In her new book of staged photographs, Motel Bizarre: Tales from the No Tell Motel, Stephanie Crabe (BFA 2003 Photography) explores that distinctly American institution: the middle-ofnowhere roadside motel. In the book, Crabe investigates the seedier side of these residences of the transient, forgoing the more familiar viewpoint that portrays these places as not much more than cradles of kitsch. Crabe shows Motel Bizarre to be a hidden world of fantasy and sexual deviancy. The images are full of characters who exist on the fringes of society; neo-Nazis, transvestites, prostitutes and hired thugs are just a few of the inhabitants.
While Crabe presents the motel as a place where those who have seemingly no place in
society can indulge any or all of their urges, she does not make it a particularly terrifying place. In fact, Crabe’s photographs show a colorful group of characters that look as if they have finally found a home for their perversities. Housewives carouse with male strippers; a dominatrix and her slave enjoy a little BDSM; and a couple of young lesbian punk rockers are able to escape their families for the night. While attempting to demonstrate the loneliness that comes from transience, Crabe does not look down on these people—instead she turns them into antiheroes from a world that exists outside the margins of familiar society. [CM]

Dirty Show 9 – February 8-16 – Detroit
International Erotic Art Exhibition

The Dirty Show, one of the wildest International Erotic Art Exhibits has become the largest erotic art event in America. Last February over 200 artists showed more than 400 works to thousands of erotic art lovers, which has been described as “Detroit’s largest and most successful art event” by the Detroit Metro Times.

We are please to announce the Exhibition will Open on Friday February 8th and run through Saturday February 16th.

BERT’S WAREHOUSE THEATER
2739 Russell St. Detroit, MI 48207 (In Eastern Market)

Exhibition Schedule:

February 8, Friday Evening “OPENING NIGHT” / 6:00pm – 2:00am | 21 & Over
February 9, Saturday Evening / 6:00pm – 2:00am | 21 & Over
February 10, Sunday “DAYTIME” Only / 1:00pm – 6:00pm | 18 & Over
February 14, Thursday “Valentine’s Day” / 4:00pm – 12:00 midnight | 18 & Over
February 16, Saturday Evening “CLOSING NIGHT” / 6:00pm – 2:00am | 18 & Over

Advance Tickets are On Sale Now, online from the Dirty Show website, and at area Detroit retailers, get details online at http://www.dirtyshow.org

NO CAMERAS OR VIDEO RECORDING DEVICES.

News:

Special Guest Artist/artwork to Include:
Hajime Sorayama (Japanese painter for almost 4 decades, most notably his female cyborgs),
HR Giger (World renoun Surrealist and Oscar Winner for the Alien film),
Martin HM Schreiber (First published photographer of Madonna nude in Playboy Magazine),
Bunny Yeager (1950’s pin-up model and famous Betty Page photographer),
Buck Angel (Howard Stern regular and AVN Awards Transsexual Performer of the Year)
Annie Sprinkle & Elizabeth Stephens (Stevens is a professor of art at U of C, her partner Sprinkle is a former porn star)
Eric Kroll (Photographer, publisher and teacher, he is one of the leading names in modern erotica)

Other Special Guest Artists:

John U. Abrahamson (Carnivora)
Alexey Aloisov
Ashley
Jason Beam
Jamie Burton
Christian Correra
Stephanie Crabe (Motel Bizarre)
Becky Flanders
Rik Garrett
Brian Horton
Viktor Koen( Carnivora)
Janina Magnusson
Mr. Evil
Nora Ness
Pierre Radisic
Rich Rethorn (Carnivora)
Chris Savido
Kim Seltzer
Irakly Shanidze
Georgie Tier
Mark Velasquez
Brian Viveros (Carnivora)
Petter Wallebo
Chad Michael Ward
Peggy Wauters
Genevive Zacconi

Not to mention the 100+ jury selected artists who beat out the thousands who entered.

Special Screening of Voluptuous Life by Carlos Batts (American Gothic)

Dirty Show Seminar:

“Every Mother’s Nightmare” An afternoon with fetish photographer Eric Kroll

Saturday February 9th
Spend a pleasant afternoon with the photographer Hustler Magazine called, “A prick with vision”. One of the leading names in modern erotica.
This is a special seminar/ presentation by Eric Kroll with limited capacity. See the Dirty Show website for more details.
2:00pm – 4:30pm | 18 & Over | $30 Advance/ $40 At the Door – Advance tickets only available online or by phone at 1-800-838-3006.

Silent Auction – Photo Shoot with Martin HM Schreiber
International Photographer of Madonna’s first nudes, will be offering the unique opportunity of a Private Photo Shoot by Silent Auction at the Dirty Show.

See the Dirty Show website for more details.
http://www.dirtyshow.org

Elks launch cannon during parade in front of motel.

Tour through a Wildwood Motel, don’t mind the hole in the wall.

Stephanie Crabe is a Special Guest at Detroit’s Dirty Show! She will be displaying a piece from Motel Bizarre.

The Exhibition will open on Friday February 8th and run through February 16th.

BERT’S WAREHOUSE THEATER
2727 Russell St. Detroit (In Eastern Market)

February 8, Friday Evening “OPENING NIGHT”
6:00pm – 2:00am | 21 & Over

February 9, Saturday Evening
6:00pm – 2:00am | 21 & Over

February 10, Sunday “DAYTIME” Only
1:00pm – 6:00pm | 18 & Over

February 14, Thursday “Valentine’s Day “
4:00pm – 12:00 midnight | 18 & Over

February 16, Saturday Evening “Closing Night”
6:00pm – 2:00am | 18 & Over

Higlight the text below and copy:

<a href=”http://www.motelbizarre.com”><img src=”http://www.motelbizarre.com/MySpace/Comment-Maid.jpg” alt=”Motel Bizarre by Stephanie Crabe” width=”275″ height=”425″ border=”0″ /></a>

A scatterbrain spending the weekend at a Best Western in Fort Bragg, California, was busted after police suspected him of burglarizing said motel and leaving a note telling where he could be found.

The cops arrested 37-year old Enrique Rodriguez Vasquez, suspecting him of burglary and meth possession after they encountered him at the motel room he had referred to in the note.

The police discovered a satellite TV box, a computer tower, and $200 that had been reported as stolen from the hotel. The value of the appropriated apparatus was estimated to be $1,500.

The scatterbrain’s note, filled with spelling and grammatical errors, scolded the manager of the motel for not being in the office.

In a nutshell, the note stated: “There was no one here to attend us guest in rm427. You even left the office unattended. You could have been burglurized (sic) … Your lucky I didn’t steele (sic).”

Vasquez had a companion, 41-year-old Dana Lynn Jensen, who was oblivious to the theft until after the fact. However, she did confess to owning half of the speed, and there, in her suitcase, were the greenbacks that had been lifted from the motel. Police arrested her, suspecting her of possession of stolen property and of a controlled substance.