This series is devoted to an ongoing dialogue wrestling with the questions of why folks make art and its significance to the individual and our culture. We welcome feedback, discussion, and outside contributions – email comments to ws@thedetroiter.com

Part One: The Big Yellow Taxi Theory or Mr. Cope Goes to Turkmenistan
Part Two: New Eyes or How many times must a man look up Before he can see the sky?
Part Three: Paint the Town Orange
Part Four: Dances with Dirt

(In which we offer commentary concerning the Contemporary Art Institute of Detroit’s exhibition "Shelter", noting here the author’s involvement as Board Chairperson of said organization. While this connection prevents him from offering a proper review, he also notes that it brings him great pleasure to be connection with an organization responsible for putting forth such exhibitions.)

The exhibition was marked by a strong, well received opening, with good conversations throughout the evening. I left late, pleased by both the turnout and its reception, yet wanting more – for issues of shelter lay outside the boundaries of this building, this particular shelter. A group of us headed to the Majestic Café for sustenance, and were, as is always the case there, confronted by people living on the streets asking for money for food, or for food directly. I recognized many of them from previous encounters including a wheelchair bound woman I’d bought pizza for a while back. It’s one thing to think about issues of shelter in the abstract, but here, on the street, we’re confronted with it directly, viscerally, uncomfortably. In my pocket are keys to my home and enough money to buy something to eat made by someone else, and served to me by yet another team of people. I can come in from the wet, cold night and sit down in comfort to eat – which I do.

On this night, this all too common experience prompts a connection to a conversation I’d had earlier that day with my aunt who lives in San Francisco. Now in her early 60s, she has, to say the least, had an amazing range of life experiences – she’s written a bestselling cookbook, been a food critic, ran her own dining club, traveled the world, and much more. While none of these things have ever translated into great wealth, they have resulted in a very full and rich life. And she’s always found creative ways to get by, even living in a city which has seen the cost of living explode to the most expensive in the country. But recently, due to changes in housing laws, she may find herself forced out of the cozy home she’s been renting for over a decade, and it’s doubtful she’ll be able to find another place that she can afford in this city she’s called home for most of her adult life.

People like my aunt are educated, have regular jobs, contribute greatly to their communities, yet their options for shelter within their means are dwindling. It’s a scary situation. And many face just such a thing without the solid support group of friends and family that my aunt has. The situation definitely brings the issue of homelessness home.

It makes one think twice about these people asking for money on the street, and just how they ended up where they are, and what it might take for any of us to end up in such a situation.

The evening following the exhibition opening saw several of the artists in the show and the general public gather back at CAID for a dialogue on the issues of shelter raised by their artworks. Timlin led the conversation, speaking to the sense of communal responsibility, "Who we allow to be poor, defines who we are," which he also noted mirrored Native American philosophy where if one member of the community didn’t have shelter, it brought shame upon the entire culture. A powerful idea and something to give us pause as we turn our heads away from that person on the street.

Artist Kathy Rashid used the phrase, "Homeless in your hometown," to describe folks who'd been living in the Park Shelton before it went condo, more or less thrown out to make room for development opportunities. Very much the situation my aunt and others face in San Francisco. It's a difficult issue to be sure. Certainly a city needs folks of higher incomes to live there, to support businesses and build a tax base, but what of those displaced by gentrification? Developers and realtors need to earn income too, but where do we draw that line?

In the booklet accompany Miller and Gardner's ambitious, yet realizable house project they write, "Detroit needs to be recognized, acknowledged, and engaged if it is to survive. It's in our own best interest." Admittedly, it's sometimes hard to see how taking care of others is in our best interest. Consider though, the creation of a growing body of poor and homeless people should not only trouble us strictly out of compassion and even a desire to not be confronted with it when heading out for a night on the town, but it also creates a body of people in a state of desperation that at some point must lead to something beyond begging. It IS in our best interest to have people in stable, healthy homes, to help preserve our own situations. (And we could apply such thinking on a global scale – as the creation of an angry populace with no means to make its voice heard becomes an environment for those extreme elements of the population to resort to acts of violence.)

Is shelter a right for everyone? No matter how modest, should we not all have a place to hang our hat and call home? If so, what then can art do? While it’s true, as Timlin pointed out, "we could live without sculpture," art still is of great value to us as a culture. As University of Detroit professor of architecture (and CAID board member) Amy Deines put it, one role of art today is to convey what it is like to live in someone else's shoes.

We may not be able to walk that mile in another person's shoes, but the artist can offer a sense, a glimmer of understanding what that journey is like. Art can engender empathy. To paraphrase Timlin's curatorial statement, with empathy comes understanding and from understanding arises the possibility of solutions.

