555 Gallery Exhibition @ DSA

555-Gallery-at-Detroit-School-of-Arts

It’s not just chemistry. It’s generous parts of inspiration, collaboration and guidance. Discover the amazing results when professional artists from 555 Gallery work with Detroit School of Art students. The process is like a chemical catalyst, accelerating creative works of genius.

The 555 Gallery Exhibition at Detroit School of Arts is on exhibit May 1 through May 31, 2013. There will be a Closing Reception Wednesday May 29 from 5-6:30 at the DSA. The Detroit School of Arts is located at 123 Selden Street, Detroit, MI, 48201.

Details from DSA:

During the month of May, the visual arts department has had guest artists come in every Wednesday to do an artists workshop with students in Mr. Wood and Mrs. Braxton’s visual arts classes. The interactive, engaging workshops have highlighted various forms of the arts and issues relevant to the community. Not only have the presentations allowed the artist to present unique artwork, but the students also have had opportunity to create through hands-on workshops. Issues addressed through the workshops have included: bullying, alter egos, the environment, and social justice, among other topics.

An exhibition with the pieces from the artists’ collection is set up in the DSA 5th Floor Gallery, installed by the visual arts instructor and DSA students. Students will also be featured at the reception, as the work they created as part of the workshops will be on available for viewing.

The closing reception will take place on Wednesday May 29 from 5-6:30 and will feature music, art, food and engagement with DSA visual arts students, 555 Gallery artists, and the school community.

Please come out to participate in this wonderful event.

Visual Arts May Series

Curated by DSA Students: Daniel James, Alex Collier, A’leetzia Burns, Deontae Lyles, Adam McQueen, Sierra Dillard, and Latasha Davis.

Collaboration with Detroit Arts Community and Detroit School of Arts. 555 Gallery is a not-for-profit art gallery founded to develop new and emerging artists, and to advance arts and culture in Michigan.

Visions of 44

CHWMAAH presents Visions of Our 44th President

The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History premieres the Visions of Our 44th President, a sculptural art exhibition on display through August 2013. Portraying a present-day historical achievement in African American history through contemporary art, including works by Tyree Guyton, Gale Fulton Ross, Faith Ringgold and Kadir Nelson, this groundbreaking exhibit will become The Wright Museum’s first national traveling exhibition.

Visions of Our 44th President was created to honor and celebrate the historical significance of the first African American President of the United States, Barack Obama. Forty-four busts were created from a model that served as a blank canvas, giving forty-four contemporary artists from across the country free reign to creatively interpret this milestone in American history.

“After close study of each of the artists’ work, one experiences so many different emotions, understanding the artists’ talent, inspiration and creativity,” said Peter Kaplan of Our World, LLC, who collaborated with the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History on the exhibit. He continued, “Some of the painted busts are thought provoking, serious and strong, some simply lovely and sweet; all are unique and revealing.”

In 2008, Kaplan represented an artist that created one of the official posters for the Obama campaign. Through that association of creativity and purpose, Visions became Kaplan’s dream. It took four years for the exhibition to come to fruition, and Kaplan says the exhibition’s “integration of art, culture and promise are my passion.”

PLEASE NOTE: Visions of Our 44th President is not a political exhibit, and is not funded or endorsed by, or affiliated with, the reelection campaign of President Barack Obama, the Democratic Party, or any associated political action committees or efforts.

The artists featured in Visions of our 44th President are (in alphabetical order): Najjar Abdul-Musawwir, (Carbondale, Illinois), Nina Chanel Abney (New York, New York), Mason Archie (Indianapolis, Indiana), Arthur Bacon (Talladega, Alabama), Phoebe Beasley (Los Angeles, California), Charles Bibbs (Riverside, California), Hebru Brantley (Chicago, Illinois), Larry Poncho Brown (Baltimore, Maryland), Barbara Bullock (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), Nanette Carter (New York, New York), Melvin Clark (Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania), Kevin Cole (Atlanta, Georgia), D. DelReverda-Jennings (Indianapolis, Indiana), Louis Delsarte (Atlanta, Georgia), Najee Dorsey (Atlanta, Georgia), Ted Ellis (Houston, Texas), Tatyana Fazlaizadeh (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), Gale Fulton Ross (Sarasota, Florida), Tyrone Geter (Elgin, South Carolina), Paul Goodnight (Boston, Massachusetts), Tyree Guyton (Detroit, Michigan), Barkley L. Hendricks (New London, Connecticut), Mildred Howard (San Francisco, California), Preston Jackson (Chicago, Illinois), Dayo Laoye (Chicago, Illinois), Tamara Natalie Madden (Atlanta, Georgia), Allie McGhee (Detroit, Michigan), Angelbert Metoyer (New Orleans, Louisiana), Wangechi Mutu (New York, New York), Kadir Nelson (Los Angeles, California), Joyce Owens (Chicago, Illinois), Charly Palmer (Atlanta, Georgia), Howardena Pindell (New York, New York), Faith Ringgold (Englewood, New Jersey), Cory Saint Clair (Richmond, Virginia), Preston Sampson (Baltimore, Maryland), Joyce J. Scott (Baltimore, Maryland), Gilda Snowden (Detroit, Michigan), Felandus Thames (New York, New York), Carrie Mae Weems (Upstate New York), Pheoris West (Columbus, Ohio), Philemona Williamson (Montclair, New Jersey), Mamie Yanu Willis (Albuquerque, New Mexico), and Shirley Woodson (Detroit, Michigan).

