Nora Blog

Nora believes that art and design can bind people together and inspire a dialogue around what is thought-provoking and beautiful. We trust artists and designers and their abilities to contribute this city, and it is our commitment to help share their work. Using our platform as purveyors of objects and ideas, we bring you this yearly exhibition indicative of art and design in May, 2021.

The works in this show are imagined as statements of anti-manufacturing. They tip their hat to classic forms and play with our understanding of functional objects. Ideas put forward in...

The night before the public opening of Nora’s Culture Lab pop-up, the store hosted a wild bash to kick things off. If the Detroit Arterari is a thing, they were in attendance. The store was packed to the teeth with artists, business owners, green enthusiasts and overwhelmed introverts alike. Beyond not being able to see past whomever was directly in front of me, the first thing that struck me when I walked into Nora was the massive wall of golden hay that had been installed for the pop-up designed by New York artist David Stark. This wasn’t Stark’s first rodeo...

In ancient Detroit mythology, there is a winter weather god known as Finna. When you look out a window at an oblique grey sky and wonder whether or not it will snow, know that it’s Finna. It was Finna snow the night of Nora’s three year anniversary celebration, but that did not deter an intimate gathering to welcome Scott Hocking’s new book Detroit Nights into the world.

Hocking partnered with Nora’s own Toby Barlow to bring this gorgeous tome of digital photographs together. While much of Hocking’s work evokes mythology and symbolism in the midst of decay, Detroit Nights takes...

The re:TREAD macramé plant hangers designed by Kelly Behun Studio for Nora’s Culture Lab Detroit are difficult to look away from. They are imposing, bold, and sturdy enough to survive life on a Michigan porch during winter. What you cannot tell by looking at them is that these planters were produced in a space created to address issues that too many of us try to avert our eyes from.
Cass Community Social Services, a large multi-purpose complex that provides housing and employment for people in need is truly a Detroit gem. With over 100 employees, Cass Green Industries, one...