Misha McGlown, June 19th, 2024

Misha McGlown, June 19th, 2024

In this interview, Misha McGlown shares her and her company's experiences with Covid-19 and climate change.

Detroit Historical Society

6/19/24

Detroit Historical Society

en-US

Misha McGlown

Misha Mcglown grew up in Detroit before spending 20 years in New York city. She returned to her home town and established the Irwin Gallery as a way for the community to express it's self through art work

Kevin Hawthorne

28:08

Kevin Hawthorne: This is Kevin Hawthorne with the Detroit Historical Museum oral history project on climate change, and I am joined here today by.

Misha McGlown: Misha McGlown. I am the gallery director at Irwin House Gallery in Detroit.

KH: All right and could you spell your name just for the record?

MMG: M i s h a M c G l o w n

KH: All right and do you live in the city of Detroit?

MMG: Yes I do.

KH: In which neighborhood?

MMG: Westend Detroit, on, West Grand Boulevard.

KH: And how long have you lived in that neighborhood?

MMG: I have actually been. I'm a native Detroiter. I grew up on the Northwest Side, and I returned to Detroit about five years ago, after living in New York for many years. So I've been there five years about.

KH: What brought you back to the city of Detroit?

MMG: Opening the business, the Irwin House Gallery with my aunt Valerie Erwin.

KH: And so, the gallery was started in 2015, and you've been there since it started?

MMG: Yes however, I was in the process of opening the gallery, building the space, which took a number of years I was going back and forth between New York and Detroit.

KH: And is- in what neighborhood is, Irwin Gallery established in?

MMG: It really is on the cusp of, LaSalle Gardens and northwestern Goldberg.

KH: So, we're here today. We're going to be talking a couple things about climate change and one have you seen climate change affect your neighborhood?

MMG: I believe so. We haven't, been severely impacted by climate change, but I've definitely seen the effects of, some of the recent flooding on a lot of our very close neighbors.

KH: But the Irwin gallery itself has not experienced anything like floods or any other adverse effects.

MMG: No no no no. We've had, a little bit of wind damage, downed trees, that type of thing. I, I don't know that I can say that's particularly unusual for this area.

KH: And what about your in your, just personal life. Have, any of you like neighbors in neighborhood felt the effects of climate change?

MMG: Yeah, we saw, severe, you know, some of our neighbors, our neighbors had very severe flood damage, in the floods that happened a couple of years ago. So, yeah, even across the street from us, it was just, some some people were affected by it and others weren't. There doesn't appear to be any rhyme or reason, but it is enough to cause concern.

KH: And with the Irwin Gallery. What are you hoping to do with, the Irwin Gallery in Detroit?

MMG: Just in general?

KH: Just in general.

MMG: Well, we are hoping to, serve and beautify our community, which I hope and believe we've done that. To engage, the immediate neighborhood through, public art and, public art programs, community engagement, events and, of course, provide exposure to the arts for the community and, and youth and of course, just for greater Detroit and, and Detroit's arts community and the global arts community. We're just hoping to continue to, provide a space to prevent-to present, quality, meaningful, engaging work and, create a space for emerging artists and other emerging, and aspiring businesses to be seen and to be able to, develop their projects.

KH: Do you think there is a possible intersection of how the arts community can engage with climate change? Like awareness?

MMG: Yes, definitely. And, we're seeing that in some of the artists that we've worked with and exhibited have, presented projects that are designed to raise awareness about, local concerns, environmental issues, issues as well as global issues so absolutely.

KH: Are there any artists in particular you'd like to highlight?

MMG: Off the top of my head, I can think of, Halima Cassells, who continues to use her art to, to raise awareness and to create local and global change. Bryce Detroit, even artists like, photographer Alante Davis, who through his, photographic lens, provides a way for us to really see all Detroiters. So there are lots of different ways that artists are using their respective media to- To shine a light on, on who we are as. As people and how we can do better in the world.

KH: Excellent. So, for yourself personally and for the Irwin Gallery, have you looked into getting any sort of green infrastructure such as solar panels or wind turbines?