Visions of Our 44th President premieres at The Wright Museum before becoming its first national traveling exhibit, visiting museums, libraries, universities and galleries across the country. At the conclusion of the tour, the exhibit will become a part of The Wright Museum’s permanent collection. Visions of Our 44th President is guest curated by Ashley Whitfield.

The Wright Museum, located at 315 East Warren Avenue in Midtown Detroit’s Cultural Center, is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m., and on Sundays from 1 until 5 p.m. Visions of Our 44th President is on display through August 4, 2013, and is free with museum admission, which is $8 for adults (ages 13-61), and $5 for seniors (62+) and youth (3-12). Admission is free for Museum members and children under 3.

Founded in 1965, the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History is the world’s largest institution dedicated to the African American experience. For more information, please visit www.TheWright.org.

 

Art X Detroit

Art X Detroit mural by artist Hubert Massey

Get set for a five-day multidisciplinary celebration that presents works created by the 2011-2012 Kresge Eminent Artists and Artist Fellows. Free and open to the public, Art X Detroit is filled with dance and musical performances, literary readings, workshops and panel discussions that are distinguished in depth and quality.

Artists include Detroit Poet Laureate Naomi Long Madgett and playwright Bill Harris, as well as a host of visual and performing artists who represent established and cutting edge parts of the spectrum. For the complete Who’s Who, What’s What and the schedule, click here.

From Art X Detroit:

Art X Detroit: Kresge Arts Experience is a five-day multidisciplinary celebration, from April 10-14, 2013, that will exclusively present works created by the 2011-2012 Kresge Eminent Artists and Artist Fellows, along with a special visual arts exhibition at MOCAD that runs through April 28, 2013.

An exciting program of dance and musical performances, literary readings, workshops, panel discussions, public art and special exhibitions, Art X Detroit will be hosted at more than a dozen venues located throughout Midtown Detroit’s Cultural Center and is free to the public. Art X Detroit is supported by The Kresge Foundation.

———————–

Midway

I’ve come this far to freedom and I won’t turn back

I’m climbing to the highway from my old dirt track

I’m coming and I’m going

And I’m stretching and I’m growing

And I’ll reap what I’ve been sowing or my skin’s not black

I’ve prayed and slaved and waited and I’ve sung my song

You’ve bled me and you’ve starved me but I’ve still grown strong

You’ve lashed me and you’ve treed me

And you’ve everything but freed me

But in time you’ll know you need me and it won’t be long.

I’ve seen the daylight breaking high above the bough

I’ve found my destination and I’ve made my vow;

So whether you abhor me

Or deride me or ignore me

Mighty mountains loom before me and I won’t stop now.

Naomi Long Madgett (1959)

 

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Madgett’s note:

(“Midway was first published in Freedomways in 1959, but I think I wrote it in 1958. The poem grew out of a discussion with a friend that acknowledged that the Supreme Court desegregation ruling, which legalized racial justice for the first time, led to the determination of Black people to move forward and never again accept the status quo.”)

SOURCE

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The image above:

“A People’s Vision” is a work of public art located at Warren and Woodward Avenues in Detroit Michigan. Created by Hubert Massey, a Kresge Fellow and visual artist whose work is featured in Art X Detroit, the mural reflects images of Detroit’s past and future, including historic events, cultural traditions and symbolic figures associated with the city. The work is a result of collaborative feedback between the artist and community. Learn more here.

 

 

Vapor Slide

Cranbrook presents Vapor Slide by Soo Sunny Park

Cranbrook Art Museum presents “Soo Sunny Park: Vapor Slide,” an exhibition featuring a remarkable installation by sculptor Soo Sunny Park. Opening to the public Saturday, Nov. 16 the new exhibition runs through March 17, 2013.

