Deepa Butoliya: Motown Masala 2

Detroit Month of Design will feature Stamps Assistant Professor Deepa Butoliya’s Motown Masala 2, a new exhibition that celebrates Detroit’s legacy of design. The exhibition will run from September 6 – 30, on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 2 – 8 p.m. at 9135 Oakland Avenue, Detroit, MI (Oakland Avenue Cooperative Greenhouse and the adjacent Agri Art Alley). 

Detroit’s legacy of resilience and creative reinvention takes center stage in Motown Masala 2: Ingenuity and Jugaad in Detroit, a participatory exhibition returning for Detroit Month of Design 2025. Building on its acclaimed debut, this second iteration amplifies the city’s grassroots genius, inviting a broader audience to explore how Detroit’s makers, artists, and communities transform scarcity into abundance through improvisation, repair, and collective care.

The exhibition reimagines the concept of Jugaad — a South Asian philosophy of frugal innovation — through Detroit’s lens. Curated by Deepa Butoliya and Ulysses Newkirk, the show features co-created installations, interactive workshops, and multimedia storytelling that bridge Detroit’s DIY ethos with global practices of adaptive design. Visitors will encounter dynamic works by local artisans, urban farmers, and grassroots collectives.

Motown Masala 2: Ingenuity and Jugaad in Detroit
Exhibition Opening: September 6 from 5:00 pm — 8:00 pm (RSVP)
Red Door Digital, 7500 Oakland Street, Detroit, MI 48221