The exhibition is strong as a collection of art works and ideas. But its true strength, and perhaps the greatest potential inherent in all art, is the creation of a dialogue that reaches far beyond the gallery walls and set people walking down different paths from that experience.

In the case of shelter, this is essential not just for those in need, but for all of us. – Nick Sousanis
ws@thedetroiter.com

Through September 29, 2006
Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center

In a statement accompanying his retrospective exhibition ranging from 1964 to the present, potter John Glick states his twin dreams upon graduating from Cranbrook Art Academy back in 1962: “to connect with families in my community by making functional pottery – the best I was capable of – which could nurture them for generations” and “to create a clay studio of my own, so that each day I could playfully explore as fresh ideas came to me.” The body of work on display in the BBAC’s Robinson Fine Arts Gallery is a testament to just how well Glick has realized both dreams.

This life’s work is a rich playground of form, surface, and functionality. On display are representative pieces of his major bodies of work – dinner ware, platters, jars, teapots, pitchers, as well a number of decorative pieces. This includes major pieces such as the dinnerware set he made for the Mondale family to use at the Whitehouse in the late 1970s.

This is as much a collection of beautiful objects as it is a physical manifestation of his life philosophy. Through the creation of these utilitarian objects Glick stresses the importance of craftsmanship, and that connection between the maker of the object and the people who use it in their lives every day. Hence, this may not be the cutting edge of ceramics today, for Glick never loses sight of the idea that functionality and livability must come first. It is, to be sure, the work of one who’s mastered this difficult medium, who shows his love for it through play and continual exploration of what he can create within the limitations of the medium and issues of functionality.

The work is presented through series and not necessarily chronological. This makes it a little tricky to gauge how a development in one place led to a new way of working later on, but such an arrangement allows the viewer to gain strong insight into Glick’s exploration of the dual aspects of ceramics: form and surface. Ceramics’ strength and difficulty lie in the simultaneous attention the potter must pay to the three-dimensional aspects of the piece as well as the two-dimensional, both in which Glick clearly takes great delight.

In terms of form, Glick deals with the more volumetric properties in the work, the realm of the sculptor – addressing how a work sits, how it occupies in space. Further play tackles things like spouts, lips, and handles, to which he must devote great attention to the manner in which the user interacts with it. These must not only be pleasing forms, but they must fit our hands in a satisfying, pleasing manner.

Glick also exhibits a great deal of painterliness using the surface as a canvas. As much as he plays with the overall form, he pays equal attention to an almost dance of energy across the surface, yet one that never distracts from the form. This increasingly rich use of color and pattern grow stronger as the work progresses over time, as various influences make their way into the pottery. Glick does delve into the more abstract and less functional, making objects that reference other physical nonfunctional objects and even creating flat planes that are more directly referential of canvas. These side trips stand strong on their own as sculptures and paintings respectively, but perhaps more importantly such visits have offered Glick an outlet to explore more about form and surface and bring these ideas back into his main body of work. Glick has done this to great effect, which helps him to continually reinvigorate the work and no doubt his process as well. Always though, he comes back to the idea that the possessor of these objects must get use of them, must feel good about them, and be able to truly live with them.

A further aspect of Glick’s life work is the steady enlistment of assistants at his Plum Street Studios over the years who helped him turn out the great volume of work but also who learned from and with him. One of the six or so former assistants in his employ over the years is BBAC head of ceramics Paul Young who served as curator for the exhibition. The measure of a teacher lies in the strengths of his students, and each of Glick’s assistants have gone out on their own to carry on his work in their own individual ways. This represents a further extension of his dream to “connect with families,” manifested quite directly in his relationship with his assistants.

Young credits Glick as, “a constant innovator, always excited about his work, who remains so to this day.” This shows in this energetic retrospective, quite a statement of craft, which never loses sight that these are to enjoy, to feel good about, and most importantly, to use. It’s an all too short for an exhibition of this quality and an artist of this importance in our community, so make sure and get there while you can take in these works all in one place. – Nick Sousanis
ws@thedetroiter.com

Be a Part of the Detroit Windsor Journal Project

Two graduate students at Wayne State University in the Masters of Fine Arts Program are looking for volunteers in the Detroit/Windsor area to participate in an art project.

We are asking volunteers to keep a personal journal for the day of Monday, October 2nd 2006. There are no restrictions, entries can range from a sentence to a page or more and can be handwritten or typed. Spelling and grammar are not a concern. We are asking that participants be open, honest and creative. Entries should reflect on and record daily routines and interactions with others. Participants should feel free to include drawings with their journals.