From Cranbrook Art Museum:

Sculptor Soo Sunny Park’s large-scale installation SSVT (South Strafford, Vermont) Vapor Slide (2007), presented in the Wainger Gallery, combines quotidian materials—chain link fence, plastic cups, paper clips, river rocks—in imaginative ways, crafting a dazzling environment of ethereal light and space. At once rigorously structured and impossibly fragile, the work transforms the space of the gallery into a subtly shifting perceptual experience for the viewer.

Park, a 2000 alumna of Cranbrook Academy of Art’s Sculpture Department, created the work in response to the undulating, snowy hills of South Strafford, Vermont. The installation uses chain link fence, a conventional boundary demarcation, to fashion a space through which viewers move rather than as a method of impeding access. In so doing, SSVT (South Strafford, Vermont) Vapor Slide becomes a spellbinding meditation on the interstitial spaces we encounter every day and the myriad possibilities hidden within.

Born in Seoul, South Korea, Soo Sunny Park moved to the United States of the age of eleven and grew up in Georgia and Florida. Before studying at Cranbrook, she received her BFA from the Columbus College of Art and Design in Ohio. She currently is a Professor of Studio Art at Dartmouth College and is preparing for a retrospective that will open at Rice University in Texas in April 2013, immediately after her installation closes at Cranbrook.

This exhibition inaugurates a new series of one-person exhibitions that will showcase the work of Academy alumni.

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The public also was invited to an Artist Talk with Ms. Park, a Cranbrook Academy of Art alumnus, on Friday, Nov. 16 at the Cranbrook Art Museum, beginning at 6 p.m. There was a Members Reception on Friday, Nov. 16 from 7-9 p.m.

Ten Buildings That Changed America

Cranbrook-Academy-of-Art

The always-colorful and interesting Reed Kroloff, architect, editor, educator, and Director of the Cranbrook Academy of Art, is featured tonight on “Ten Buildings That Changed American,” an upbeat DPTV program that also features the Ford Highland Park Plant.

“10 Buildings” is a one-hour dash through more than 200 years of the remarkably creative output of American architecture, and we hope you enjoy it. The program airs Thursday at 9 p.m. and again this Sunday at 4 p.m.

Details from PBS:

Ever wondered how your house got its plan? Or why you occupy your office the way you do? How would you have designed an airport if you didn’t know what a jet was?

These questions and more are addressed in the new PBS documentary “10 Buildings that Changed America,” airing this week on Detroit Public Television. As its title suggests, the program considers how 10 landmark buildings reshaped life as we know it in the United States.

Hosted by Geoffrey Baer, the program features interviews with leading architects, historians, and critics, including Reed Kroloff, Director of the Art Academy. Speaking from the living room of Saarinen house, Reed appears in a number of the show’s ten segments, which includes an analysis of Eero Saarinen’s Dulles Airport, the original model of which now resides in the Cranbrook Art Museum.

 

So, what are the most important buildings
and greatest architecture in Michigan? 

We asked The Michigan Architectural Foundation for an answer.

They recommended Great Architecture of Michigan by John Gallagher (author) and Balthazar Korab (photographer).

As Senator Carl Levin points out in the forward to the book, “The State of Michigan, almost entirely surrounded by the world’s greatest fresh waters, has one of the most distinctive and easily recognizable boundaries on the planet.  But the state’s geography is just one of the forms that has shaped Michigan’s story of growth and production.  Another enduring backdrop is the buildings that have housed some of Michigan’s finest moments, with architecture that is as diverse and eclectic as the people of Michigan.”

Looking for more information about Michigan’s architecture? 

The Michigan Architectural Foundation is an excellent resource to connect people with architecture in Michigan, through a variety of tools, including the library that is under development.

The Michigan Architectural Foundation serves as a resource to connect people with architecture in Michigan through a comprehensive collection of resources published on MichiganArchitecturalFoundation.org – from grants to facilitate historic preservation to scholarships to support the profession and perpetuation of architecture.  Educational resources also are available through the Michigan Architectural Foundation, including a curriculum for elementary grades, an architectural handbook for high school students and summer camps held across the state.  The Foundation has just begun efforts to assemble a Library of Architecture that will be housed in existing libraries.

Want to stay connected to Michigan architecture?  Join the Foundation on FacebookTwitter or Linked in, or sign up to receive their blog or e-newsletter.

Michigan Architectural Foundation is dedicated to the promotion, perpetuation and preservation of architecture as a fine art. By serving as a visible resource for funding, information and educational programs, we increase the public’s appreciation for architecture, which encourages cohesive, sustainable communities, increasing economic value, enriching experiences and adding beauty.