MMG: Not wind turbines, but I'm very interested in solar panels, and I have, begun a line of inquiry, and it's something we're definitely seriously interested in doing. Yeah.

KH: Both for you and the Irwin Gallery?

MMG: Yeah. I mean, primarily for the Irwin Gallery. We, live next door, so I guess we'd have to kind of have an assessment to see which properties are eligible but I definitely believe the gallery would be eligible.

KH: And then in your local community, as, Irwin Gallery is part of, have you seen any other people who are, trying to raise awareness about climate change in your, neighborhood?

MMG: Let me see. I have to really think about that. I know that there is, an organization very close to us that, focuses on, recycling and, just really going through the community and educating people on, on recycling. There is, urban farming happening, there, you know, organizations, for instance, such as the, West Grand Boulevard Collaborative, who I know are keeping a watchful eye on, for instance, some of the, construction and industrial projects in the area to make sure their, you know, meeting, meeting environmental standards and community standards. So, yeah, I mean, I think, you know, just, splice throughout there are a lot of different individuals and groups that are, you know, working to make a difference.

KH: Very cool. How do you feel the local government has addressed some of the issues that brought about by climate change?

MMG: I don't know that I'm really, poised to give the best answer on that, but just based on some of the feedback that I'm seeing and of course, fortunately we haven't been directly impacted but, you know, I do I do listen to people and I listen to, some of the concerns and the complaints that I hear from people who are impacted. There does seem to be a lot of concern about I guess, the, the resilience of some of the, lower income inner city communities, which is, you know, a lot of us, their ability to, to respond to climate change and to respond to some of these climate events that we see happening and that we already know are going to continue to, to increase. So how, you know, how has the city responded to the the households that you know, are having issues with flooding or who live near Detroit's, waterways? How are the issues with infrastructure being addressed and are they being addressed adequately and, and quickly enough? It seems to me that a lot of, you know, the city's sewer systems are contributing to some of the problems that people are having with flooding. Yes we're having a lot of rain, we're having more rain than usual but what is happening with the sewer systems that's compounding, this flooding problem for the households and are those issues being addressed? I don't know. And are they being addressed to the best of the government's ability? Those are questions I can't answer, but I know that they need to be dealt with. Yeah.

KH: No. Yeah, definitely. Some of these are big questions that don't, many of these do not have easy answers for sure. But, definitely, we've gotten the view that sometimes people in these local communities feel like they are not seen as much.

MMG: Right

KH: And then, you know, in addition to, you know, just, issues with flooding and climate change, there's also been, we just last night had a pretty large storm and, me and myself and many other people in the metro Detroit area that have lost power. Has that been an issue that you guys have been concerned about? Because in the past, you know, you know, growing up, you expected a couple power outages a year. It's just something that happens but yeah, in the past, like 3 or 4 summers, especially since 2021, which was, you know, historically one of the worst years for flooding. You know, people would lose power for like, 3 or 4 days at a time. Has that been something you guys have been concerned about?

MMG: Yes, absolutely. And I don't even know how I didn't think of that first. We haven't had any severe power issues but again, anything that we have not experienced I don't take it for granted that we won't experience it. Whether it's flooding, whether it's, prolonged power outages, any time it doesn't happen to u I just feel like we missed the bullet that day. But Yeah, we have had power outages, actually, the past couple of years. We've been pretty fortunate w haven't had any, but we've had a few, multi-day, you know, power outages over the past, within the past five years and Yeah, that that is a concern. I mean, I don't I don't know what the answer is to that, but I do know that, it's not acceptable and our, our energy bills are not that low. So we are, you know, paying, healthy price for services that, you know, we should be able to, to receive. I also know that the city, it's a lot, you know, it's a lot. Our, powerlines are above ground. We have, we have severe storms, and we have a lot of a lot of big, amazing, beautiful trees. And, so I don't know what the answer I and I do know that when these power outages happen, they, you know, I see them, they're working very hard to restore the power, but, yeah, they, they, they, they got to do better.

KH: And obviously, we are in the midst of summer right now where we often expect inclement storms. Have you also had to deal with anything like power outages and inclement weather during the winters?