The project is intended to provide a glimpse into the lives of the people living in our city, while illuminating the cultural differences that shape and define our communities.

This project is being proposed to the Shrinking Cities: Wayne State Responses Exhibition to be held January 2007 on campus at the
Elaine L. Jacobs Gallery.

Participation is open to all ages; we encourage volunteers to ask friends and family members to participate. Participants will remain anonymous.

Mail Entries by October 6th to:

Detroit Windsor Journal Project
Department of Art and Art History
150 Community Arts Building
Wayne State University
Detroit, MI 48202

For more information, please contact detwinjournal@yahoo.com.

A call for entries for the Third Annual Threads show at Johanson Charles Gallery

Opening October 6, 2006.

This September Mosaic Productions is proud to present the third annual “Threads” show, a fashion extravaganza. Billy Hunter and Jeanne Moore of Mosaic Productions are hosting a contest for the fashion and not so fashion side of Detroit. The show Threads, to be previewed at Johanson Charles Gallery, will be a clashing and melding between fashion and art, a combining of the two in unique and creative ways. Threads is a contest to create art for the body and designs should follow the dress to impress philosophy. This means artists have full reign to create a piece that shocks and amazes. The idea is to bring together Artists and Designers, who will challenge one another to create a wearable work of art unlike any other.

There will be three main Themes to choose from: 1) Detroit - Reflect our city; 2) Environment - Nature and ones surroundings; 3) Future – What’s ahead for all of us. Within these themes, artists can choose to create Accessories (bags, footwear, hats, jewelry, etc.), Outerwear (Shirts, jackets, pants, etc.) or Underwear. Artists can use any materials they deem fit for their wearable art piece.

Prizes will be based on number of entries. One winner in each category and a Supreme Award winner to be recognized for most creative piece.

Entries are due by October 1, 2006 and can be dropped off at Johanson Charles Gallery, 1345 Division in Eastern Market. Gallery Hours are Tuesday – Friday 4:30 – 7:30pm and Saturday 10am – 5pm.

For more information see www.mosaicproductionsgallery.com, write Billy Hunter or Jeanne Moore at mosaicproduction@hotmail.com or call 313-342-6143.

Motor City Brewing Works
4701 W. Canfield, Detroit
(Between Cass and 2nd)
313-832-2700
Every Wednesday Night, 7-11 pm
(September 27, 2006)

This week, recent Cranbrook grad John Chwekun takes center stage on the brewery’s one night showcase.

Last week Frank English was in the spotlight, and displayed a body of work more closely related to that which was a part of Voice of the People at Alley Culture in 2005.

Primarily these were landscape paintings on recycled paper and plaster molded in the form of plastic containers and such. The paintings work best on the more irregular forms (circular, warped) at a more intimate scale. There’s a rawness of paint handling, balanced with more accurate description that can get a bit lost on the larger works. At such scale, it feels like the paintings need to tip towards greater accuracy or more painterly. In any case, the rendering of this natural, as it turns out endangered, landscape on artifacts of our consumer culture is quite poignant. English’s subject for many of these is the Sibley Prairie, located in Brownstown Township in southwestern Wayne County. The prairie is threatened by imminent developments in the booming downriver area. In English’s depictions, we see the land crisscrossed by four-wheeler tracks, a hint that development and suburbanization is imminent. This seems to be a little known, yet important place in this state, and English does a great service in bringing attention to it through his work, as well as previous writing efforts. Let’s hope more folks check it out, and stand up to preserve it now.

Week in and week out, Wednesday nights have proven to be educational and a valuable experience. For artists this has meant a chance to try out work in mini-shows and given up and comers a shot to be seen. Perhaps just as importantly the atmosphere has been such as to provoke conversations on art and more that have gone on long past closing time. So come check it out, sample (in moderation!) what the owner John Linardos and the good folks at Motor City brew up each day (an undeniable artistry in its own right) and enjoy yourselves. We’ll see you there. – Nick Sousanis
ws@thedetroiter.com

Upcoming

oct 4 anja hoppe
oct 11 joe ferraro

(For more on the man who makes this all possible - bartender/curator Graem Whyte, see our four question feature here.)
(Also check out Rebecca Mazzei’s excellent profile of Motor City and This Week In Art in Metro Times.)

It’s safe to say that as long as there have been notebooks with margins in them, students have been doodling in them during class. From repetitive patterns to caricatures of our teachers to Batman – we all do it. Artist Christopher Crowder is no exception. Only his notebooks are more than just a little bit exceptional. Crowder, now in his last semester as a Bachelor of Fine Arts candidate at Wayne State University, fills page upon page in his notebook with intensely intricate images of a fantastical and more than just a little bit disturbing world.

