Ann Arbor Creativity and Making Expo (AACME)

The Ann Arbor Creativity and Making Expo (AACME) is back and you're invited! Come celebrate the maker movement with skills from across the last hundred years, from pinhole photography to modern robotics! Enjoy hands-on demos from local maker spaces, learn about ham radio, solder an LED badge, see an upholstery demonstration, use our heat press, and so much more! This year, we're also building our own Maker City live at AACME and you are invited to be your own architect, engineer, and builder. All ages and abilities are welcome.

Zine Workshop with Steve Hughes

Zines are self-made little magazines or booklets that can be about absolutely anything! They can be made using a single sheet of paper or printed more professionally. Zines can include writing, comics, collage, art, or anything you can think of. In this workshop, you'll be able to make your own zine and copy and share it with others. You are also welcome to bring a recent issue of your zine to show off. Presented by zine maker Steve Hughes, who has published Stupor since 1995.

Fifth Avenue Studios Presents Melody Korkmaz

Melody Korkmaz will perform music from her debut album “I Know You Didn’t Ask,”. She's a 20-year-old independent singer-songwriter who uses her music to explore themes of identity, love, and self-expression. If you like indie, pop, or R&B vibes, come and listen!

Melody's album was created with the help of Fifth Avenue Studios and will be available to stream in the AADL catalog on February 17.

Author Event | A Bright Heart: An Evening with Fantasy Author Kate Chenli

What if you could avenge your own murder? A brilliant young woman gets a second chance at life in this debut Young Adult tale of vengeance, court intrigue, and romance, inspired by classic Chinese tropes.

Come meet local author Kate Chenli as she reads an excerpt of her debut novel A Bright Heart. After her reading there will be time for questions from the audience followed by a book signing! Copies of A Bright Heart will be available for purchase at the event. 

The African American History of Detroit

Join us for a presentation by Professor Peter Boykin on the African American History of Detroit, beginning with illegal slavery in the city, as well as the city becoming a haven for the Underground Railroad. Other topics explored will be the Great Migration of African Americans from the South to Detroit, the election of Coleman Young as mayor, and the economic and political power of the African American population in the city during the latter half of the 20th century.

Film Screening and Panel Discussion | God Said Give 'Em Drum Machines

Historically, economically, and artistically, Detroit has had to fight for survival. And it’s had to fight even harder for recognition. The spirit of that fight is epitomized by GOD SAID GIVE ‘EM DRUM MACHINES (GSGEDM), a documentary 12 years in the making which traces the birth of techno music to its unlikely origins in the D.