MMG: I do believe we've had, I can remember at least one winter power outage. Not in the not in the past couple of years. But, yeah, we've had to deal with that and yeah, again, fortunately for us, they weren't, prolonged to the point where we couldn't stay in the house.

KH: So, I have a question that I thought of so you said, when did you live in New York? From which years?

MMG: I had until now I've been in New York for over 20 years yeah.

KH: But you said you grew up in Detroit.

MMG: Yeah.

KH: So I always like to ask those of people who have, you know, left Detroit and then come back. Have you noticed, like, the summers and seasons have changed? Like, have you noticed, like a big difference in between now like summer and winter is used to feel when you were growing up versus how they are right now?

MMG: We there was definitely more of, a distinct, change in seasons. We definitely had more snow. I don't- and perhaps this is my, you know, memory changing is, you know, you look back on things and they look different. But, I don't remember ever seeing the ground during the winter months. Once the snow started, you did not see the ground until the spring. So it still feels very odd to me that for most of the winter now, I'm looking at grass. So that's the, the most notable change I do remember as a child, summers being very hot. You know, I, I remember summers being feeling so hot that even as a, as a kid who wanted to go play in the street, by the end of the summer, I was like, okay, I'm good. I, I'm ready, you know? But I kind of I don't feel like that anymore because. Honestly to me, although we have some very hot days and very hot spells, I also feel like we have more cool days in the summer and we definitely have, more storms, more, you know, more rain and more storms you know, where you don't get to go out and enjoy summer like you used to yeah.

KH: Absolutely. And in general, from the feedback you've seen from people in your community with climate change, do you think people are concerned about it, or do you think some people seem a little bit more apathetic?

MMG: I think overall, people are concerned about climate- climate change. They're concerned about the increasing severity of storms. My concern, and I don't know how accurate this is, but are you from this this area?

KH: I grew up in the metro Detroit area. I have moved around I've lived in, Rochester, Royal Oak, Ferndale, and I currently reside in Madison Heights, and I've been working at the Detroit Historical Museum for, about three years so I come into the city fairly often.

MMG: Okay, so so you're from the you grew up around here, so, tornadoes were always a concern. You know, just as a kid, there were, you know, there were tornado warnings. You know, you knew what to do. You know, you were supposed to go in the basement and all that. But there wasn't a serious concern that the tornadoes were going to come into the city. That feels different now. So, yeah, I do think there is a concern. The question was, was whether I saw a concern for climate change in my community and I do think there is a concern in the changing weather, weather patterns, but also a lot of us, our homes now, you know, 100 years old, so there is a concern about the work that we need to do on our homes to to make these structures, sustainable, you know, hopefully for another hundred years and then also, the work that the city needs to do on, its infrastructure that is also, you know, hundred. A century old, you know.

KH: Absolutely. And then what would you say to someone who says they are concerned about climate change and they want to be able to be doing more, or if they want to be aware, what would you advice would you give them?

MMG: I think we all have to. Look at what we have the capacity to do individually. You know, as homeowners, as renters, if it means petitioning our landlords to do certain things. So what what actions are within our power to take and if we need support to implement those actions? Where can we go for that support? You know, so for me personally, I am I am interested in exploring solar power. I have no idea how to do this. I have talked to one of our city officials about it but it does, It's going to require, further investigation on my part. So that's that's my job, you know, and then there are certain things that we're going to have to demand, from our city government, and I, I do always with anything, there's certain things that that will be afforded to you and then there are certain things that you're not going to get unless you ask for or unless you demand those things. So we do have to organize and, demand the things that our communities need.

KH: Absolutely and then on the inverse of that, a little bit of a difficult question. What would you say to someone who says, I don't think climate change is real or an issue?

MMG: I don't know. I mean, I'm not I'm not the person who typically tries to change other people's minds. So, and I'm also I'm not the person who has the the statistics at my fingertips. But you know, for those people, I would just suggest to them, you know, all the things that I just said, okay, these things that are that are affecting you, that may affect you. Maybe you don't feel like they're a result of climate change, but they're happening. So what are you going to do?