With clean line work, Crowder details the not so clean – the secret life of toasters, war machines and people turned into machines. There’s grotesque figures engaged in sex or perhaps violence and death, futuristic machines with accompanying alien hieroglyphics. All inhabitants that might be found in a futuristic “Plop” magazine crossed with Aeon Flux are the product of Crowder’s exotic imagination and quite eloquent execution.

Extraordinary stuff to be sure.

But there’s something else extraordinary about them. They aren’t his sketchbooks for drawing class. These are his notes from academic classes. Which isn’t to say that they’re the work of a constant daydreamer or represent a lack of paying attention in class. No – these ARE his notes. Each deconstructed body part, each organic machine-filled landscape is not simply an outlet for his imagination, but also serves as a memory cue, a pointer to a place in his biological database if you will, to the material covered in the lecture at the time. As a notebook filled with names, dates, and hastily scribbled shorthand is for most of us, the elements of the composition of this techno-Brueghel world are for Crowder. This might sound as odd as the pictures themselves, but it’s working, thank you very much, as Crowder is heading into his final term with high marks.

This is Crowder’s second time around as a college student. He attended the College for Creative Studies out of high school, but things didn’t work out then. He threw away his art supplies and started working in computers. In 1998 he married his wife Hanna, and now is a Senior Field Engineer in the computer technical field. But not drawing or painting for over a decade was killing him, yet at the same time he says he didn’t want to exhibit at church bazaars or some such fare. This desire to create reared its head first in the form of landscaping his yard with 250 bowling balls. This was a clear sign that something needed to be done! And so in 2001, at the age of 33, with strong support from his wife, he gave himself a second chance. He went back to school, with a new found desire and great discipline and self-sufficiency.

Back to school has meant an immersion into both fine arts classes as well as plenty of academic classes – hence the genesis of his notebook, which he’s been adding to semester by semester. And yes, it does happen that a professor who assumes that he’s been diligently taking notes in a more traditional sense sees the pages and is a bit perplexed, if not concerned. But he continues on unfazed, working in a way that makes sense from his own perspective, and doing well as a student. (Occasionally fellow students will ask to borrow his notebook, as they too see him working so intently on it. He tries to explain that they won’t be able to read it, and it’s only when they actually see its contents, that they understand and are often a bit frightened!)

Crowder never gave his “doodles” much serious thought until WSU drawing Professor Jeffrey Abt saw the notebook during a senior seminar class, and recognized their strength. He claims that Abt really took him to task to embrace the energy and imagination being put forth on those pages, as well as the process that they emerged from, and use that as the focus for his work, rather than the more traditional paintings he was creating for art school at the time. And so he began incorporating elements from and the flavor of the notebook into full drawings, and with the subsequent encouragement of painting Professor Adrian Hatfield, really started to work big and play with drawings in the larger format. This was a really exciting development for Crowder and has set him upon his current path which has gained him shows at the Detroit Artists Market, Ann Arbor’s Gallery Project (where he first caught our attention) and brought him critical attention. (See our review here.) Crowder’s currently in this week’s Dirty Show, and has upcoming exhibitions in Chicago and Dallas.

For Crowder, his notebooks are a way of really seeing through a concept, not just the outer surface. He compares his unique way of taking notes to what he learned from his anatomy Professor Russell Keeter at CCS the first time around – “you can’t just look at a person to draw them, you have to see the mechanisms within it.”

Crowder’s notebooks have not only helped him get through school but display the significance of “just” doodling. Look for more of his work around town and beyond, and keep doodling in your own notebooks – it might just reveal more than you think. - Nick Sousanis
ws@thedetroiter.com

(This is the first in a series of articles delving into the realm of the critique, a vital element in the development of an artist and an art community.)

As students, artists receive a constant barrage of constructive criticism from their peers which helps to shape and develop their artwork as they go along. Years of slaving away at such efforts culminate in the presentation of the thesis exhibition.

But after school is over – then what?

Thrown into the real world where the general populous often exhibits a much less critical attitude towards the arts, many students and graduates find themselves floundering to gain a foothold in the art community. I spoke with three of my friends from college about three years after we all graduated – two of them admitted to having done none of their own artwork since school and probably never will. The third, has finally settled down enough in her life to where she can begin taking photographs again.

So how does one continue to develop work in the real world as a professional artist, without becoming stagnant in composition and concept?

