ART THAT GIVES BACK

Art That Gives Back: The Michigan Glass Project

Documentary | 90 Minutes |2023

 

Art that Gives Back tells the inspiring story of a dedicated community of artists who dig deep to give back to their struggling city. As budget cuts decimated essential arts programming in public schools, The Michigan Glass Project, led by a tight-knit crew of glass pipe makers, knew they had to do something to bring art classes back to the children of Detroit.

 

Since 2012, they have hosted an annual multimedia festival in the Russell Industrial Center, bringing flame workers, visual artists, painters, musicians, and thousands of glass enthusiasts together to fund Art Road Detroit, a nonprofit that brings art classes directly back into schools. To date, The Michigan Glass Project has raised over $500,000, and has assisted in reinstating art curricula for more than 2,200 children throughout the city.

 

This retrospective documentary from award-winning Director Daniel R. Collins (Daniel R. Collins - IMDb) details over ten years of the extraordinary efforts put forth by the Michigan Glass Project. It challenges stereotypes about the cannabis community, illuminates the power of community to create change, and above all celebrates the future of Detroit, embodied by its emerging generations of creative young students.