Everybody! Check out these amazing pics: http://on.fb.me/monumentalkittypics and if you're in the hood, cruise by the 75 service drive between Trumbull and Rosa Parks and let the kitty photons into your retinas directly.

If you'd like to continue supporting amazing public art projects in Detroit, there's a solar powered neon sign called "No Vacancy" by Hygienic Dress League going up on the Roosevelt Hotel (fingers crossed) if we complete the fundraising over the next week: http://kck.st/abS2Bg .

Check out the attached pic for a peep into the future of what that will be!

Let's keep helping to bring these wonderful and inspiring things to life and activate this city. Deal?

High fives,

Jerry & Team LOVELAND

Monumentites,

Great news. After some heavy equipment broke down and delayed last week's planned start date, it looks like construction of Monumental Kitty will begin this coming Monday. We will try and document the process for you as best we can.

Jerome fired up a cast of Minimental Kitty (a tiny plaster scale model -- harass him if you'd like one and maybe (just maybe) he can make more of them), one of which we ceremoniously placed on the grounds, a picture of which you can see below.

We just put up a new Kickstarter round for another public art work that will go up not so very far away from the kitty, this time by the mysterious and awesome art duo known as the Hygienic Dress League: http://kck.st/abS2Bg .

You may have seen some of their large-scale pieces around the city, and this time they're outdoing themselves, using solar-powered custom neon lights that will be installed at a Top Sekret(tm) location. You will love it. It's going to be world-class and people from all over will say, dang, Detroit has it going on. So, if the spirit moves you, please pass that link around and help them hit their $5,000 goal.

Do good, be good, feel good,

Team LOVELAND

OK! We just got word from Jerome that MDOT has approved the final plan and he's going to start work on the kitty this coming week. You can now uncross your fingers and resell your cat nip good luck talismans on eBay.

There's an opening of Jerome's new art work *tonight*, Saturday, September 25th, at Cass Cafe from 7 PM until midnight: http://www.casscafe.com/art.html . He's been working on this for a long time and is excited to meet some kitty backers. Come out if you can.

All rewards for this round should have been shipped, save the kitty shirts which are being printed shortly with the help of shirtly saviors DetroitLives.org. Give a shout if snail mail malfunctioned (jerry@makeloveland.com).

If you're interested in supporting another local project, the Imagination Station on Roosevelt Park has a new video about that project and Kickstarter at http://kck.st/b6257W . Members of the LOVELAND and kitty team have been busting butt on that, tearing down a house and fixing up another.

Good good stuff. Thanks again, rock on, and meowza,

Team Kitty

Hello Kitty Fans! A coupla things real quick:

I just spoke with Jerome who is excitedly on the path to kitty construction. The next step is making sure MDOT officially approves architectural plans -- a process he and others are working through. And for everyone who provided their mailing address, your reward deed package is in the mail.

Now we've got a new fundraising project on Kickstarter, trying to raise $2,000 to assist with the rehabbing of the Spaulding Court apartment complex in North Corktown. We're almost 1/2 way there with 11 days to go. If you'd like to see and contribute towards that goal please do: http://kck.st/asWqdb .

The New York Times ran a very nice article yesterday mentioning (among other projects in Detroit) LOVELAND and a dinner fundraiser called SOUP (attack of the capitalized names!). Check it out at http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/04/arts/design/04maker.html... .

Jon Koller from Spaulding Court has been inspired by SOUP and is holding a SOUP-y dinner at Spaulding Court tonight. A $5 cover at the door gets you all you can eat, and the money goes to Spaulding Court and a few other projects in the city.

The address for Spaulding Court is 2747 Rosa Parks and Perry in North Corktown. I'm copying Jon's letter below. If you're in Detroit we hope to see you there, and if you can please spread the word about this Kickstarter so we hit our goal in the next 11 days! ( the short link again is http://kck.st/asWqdb )

Jerry
908-343-1981

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Hey folks,

Because we think the SOUP event they have in Mexicantown is so rad, we’re starting up our own right at Spaulding Court. For those that aren’t familiar, SOUP is a monthly dinner that raises money to distribute to a project that the dinner guests select.

It goes like this: people come for dinner—soup, salad and bread—and give $5. At the end of the meal, three folks present projects they’d like to accomplish and the crowd votes for a winner. At the currently running SOUP in Mexicantown, all the proceeds minus the costs of the meal go to the project.

At Spaulding, we’re going to do things a bit differently. We’ll split the proceeds from the dinner between the vote winner and Friends of Spaulding Court. Then, we’ll post a video of the winning presentation on Kickstarter and in one weeks time, try to raise an equal amount to the sum the dinner brought in. If we can get 50 people a week at this dinner, we’ll be able to raise $24,000 over the course of a year to rehabilitate Spaulding Court as well as helping over 50 different projects succeed. You can think of it as multi-tiered crowd-sourcing, building a local economy, dinner entertainment or whatever else!

This will be the first one so it will be a bit crude. If you can help set up or would like to get involved in building the event into the future, give me a call or just come a bit early. If you have a project you’d like to pitch, send me an email. 3 min max presentation, no visual aids, yes for questions.

So here are the details:

—Soup at Spaulding—
Thursday, August 5th (Rain or Shine—we have a canopy)
Eat at 7pm, presentations and vote at 7:30pm
Crushed Lentil Soup from the lovely Hannah
Tasty Salad from Farmer Greg
Local and Delicious Bread
$5, BYOB (bring your own bowl)
Dancing and drinks to follow with the Pink FlaminGO! till 11pm

Feel free to pass this around or bring a friend (or two).

-Jon
313.288.9255

Thank you and congratulations, everybody! Because of you, Monumental Kitty has been successfully funded. 56 of you contributed $1,535 to the creation of an awesome new thing in Detroit.

Next week we'll do an update and start sending out rewards. The LOVELAND team is currently going bonkers preparing for the Big Inch Block Party happening in Detroit tomorrow night (join us if you're in town!): http://biginchblockparty.com.

We also just posted the next micro grant we're supporting. Check out Rehab Spaulding Court: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/loveland/rehab-spaulding-court-in-detroit . We're trying to help raise $2,000 to help them work and raise awareness of their project.

Many thanks. The kitty says MEOWZA, and always be MONUMENTAL!

Team LOVELAND