The contemporary pop-up art environments of Pop-X, combating poverty with intensive social services, and Alex Haley’s mission to tell the world about Ypsi’s dating scene… on episode 30 of the Saturday Six Pack

This past weekend’s episode of the Saturday Six Pack, roughly speaking, was divided into three equally juicy, and satisfying, parts.

First, we talked with Omari Rush about Ann Arbor’s upcoming multi-day contemporary art event POP-X. Rush and I, among other things, discussed the stress that comes along with trying to launch a high-profile public art event in the shadow of Art Prize, and how this stress has been manifesting itself in his dreams. [If you don’t listen for any other reason, you should download this episode just to hear Rush explaining how, in a recent dream, he found himself being sent to a concentration camp, where an alligator-like creature had been set loose to hunt him down and eat him.] We talked about how the idea for POP-X had come about, how the artists were chosen for the inaugural event, which will center around a series of pop-up pavilions in Ann Arbor’s Liberty Plaza Park, and what measures had been taken to include the regular inhabitants of said park. Here’s Rush telling us about the contribution of Ypsilanti photographer Nick Azzaro, whose pavilion will feature the portraits of those folks I mentioned before, who can often be found in the small park at the intersection of Liberty and Division, in downtown Ann Arbor.

[For a schedule of events taking place over the ten days of POP-X click here.]

Next, after listening to a new song by our friend in Kenya, Dr. Pete Lason, we called the editor of Livability.com at his home in Chicago and asked him to explain how Ypsilanti, of all places, wound up on his company’s recent list of “The 10 Best Cities for Singles.” [Our call starts at the 50-minute mark.] If you, like me, read the article and had questions about their methodology, you might want to check it out. Livability.com’s Matt Carmichael does a pretty good job of explaining how it was that we came to be on the list, and he even indulges us a bit as we push the conversation beyond Ypsi, asking about things like the the STD rates of various retirement communities in Florida… Oh, and we learned that, in addition to writing The Autobiography of Malcolm X and Roots: The Saga of an American Family, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Alex Haley also co-founded Livability.com… So it appears as though, at least indirectly, we have Alex Haley to thank for our being listed as the 6th best place in the United States for single people to get laid.

[If you would like to listen to episode thirty of The Saturday Six Pack, you can either download it from iTunes or scroll the bottom of the page, where you’ll find the Soundcloud file embedded.]

And, after our freewheeling discussion about the local singles scene, we talked with Russ Olwell, the director of Eastern Michigan University’s Institute for the Study of Children, Families and Communities about the recent news that, based on the success of their programs to help families at Ypsilanti’s Hamilton Crossing, they’ve been chosen to run a national pilot study under the auspices of the recently launched Strong Families Fund. [The Strong Families Fund is a $70 million initiative launched by The Kresge Foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and several banks in order to, among other things, bring increased social services into affordable housing communities to support low-income families as they work to climb out of poverty.] We talked about the findings of their research thus far, the successes they’ve experienced in Ypsi public housing up until now, and what we can expect from this new initiative, which has put four full-time social workers, roughly the same number of interns, and several EMU social work students on the ground in Ypsi’s Deborah Strong Housing complex. Here’s Olwell explaining how, by providing access to things like dental care, life skills coaching and the internet, he and his team are not only saving society money, but also putting families on the path toward self-sufficiency.

Then, as usual, things kind of devolved toward the end, as the New Belgium Trippels caught up to me, and strangers began walking in off the street wanting to talk about shimmying up light poles and the like. [note: I’m adding New Belgium’s Trippel to list of banned substances on the show, along with Short’s Soft Parade.]

And, here, because I want to show off my new They Live-themed Donald Trump t-shirt, is a photo of me from this last episode. The shirt, should you find yourself needing to have one, was produced by artist Mitch O’Connell.

Thanks, as always, to AM 1700 for hosting the show, Kate de Fuccio for documenting everything with her camera, and Brian Robb for running the board, making sure the bills paid, and insuring that the toilet paper stays stocked.

If you like this episode, check out our archive of past shows at iTunes. And do please leave a review if you have the time, OK? It’s nice to know that people are listening, and, unless you call in, that’s pretty much the only way we know.

Now, if you haven’t already, please listen for yourself, and experience the magic firsthand.