Artist co-ops are ideal in that you have numerous artist studios in one area and opinions and perspectives are easily found. But what if you’re someone like me, who calls my kitchen and living room a studio? How do you escape this isolation and get some real feedback? There are alternatives.

Mark Sengbusch, founder of the former 101Up Gallery and currently a first year Cranbrook student, led a group critique at the Detroit Artist Market on Wednesday, August 12th. When I heard of this I jumped at the rare opportunity to show some of my newer underdeveloped work. After all, this is the critical stage where I can gauge what direction I want to take the piece by the reactions of others. A few other artists, including illustrator Christopher Crowder, and art enthusiasts gathered at Detroit Artist Market on August 12th. Sengbusch passed out papers with loose guidelines and notation spaces, of which we all took great advantage.

As each piece was displayed we discussed the materials used, composition, and concept, and asked such questions as, “Is the initial idea for this piece being clear to the viewer?” and if not, “How can the work be changed to convey your ideas with out losing what it already has?” We all did our best to keep comments short and to the point for the sake of time, yet even so, each artist received excellent feedback. It felt wonderful to me to be part of that kind of discussion and intellectual dynamic again after five years away from such discourse.

This month, September 20th from 6pm-8pm DAM offers their second such critique. These critiques are open to the public, and anyone interested in showing their work may sign up ahead of time with DAM. Others, interested in discussing new works, are also invited to take part in the discussion. I for one will definitely attend. In making this a regular monthly occurrence, an artist can get feedback, and then take those ideas into account and come back to the group again for further discussion. This allows viewers a very interesting glimpse into the creative process of a work of art. For a piece that takes several months to develop, with each critique attendees can witness the great changes and evolution of a work of fine art.

The Artists Market will be holding these critiques regularly the third Wednesday of the month, with the exception of November and December, due to the holiday season. The schedule will resume in January. I strongly suggest that artists take advantage of this opportunity, and so should art lovers and collectors come to lend their views as well.

Allison Pasarew is a working artist living in the Detroit area.

To be a part of this, please call DAM at 313.832.8540 to reserve your spot. Only ten artists will display their work.

Motor City Brewing Works
4701 W. Canfield, Detroit
(Between Cass and 2nd)
313-832-2700
Every Wednesday Night, 7-11 pm
(September 20, 2006)

This week, check out Frank English taking center stage on the brewery’s one night showcase. For a little more on English, check out a recent review of his work as part of n-tûrprt here. We’ve missed a couple weeks at the Brewery, and looking forward to getting back in the swing of things with this week.

Week in and week out, Wednesday nights have proven to be educational and a valuable experience. For artists this has meant a chance to try out work in mini-shows and given up and comers a shot to be seen. Perhaps just as importantly the atmosphere has been such as to provoke conversations on art and more that have gone on long past closing time. So come check it out, sample (in moderation!) what the owner John Linardos and the good folks at Motor City brew up each day (an undeniable artistry in its own right) and enjoy yourselves. We’ll see you there. – Nick Sousanis
ws@thedetroiter.com

Upcoming

sep 27 john chwekun
oct 4 anja hoppe
oct 11 joe ferraro

(For more on the man who makes this all possible - bartender/curator Graem Whyte, see our four question feature here.)
(Also check out Rebecca Mazzei’s excellent profile of Motor City and This Week In Art in Metro Times.)

The Anton Art Center is seeking exhibition proposals from artists. There are opportunities for solo and curated shows. The philosophy of the Art Center has a strong educational component and we are looking for artists
that push the viewer to think beyond tradition, exploring the possibilities of various materials, subject matter and ideas. All entries, with a self addressed envelope will be reviewed by the exhibit committee if postmarked
by November 15t, 2006. Send slides to:

Tessa Stein
Exhibit/Education Coordinator
Anton Art Center
125 Macomb Place
Mount Clemens, MI 48043
(586) 469-8666

Northville Art House
Through October 22, 2006

In bringing in Aaron Timlin, founder of detroit contemporary (currently employed by the Contemporary Art Institute of Detroit for which this writer is the board chair), the Northville Arts Council made a strong turn from such things as Impressionistic landscapes and art fair fare, and instead looked to infuse the town with something a bit Detroit and a little more contemporary. Such is the case with “n-tûrprt,” a thematic group show, that brings together primarily artists from Timlin’s realm – which is to say that few of them have ever shown in Northville, let alone set foot there.