KH: Absolutely. And, now we're going to move away from climate change and I'm going to ask a couple questions about, the Covid 19 pandemic and you know, it is, 2024 and I feel like it's easy to say we're in a post-Covid world. But we have to remember like, there's literally I think I saw on the news yesterday there's already a new strain. So it's something we still are living with but obviously we have seen past the worst, most adverse effects but my question is, first of like, how did Covid impact you personally, especially with the Irwin Gallery?

MMG: Well, we had just opened we'd had we'd had one kind of pre-opening exhibition, which was, a tribute that we did for Aretha Franklin when she passed and we were still under construction. We hadn't officially opened yet. So, you know, there was no floors, no lights, nothing. But it was just something that we felt we needed to do, to allow our immediate community where she grew up and where her father's church was, and the creative community to express, you know, how she's impacted us all and then we closed for a year to complete the construction, and then we had one exhibition and Covid hit, and I thought, we are done. We are done. It's a wrap. We just got the doors open and it is a wrap. And I really thought that was going to be the end of it, you know, for us getting off the ground and just for the arts in general but it proved to be the exact opposite that a lot of people during that time really turned to their own creativity. Whether it was the output of of art creating art, a lot of people who hadn't had time to do it before, were creating work. And then a lot of people were supporting the arts. Whether it's purchasing work for their home because people were at home and they needed things, they needed to surround themselves with things that, you know, fortify their spirit. Again, it's a matter of. Taking control of the things that you can control. And that was one thing that people could control. We couldn't control what was going on outside, whether we, you know, to a degree, whether we were going to get Covid or not, but we could control our own personal spaces and a lot of people did that through the arts. So that was, one positive and an unexpected outcome.

KH: All right. That is incredible and it often is you know, art can get people through hard times.

MMG: Yeah. Yeah, I definitely saw that. Yes.

KH: And then did you personally get Covid?

MMG: Yes.

KH: I think I think at this point, almost everyone, what was your experience with having it?

MMG: I got it kind of, I don't want to say toward the end because it's not over, but but toward the end of that intense, you know, period and, I mean, I lived and I wasn't hospitalized. So I guess it, you know, it wasn't that severe. I don't wish it on anybody but, but it wasn't it wasn't that severe in in in, in in one sense, I was, happy to get it and get it over with.

KH: No. Absolutely. Yeah. And, how did you feel the, local government's response to Covid was, do you think it was adequate, or was there things that you wish they had done differently?

MMG: I, I think that-I felt that the response was was good. There were a lot of resources available to people. There were a lot of places to go to get free testing. To get. You know, vaccines, if you needed that you wanted or wanted or needed a vaccine. So from what I could see, you know, the there were a lot of, you know, and communities reached out to, to help each other, people within their communities so.

KH: Yeah. And, with Covid, you know, this is like a one, like a very in, like, you know, like late, once in a lifetime thing, but are you worried about seeing another, disease like Covid in your lifetime?

MMG: I'm not worried about it, but do I believe it can happen? Yes and I will worry about it when it happens, if it happens.

KH: And, just to wrap up, is there anything that we haven't discussed that you would like to bring up?

MMG: Well, you know, just to speak to Covid one of the things that I'm, I think about a lot is that I feel that there's been, there's just been a shift in consciousness. You know, in everything, everything feels different. You know, I feel like there was, you know, because before Covid and, you know, bc, ac and that, you know, we're we're just living in a very different world now. Covid was a big part of that. Obviously, there are a lot of other factors, you know, political, environmental, everything feels different. So there's a kind of shifting of, of consciousness and, spirituality and, physicality that has to occur within all of us to just kind of, prepare ourselves to I don't want to say combat, but to be able to meet the challenges that are ahead of us and I think not just health challenges, but I think I'm really speaking, for political, political, issues that are on the, on the rise and for our communities, you know, to really pay, we really have to pay attention, all of us. You know, there's there's work that we all have to do and we have to do together and none of us can, none of us can afford to, sit on the sidelines anymore. Yeah.

KH: Absolutely. Thank you so much for being here.

MMG: You too. Thank you for having me.