. KC AND THE SUNSHINE BAND WILL BE AT MUSIC HALL THIS SUNDAY NIGHT TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE
ONLINE. ALRIGHTY WELL, MAY 3RD
IS A NATIONAL HOLIDAY IN POLAND
IS THE DAY THE COUNTRY
CELEBRATES THE ADOPTION OF THE
POLISH CONSTITUTION, ONE OF THE
OLDEST IN EUROPE, AND WHILE
PARADES AND CELEBRATIONS ARE
CURRENTLY TAKING PLACE IN POLAND
, THERE IS A HIDDEN JEWEL RIGHT
HERE IN METRO DETROIT THAT
CELEBRATES THE CULTURE YEAR
ROUND AND HAS DONE SO FOR MORE
THAN FIVE DECADES. APRIL MORNING
GIVES US A CLOSER LOOK. WHILE
WALKING BY THE POLISH ART CENTER
AND HAMTRAMCK. CHANCES ARE YOUR
CURIOSITY WILL PEAK AND WHEN YOU
WALK INSIDE, YOU’LL QUICKLY
REALIZE THIS PLACE IS PRETTY
AMAZING. OWNER JOAN BITTNER
EXPLAINS HOW IT’S GONE FROM A
STORE TO A TOURIST DESTINATION.
HERE’S WHAT HAPPENED WHEN SHE
CONTACTED TRIPLE A SOME YEARS
AGO. WE CALLED THEM AND SAID,
YOU NEED TO HAVE US IN YOUR TOUR
BOOK, AND THEY SAID, WE DON’T
HAVE STORES IN OUR TOUR BOOK,
AND I SAID, BUT YOU HAVE OF
COURSE, AND THEY SAID, BUT
THAT’S MORE THAN A STORY, I
SAID, BUT YOU HAVEN’T EVEN BEEN
HERE. SO THEY CAME WERE IN THEIR
BOOK AND THEIR BROCHURES, SHE
SAYS, OR EVEN AT DETROIT’S METRO
AIRPORT, MAKING THEIR CENTER ONE
OF THE MUST EASE WHILE VISITING
METRO DETROIT IN THEIR 50 YEARS
OF BUSINESS, THEY HAVE SEEN
VISITORS FROM ALL OVER. WE HAD A
GENTLEMAN WHO CAME FROM
TENNESSEE. AND THEN HE WENT BACK
TO TENNESSEE. THE NEXT DAY. WE
HAD TWO LADIES WHO CAME IN FROM
FROM CHICAGO, AND THEY SPENT
LIKE THREE HOURS HERE, AND THEY
SAID, OH, WE HAVE TO GET GOING.
AND I SAID, WELL, WHY SHE SAID,
WELL, WE’RE GOING BACK TONIGHT.
I SAID YOU’RE NOT GOING TO STOP
FOR ANYTHING ELSE. SHE SAID. NO,
WE CAME JUST FOR YOUR STORE. OF
COURSE, A VISIT TO HIM TRIMMING
IS MUCH CLOSER THAN POLAND SAYS,
IF YOU DON’T GET THE PLEASURE OF
MAKING THAT SHRIMP, NO WORRIES.
THEY HAVE IT. ALL RIGHT HERE SEE
STUFF FROM THE SOUTH OF POLAND,
THE NORTH OF POLAND AND THE FOLK
ART FROM ALL OVER THE POLISH
CANDIES, ALL DIFFERENT KINDS WE
HAVE THE AMBER JEWELRY IS HUGE.