The assignment the assembled body of artists chose to accept was to come to Northville, specifically to the Art House, and make work in response to – interpret – what they experienced within 10 blocks of that site, through their own individual artistic filters. Additionally, they were asked to keep a journal documenting their experience to be displayed alongside their work, which ranged from the briefest of writing to pages upon pages in a notebook. Through drawings, paintings, photographs, and three-dimensional works along with their texts, the artists created an interesting, if somewhat revealing, examination of the town from an external perspective, and a truly fascinating look at the process each artist goes through in creating his or her artwork. All in all, a pretty rich and varied menu for the viewer to digest.

Candace Law took a pretty direct look at Northville, concentrating on the cemetery adjacent to the Art House’s parking lot. She documented tombstones in black and white photographs, with an accompanying statement that acknowledged the importance of such local cemeteries for the personal connection they maintained. In her words, “You can tell a lot about a people in a city like Northville by the way each generation treats their dead.”

Alison Wong bought a bird painting locally and then reinterpreted it in her own way, displaying them together. Lynn Galbreath rendered a drawing of a corner of the downtown. Victory Pytko’s painting of a local house and yard, is accompanied by his journal which recounts his process and his frustration in searching for subject matter, as he does often work en plein air, but with a focus on the urban landscape. Cathy Peet shares a strong painting/assemblage of a rural scene, as well as a delightful gestural drawing of a dog with owner. Her detailed journal entry of coming to town includes this line, “The cop I just passed looked at me with suspicion.”

Frank English displayed a literal snapshot of the town, with around three hundred photographs installed on the wall taken within the proscribed area, all in close-up. We see flowers, road signs (one pointing to Detroit), stop lights, faces of statuary – through more intimate looks, English offers a different and quite successful perspective on the town. Harlan Lovestone’s collage in cloth with painted imagery is interesting, but his single page of hand written text perhaps speaks further, as he muses about his process and race, and notes, “Perhaps I should write more often.” An enlightened statement, as that act of writing, the pause to slow down and consider our actions, perhaps that’s where we are able to make the greatest breakthroughs.

Simone De Sousa did a great deal of writing in the form of poetry for her journal. Her words speak of the experience of being a tree, and insights of creating the piece – as she writes, “I find that most of the experience can’t be captured by narrative or words for that matter.” Her abstract painting incorporates such thoughts and makes the poetic visual.

Mike Richison strongly embraced both the visual and the verbal challenge of interpreting Northville with a scroll of drawings and text titled, “The Longest Walk I Have Ever Taken.” Where most artists kept these two aspects quite separate – Richison merged them into one thing. Essentially on this long horizontally displayed scroll he documented quite intensively a walk along the sidewalk, and all that he encountered and experienced over that journey. We might liken his process to the Situationist art movement’s dérive, essentially a means of seeking expanded awareness through a walk that was more of a “drifting” than a direct journey. (For past editorial, click here.)

And drift Richison does, on foot and in mind, as his path encounters grates, splashes of paint, and his mind wanders from keen observation to self-deprecating commentary. It’s truly an honest, open and revealing glimpse into his thought process just as it occurred to him – head to hand to paper – frozen, preserved thoughts for the reader to pick up at some much later date, and follow along as if accompanying Richison down that sidewalk. His chatty demeanor reads like a video documentary, one could imagine a film of this. But on paper, we can read at our own pace, make a journey through the drawing all our own, rather than at the tempo set by the videographer.

Richison’s observations range from insightful to laugh out loud funny as he documents, “One man’s journey to understand his surroundings and himself.” I picked out a few examples: In response to discovering a catalog for picture frames (!) in the trash, he notes, “I swear this place has the prettiest trash.” In coming upon yet another driveway he writes, “The excitement is killing me.” His spelling even ends up being funny (this being said by a stickler for correct spelling in public) as it speaks so much to the honest nature of the project. Frustrated by the duration of the project he blurts out, “I blame Timlin and Northville.” But beyond enjoying his humor (or laughing at his plight), there is so much to see of his process. He points out (unironically), “I’m a pretty obsessive person.” Periodically, an idea for a new project would occur to him, and that becomes part of the record right alongside observations about weeds. The walk offers a new perspective on the place and himself, as he closes with, “It’s good to get out of your skin now and again. I guess? Right?” (Note, the scroll is also available as a printed book containing the course of the drawing sequentially, page by page. It’s not a perfect transfer, but definitely worth picking up, and reading over and over. Also, Richison’s work is featured on the Ferndale Public Art Project – the Billboard this month.)