 

 


 

You Can Make History – Thanks to Kroger

Cadet Henry Ossian Flipper, United States Military Academy

Help Kroger celebrate Black History Month with the annual “I Can Make History” contest. The program is open to 4th through 12th grade Michigan students.

Kroger will award more than $67,000 in prizes in four categories – art, essay, music and poetry. All entries must be received by 5 p.m., Thursday, February 28, 2013. Winners will be invited to an awards luncheon held Saturday, April 13, 2013.

New this year, Kroger will honor one school with the School Leadership Award and $5,000 and the student that receives the highest score among all four categories will receive the $3,000 Best in Show Scholarship.

All entries should tie into the contests themes. Artwork entries must be original drawings, paintings, paper collages, and/or photographs. Essay entries must be the student’s own work and at least 500 words in length. Music entries must be an original work and a minimum of one minute (not exceeding four minutes). Poetry entries must be the student’s original work and no longer than 30 lines in length.

All entries must be received by 5 p.m. Friday, February 28, 2013. Learn more at http://www.icanmakehistory.com.

The image above is a photograph of Cadet Henry Ossian Flipper. Born a slave, he was the first African American to graduate from the United States Military Academy at West Point. He served as a commissioned officer in the United States Army, where he encountered racism, bigotry and hypocrisy on the parts of his superiors, subordinates and fellow officers. After being drummed out of the Army, he continued his career as an engineer, land surveyor and land use scholar. Click here to learn more.

Art Endures at PCCA

PCCA William Sadovsky image detail

This January, in celebration of their thirtieth anniversary, Paint Creek Center for the Arts presents a new exhibition: 1982-2012 Art Endures – Thirty Years and Counting.

With over 70 artists, this exhibition features stimulating and groundbreaking work in all media from across Michigan and beyond. This fascinating exhibition will run through February 15.

Preparation for this show began with a thorough search of PCCA archives that allowed them to assemble a list of artists spanning their entire thirty year history. A number of the exhibiting artists began their careers with an exhibition at PCCA back when the organization was just getting started itself. Others are just now beginning to exhibit their work, and have exhibited with PCCA in more recent years.

Don’t miss out on seeing the Main and First Floor Galleries packed with paintings, drawings, prints, photography, mixed media, ceramics and sculpture from this fantastic representation of PCCA’s past, present and future.

 Participating Artists:

  • Kyohei Abe
  • Suzanne Andersen
  • Hartmut Austen
  • Madeleine Barkey
  • Veronica Bel Schaden
  • Mark Beltchenko
  • Pi Benio
  • Robert Bielat
  • Jeanne Bieri
  • Jef Bourgeau
  • Matthew Breneau
  • Sandra Cardew
  • Tom Carey
  • Israel Davis
  • Darcel Deneau
  • Sergio DeGiusti
  • Gary Eleinko
  • Anne Fracassa
  • Lynn Galbreath
  • Margaret Glinke
  • Mary Ann Grauf
  • Bruce Grauf
  • Dennis Guastella
  • Christine Hagedorn
  • Janet Hamrick
  • Matthew Hanna
  • Craig Hinshaw
  • Thomas Humes
  • Brian Iler
  • Rob Kangas
  • Marla Karimipour
  • Ray Katz
  • Dawnice Kerchaert
  • Andrew Krieger
  • Richard Lewis
  • John Leyland
  • Jim Lutomski
  • Linda Lutomski
  • Stephen Magsig
  • Julie S. Mahoney
  • Valerie Mann
  • Mark Mardirosian
  • Margo McCafferty Rudd
  • James Milostan
  • Todd Mitchell
  • Jim Nawara
  • Lucille Nawara
  • Brian Nelson
  • Scott Northrup
  • Shirley Parish
  • James Parker
  • Catherine Peet
  • Teresa Petersen
  • Tom Phardel
  • Carol Piligian
  • Jo Powers
  • Andrei Rabodzienko
  • Kathy Rashid
  • John Richardson
  • Stanley Rosenthal
  • Julie Russell Smith
  • Tom Rudd
  • Amy Sacksteder
  • William Sadovsky
  • Helena Sadowski
  • Darcy Scott
  • Claudia Shepard
  • Gilda Snowden
  • Ryan Standfest
  • Jack O. Summers
  • Sally Shluter Tardella
  • Bruce Thayer
  • Robert Tucker
  • Maureen Vachon
  • Rick Vian
  • Sue Carman Vian
  • Norwood Viviano
  • Christine Welch
  • John Woodward
  • Paul Young
  • S. Kay Young
  • Carole Zak
  • Nancy Zito

This exhibit is supported by the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Kresge Foundation.