YOU HAVE THE FOOD ITEMS, THE
PICKLES. OF COURSE, WE HAVE TO
HAVE PICKLES AND THE POLISH
MUSHROOMS. MUSHROOMS ARE VERY
SPECIAL. THEY EVEN HAVE POST
CARS AND POLISH GREETING CARDS
AND ONE OF THEIR MOST POPULAR
HISTORIC ITEMS. HERE IS THE
POLISH ART DESIGN EGGS NOT ONLY
HAVE THOUSANDS FOR SALE WITH
SOME STRAIGHT OUT OF POLAND,
THEY HOLD DESIGN WORKSHOPS THAT
TEACHES THE TRADITION AND THE
MEANING BEHIND. IT IS THE ART OF
PRISON KEY, WHICH IS, UH, COMES
FROM THE ROOT WORD, WHICH MEANS
TO RIGHT, SO ACTUALLY GOING TO
WRITE ON A RAW CHICKEN EGG WITH
A TOOL CALLED A KISKA. THIS IS
BASICALLY A FUNNEL TOOL THAT
WE’RE GOING TO WARM AND THEN
WE’RE GONNA LOAD WITH PIERRE
BEESWAX WITHIN BLACK AND MAKING
IT EASIER TO SEE THE LINES. NOW
WE WRITE, AND AS WE DO SO THE
WAX WILL DRY INSTANTLY. EVERY
LINE IN SYMBOL RECREATE HAS A
MEANING. THERE’S OUR FIRST
SYMBOL, WHICH IS THE LINE OF
ETERNITY ALIGNED WITH NO
BEGINNING AND NO END. AFTER
GETTING THE GIST OF WARMING AND
DIPPING MY TOOL, BUT SHELL WALK
ME THROUGH THE PROCESS, ONE THAT
USUALLY TAKES ABOUT THREE HOURS
, BUT WE’LL SPEED THINGS UP A
BIT. SHE ALSO GAVE ME THE
HISTORY OF THE ANCIENT POLISH
FOLK ART IN SPRING TIME. THIS
WAS A PAGAN RITE OF SPRING, SO
WHEN THINGS START TO COME TO
LIFE AGAIN, THESE WOULD BE YOU
KNOW, THESE PEOPLE HAD CHICKENS
AND THEY HAD MAYBE THEIR
NEIGHBORHOOD BEES SO THEY WERE
ABLE TO GET THE WAX AND
EVERYTHING WRITTEN ON THE EGGS
WERE HOPES AND WISHES FOR THE
SEASON AFTER GIVING IT THE FIRST
OF THREE DIES, DECIDED TO PUT
FLOWERS ON MINE FOR GROWTH IN A
DEER SYMBOL, A SYMBOL OF WEALTH
, AND YOU’VE GOT PINE NEEDLES
FOR GOOD HEALTH AFTER EACH DIE,
WHAT YOU DRAW AFTERWARDS TAKES
ON THAT COLOR. MY EGG WASN’T
QUITE READY YET, BUT TO FINISH
SHOUT THE PROCESS. AFTER THE
FINAL COLOR, THE WAX IS BURNED
OFF THE EGG. REVEALING A
BEAUTIFUL SHINE IS THEN DRAINED
. THIS IS A DESIGN MICHELLE MADE
JUST BEFORE OUR WORKSHOP.
EVERYTHING TRAPPED ON THIS EGG
OR NOW ETERNAL WISHES. THAT
STRENGTH YOU’VE GOT PROTECTION.
OH MY GOODNESS ARE AMAZING. IT’S
UNBELIEVABLE WHAT YOU CAN DO
WITH AN X. SO HERE’S MY DESIGN.
YOU CAN JUST DO A CLOSE UP THERE
AND, YOU KNOW PEOPLE HERE WERE
KIND OF IMPRESSED WITH THIS, BUT
ACTUALLY, THIS IS LIKE THIS.
THIS IS LIKE CHICKEN SCRATCH IN
COMPARISON TO LIKE WHAT MICHELLE
DID THERE WHAT SOME OF THESE
PEOPLE DO. SO THIS IS JUST SOME
LITTLE DOODLING. I DATE ON THIS
EGG, BUT JUST THE FACT THAT THIS
IS AN ACTUAL EGG. YEAH IT’S SO
FRAGILE AND YEAH, AND YOU CAN DO
IT IS AMAZING HOW EVERY ALL THE
SYMBOLS MEAN SOMETHING, RIGHT?
YEAH. SO LIKE THE DEER SIMPLE
THAT I DID, SHE SAYS IT MEANS
WEALTH, SO LET’S LET’S SEE.
LET’S SEE. I SAID, I’M
DEFINITELY GONNA DO THAT. SO
LET’S PUT IT OUT THERE IN THE
UNIVERSE. RIGHT WELL, NO, THIS
IS AWESOME. APRIL. THAT’S SO