Richison is right. His work, as with all the artists in this show, offers insight in taking one away from our comfort zone – either Detroit artists working in Northville, or Northville-ans seeing work in their town of a much different nature than they might ordinarily be accustomed. And in being required to document the process, it forces the artist and the viewer, to look at that whole process from a brand new perspective, step out of our skin as it were. Definitely worth the trip, and a perspective worth bringing back to your own surroundings. – Nick Sousanis
ws@thedetroiter.com

Motor City Brewing Works
4701 W. Canfield, Detroit
(Between Cass and 2nd)
313-832-2700
Every Wednesday Night, 7-11 pm
(September 13, 2006)

This week, check out John Jakary taking center stage on the brewery’s one night showcase. Jakary's known for his work in theater, particularly some intense, imaginative productions at Zeitgeist, but catch his artwork this week at the Brewery. (NOTE: Looking to write a review? I'm missing 2 wednesday nights in a row - open to a guest writer for this week's or last week's featuring Nolan Simon. Any takers?)

Week in and week out, Wednesday nights have proven to be educational and a valuable experience. For artists this has meant a chance to try out work in mini-shows and given up and comers a shot to be seen. Perhaps just as importantly the atmosphere has been such as to provoke conversations on art and more that have gone on long past closing time. So come check it out, sample (in moderation!) what the owner John Linardos and the good folks at Motor City brew up each day (an undeniable artistry in its own right) and enjoy yourselves. We’ll see you there. – Nick Sousanis
ws@thedetroiter.com

Upcoming
sep 20 frank English
sep 27 john chwekun
oct 4 anja hoppe
oct 11 joe ferraro

(For more on the man who makes this all possible - bartender/curator Graem Whyte, see our four question feature here.)
(Also check out Rebecca Mazzei’s excellent profile of Motor City and This Week In Art in Metro Times.)

(See our companion piece, “In the Box, Out of the Box” here.)

The Detroit Artist's Market kicks off its 75th exhibition season Friday, September 8, from 6:30 - 10 pm with a silent auction of artwork that plays on the memory of the Willis Gallery box shows of days past. For those who don't know, for decades the Willis Gallery, which used to be located on Willis near Cass in what's now the Avalon Bakery, was a mainstay of the Detroit art scene, an artist-run space where many of Detroit's prominent artists of the 1970s, '80s, and '90s had their first or at least early exhibitions.

The Willis was about as raw a space as they come, as befitted its down-and-out Cass Corridor locale. Local indigents kept track of the openings to get in on the free booze and noshes, meager though they usually were. And in keeping with the Cass Corridor art scene's hardscrabble mystique, it was often difficult to tell the beggars from the exhibiting artists. The building's owner, who also ran Cobb's Corner next door, provided the space gratis. It was up to the artists to put in any physical amenities. (The day heat was installed was a pretty big deal.) Management of the Willis was strictly on a volunteer basis and passed from hand to hand with one year's departing director picking the incoming one who served for the next year and so on. Sales were generally modest both in volume and price. So while expenses were low, so were revenues.

The box shows were devised as a fundraiser, primarily to help pay for maintaining the building. My recollection is that someone (Matt Hanna?) came across a trove of wooden boxes that had been used in an optometrist's office to store sample eyeglass frames. They were about 10 or 11 inches tall, six or so inches wide, and an inch-and-half deep. Many had little compartments, which provided a grid structure for creating assemblages. Like the rotation of directors, the boxes were handed out through a network of friends and acquaintances in a kind of viral communication system. When the stash of optometrist's boxes ran out, cigar boxes took their place. Auction night was always a damn good party, especially when coupled with the fact that you were usually walking off with a piece of art for a fraction of what it should have cost. (Full disclosure: I participated in three Willis Gallery box shows and own five boxes made by other artists; I was also invited to select five artists plus submit a piece of my own for the DAM box show.)

The current box show at DAM rekindles the community spirit that ran through the Detroit art scene during those days and at the Willis in particular. At first blush, the box for this latest edition would seem to portend limited results. Made in China of thin silver metal less than four inches wide by two-and-a-half inches high by 7/8 inches deep, it seems so insubstantial and nondescript in its raw state. But it just goes to show you that you can't keep a good artist down. The diversity of responses is impressive as is the complete transformation many of the boxes have undergone. There are the overachievers (I'm talking about you, Joe Bernard) who've made something spectacular in which the box is just a small component, in a kind of potlatch of aesthetic gift-giving. Another striking thing is the people (for example, Roy Castleberry) who've come out of the woodwork to submit pieces. Plus there are those such as Deborah Sukenic who've left the Motor City but still sent in pieces by mail. And there are the younger artists, like Miroslav Cukovic, who weren't even born when the Willis started kicking out the jams and whose work bodes well for the future. All in all, “That DAM Box Show” is proof that Detroit’s art community, though hunkered down, is still hanging in there.

(See our companion piece, “In the Box, Out of the Box” here.)