New Work & Together Again at Pewabic Pottery

Pewabic Pottery presents New Work and Together Again

Pewabic Pottery presents “New Work,” an exhibition of works by Craig Clifford, and “Together Again,” an exhibition of works by Sally Brogden and Frank Martin. The exhibition runs through March 17 at Pewabic Pottery in Detroit.

The image above is a detail of a piece by Frank Martin, created for the exhibition.

New Work, Craig Clifford:

Clifford’s work is an exercise in the transformation of the mundane as well as an investigation into how context and expectation affect our experience and interpretation of the objects he incorporates into his finished works.

Together Again, Sally Brogden & Frank Martin:

Brogden and Martin were educated in Michigan institutions at slightly different times. During their student years, both admired the iconic work of Pewabic; Martin was even craftsman-in-residence at Pewabic in the late 1980s. After successful and varied careers as artists, both are Associate Professors at University of Tennessee and are again together for this exhibition.

The opening reception and the exhibition are free and open to the public. Click here for details.

Northville Art House 2013 Art Fair

NAH Blue Omega detail

You can still be a pART of things. The Northville Art House 7th Annual Member Exhibition runs through Feb. 23.

From NAH:

The Northville Art House is proud to present the 7th annual member exhibition showcasing a variety of mediums and subject matter in this all-media, non-juried members show. This exhibition was developed to showcase local talent and to say “thank you” to everyone who is supporting the growth and creativity of the arts in our community. New and experienced artists come together and show off some of their favorite works of art in this highly anticipated exhibition.

The show will open with an artist reception Friday, February 1, from 6-9 p.m. The show will continue through February 23 during the Art House Gallery hours (Wed-Sat, 1-5 p.m.) For additional information, call (248) 344-0497 or visit www.northvillearts.org.

The Art House is located at 215 W. Cady Street and is a facility of the Northville Arts Commission. Admission to Art House exhibits are always free and open to the public.

The image above is a detail from “Blue Omega,” a work by Mary York Gentry on exhibit at the Northville Art House.

End of an Epoch at 323East

323East

It’s Apocalypto – The End of an Age at 323EastGallery in Royal Oak. They’re hosting Apocalypto-The End of a Age, an astonishing group exhibit of work by Detroit artists curated by Dan Armand and Robert Del Valle. on Friday from 6-11 p.m. Don’t worry what people reading into the Mayan calendar say, a new epoch begins for 323East at Eastern Market next year.

From 323East:

For the record, 323East takes at face value the current opinion (or opinions) regarding the Mayan prediction for the end of the world on Dec. 21.

Nevertheless, the good folk at 323East are intrigued by how this forecast has lent itself to popular culture and the creative imagination during recent months. 2012 had its share of tumultuous events even without this ominous message from the past, so using it as a theme for an art show is both an acknowledgment of a trending news item and an opportunity for talented people to reflect on the message of global finality – a message that’s as old as Noah and as recent as yesterday’s headlines.

So prepare yourself for Apocalypto – The End of an Age. 323East has decided that a colorful celebration is the way to go out or remain calm in light of what Central America hinted at many centuries ago.

They’ve asked a number of their favorites to submit pieces that touch upon, affirm, reject, or dismiss the notion of scheduled annihilation. They were given free rein to incorporate whatever elements, symbols, ideas, or passions best suited them. Expect to see pathos, bathos, humor (mordant and otherwise), plus a healthy dose of that defiant optimism that has always been the hallmark of Detroit artists.

And appropriately enough, this “finale” will mark the final exhibit that the gallery will house in Royal Oak before moving on to new digs near the Eastern Market.

Artists Include:

  • Sam Shamsedean
  • Himanshu Sharma
  • Matt Eaton
  • Ana Bagayan
  • Mark Sarmel
  • Ray Domzalski
  • April Segedi
  • Bask
  • John Dunivant
  • Audrey Pongracz
  • Ron Zakrin
  • Glenn Barr
  • Mark Heggie
  • Aunia Kahn
  • Brock Goodman
  • Kelsey Beckett
  • William Hanagan
  • Frank Zerelli
  • Brian Stuhr
  • Adrienne L’esperance
  • Julianna Frost
  • Jon Sandberg
  • Kobie Solomon
  • Mary Williams
  • Jesse Kassel
  • Craig Hejka
  • Mark Arminksi
  • Amy Chenier
  • Michael Hanlon
  • Ed Foster
  • Julianna Counts
  • Julie Fournier
  • Tom Thewes
  • & More

323East is located at 323 E. 4th Street, Royal Oak. The gallery’s regular hours (fingers crossed) are Monday through Saturday, noon to 7 p.m. The telephone is (248) 246-9544.

Click here for details.