all inside. While the festival’s exhilarating chaos swirls around us, we’ll share an assortment of popular outdoor craft projects. (Yes, campers: we will be painting and wrapping sticks!) And as always, you’re welcome to bring along your own craft, and enjoy some supportive company and stimulating atmosphere while you work.

Dally in the Alley, 2006

We will be in Dally’s Community Space at the corner of 2nd and Hancock, with other activities for crafters and their children close at hand. (Rumor has it that the incredible  PuppetART troupe will be nearby, teaching kids to make their own puppets!) The festival as a whole fills neighborhood streets and alleys, and features bustling crowds, aromatic food, and non-stop music. So if you’re anywhere near the Cass Corridor, you won’t be able to miss it!

Trumbullplex Zine Library. Photo: Ashleigh Davis

With more than a thousand independent publications, and a unique two-story reading room, the Trumbullplex Zine Library is one of Detroit’s hidden cultural gems. Everyone is welcome to visit the Library during its Tuesday evening open hours, or during the many events the Trumbullplex Theater hosts each month. Yet it remains a secret known mostly to local punks and librarians.

That feeling of finding lost treasure is part of the appeal of the Zine Library. But it’s a collection that has something to say to the larger public, so highlights are occasionally shared via temporary Zine Lounges. At Dally, the Zine Lounge will provide a soothing break from an overwhelming party. If you’ve visited past Lounges at the Detroit Urban Craft Fair or Allied Media Conference, you know what to expect: friendly folks, soft seating, and a leisurely look through decades of DIY expression.

Detroit Urban Craft Fair, 2010

The Trumbullplex and Dally in the Alley are two of the best places to catch a glimpse of the bohemian spirit that once roared through the Cass Corridor like a mighty river. Both have roots in Common Ground, an artists’ collective of the 196os and ’70s. Common Ground sculptor Arthur Wenk made his home and studio in the space that is now the Trumbullplex, and shared them with other local artists. Dally in the Alley is said to have its origins in Common Ground’s annual barbeques.

Much has changed since the days of Common Ground, but creative collaboration is still a vital tradition in Detroit. It’s a tradition that is nourished whenever we get together with our friends to craft. A tradition that has thrived in summer’s sunlight. And a tradition that will be celebrated in the streets as summer ends.

Trumbullplex Zine Lounge
Saturday, September 7
11:00 – 4:00 pm
Dally in the Alley
Community Space
2nd and Hancock
Detroit