For Mother’s Day weekend, we gathered to celebrate the first women of the abstract expressionist movement. While their lovers and husbands took the fame, these five women — Lee Krasner, Elaine de Kooning, Grace Hartigan, Joan Mitchell and Helen Frankenthaler — had an equally profound impact on the future of modern art. Thanks to Pulitzer Prize-finalist Mary Gabriel and her biography, Ninth Street Women, these tours de force are overlooked no more.

Mary told their stories — and a bit of her own — to a crowd of more than 100 Shady Ladies inside what can only be described as a work of art. In fact, part of First Congregational Church of Detroit was designed by famed architect Albert Kahn.

The 175-year-old church was originally built along the Detroit River but was later moved to its present location in Midtown Detroit. It also served as a stop on the Underground Railroad and offers tours that tell the story of that history.

After a reading and Q&A with our founder, Amy Haimerl, in the sanctuary, Shady Ladies retried to the dining room for a meal prepared by five women chefs. Ederique Goudia of Gabriel Hall orchestrated the collaborative dinner, asking each chef — one for each of the Ninth Street Women! — to prepare a dish that represents freedom. Chef Goudia wanted to be sure that the stories of different cultures were present and representing the history of First Congregational Church.