Under the Radar, The Willis Remembered
September 6th through October 21st
Detroit Artists Market

With the Detroit Artists Market Box Show, a tribute to the Willis Gallery upon us, (see Vince Carducci’s companion piece “Still Creative After All These Years” for more on the history behind this), some questions might be raised about the notion of working “in the box” – in this case quite literally.

Often we view being in the box as a trap, a limitation, that keeps us from being as creative, as free as we can be. The thought is that we have to think “outside of the box” in order to truly be creative, to truly be free.

There’s much truth to this, of course, for in following the rules too tightly, in thinking too rigidly about what’s already established – staying in the box – we create nothing new. But there’s a flipside to this, in being too far outside the box, with nothing to give form to our thoughts, we end up in a state of Chaos, with little to provide stability.

For this exhibition, everyone was given a box quite literally. Yet the results are anything but narrow or similar. Each individual accepted the challenge of the limitation and in staying within their particular box made it into their own statement. The results of an open call would of course be different, but the diversity on hand for this show is extraordinary.

And in some ways, we’re always working within one box or another. There are limitations of time, materials, skills, and space – restrictions – all boxes within which we create as we can.

And truthfully, even outside one box, we are always enclosed by a larger one – that is the box that is our lives, the box that is this earth, the box that are the laws of physics.

However, that does not in any way make the play within those boxes any less grand.

And so it is that in straddling that edge between in the box and outside of the box that we create. In finding our balance, we learn that the restriction of the box is also a sort of freedom, in fact the box – the rules of the games at which we play – are what make things possible.

Mathematician G. H. Hardy characterizes the creative breakthrough as containing unexpectedness combined with inevitability and economy. We play inside and outside the box and inevitably, the unexpected – something surprising and miraculous happens. *

And thus it is with the DAM Box Show. Each of the approximately 200 boxes on display contains something unexpected and grand in its own way. So many different approaches, it seems hard to believe that they all began with the same, tiny tin box.

It’s difficult to partition the various works into categories (place them in boxes), but we might at least try to give a sense of what one can expect to see starting this Wednesday.

There are those who stayed within the confines of their box – decorating its exterior and interior, and those who exploded their work far from its borders, and the box remained but a tiny aspect of the final piece.

Joseph Bernard’s “Gypsy Elegy” (on our cover this week), made use of his quite flattened box as an element of his painterly composition. Mark Sengbusch offered up an homage to Bernard, with his design based piece, incorporating the box and bottle caps. Susan Goethel Campbell stayed true to the ethereal nature of much of her body of work by capturing an “impression of a box” on paper. Christine Hagedorn, Joyce Brienze, and Craig Paul Nowak incorporated the box as an element within their work.

John Piet’s wonderfully ornate piece holds an added surprise – in looking extremely closely through a tiny jewel in the work, he’s ingeniously hidden another image within. Mike Sivak brought a similarly intense altar-like construction of rabbits and religious iconography, as did Julie Renfrew – though with fewer rabbits!

For some, the box became integrated into a machine, as with Miroslav Cukovic’s sound sculpture. Carl Oxley III illustrated his box in his specific style, then incorporated it into a working, toy piano. The collaborative Reject Effect used their box as part of “Amazing Race ‘n Chase” a set of radio controlled cars – very cool! Robin Sommers’ box became part of delightfully elegant mechanical clock.

Some boxes become a new object – as in Jim Hock’s Functional, wearable brooch– “Buckle Boy,” nicely displayed on a mannequin. Richard Voytowich’s “Bubbles” is a tiny, complex sculpture playing off the box, while Paul Kotula slightly modified his box to mount it quite successfully in a corner – the only site specific piece in the show.

A few folks played off of the idea of the box, like Ron Morosan’s Pan-Dora, minimally altered, with a poetic offering about the boxes we’ve opened and the paths we’re headed down as a result. Gregory Rokicki also tackled the Pandora’s box idea. Sambuddha Saha took a more conceptual approach to the box, with “Half ‘n Half” a clever reference to Schrödinger’s Cat (in a box).

Robert Sestok tore his box asunder, with jagged strips of metal sprawled akimbo. Ben Kiehl’s piece appears to be a crumpled piece of paper torn from a notebook, but it is in fact his box, flattened, crumpled and then painted to perfectly create this illusion. Brad and Vaughn Taormina display an exotic creature creation, with box hidden somewhere inside.

Of course, many folks used the box as a box – to contain objects. Christine Gibbs “Palm,” contained two sculptural casts of the space within her closed fist. Suzanne Andersen filled hers with ceramic candy statements. Sergio De Giusti’s both contained a sculptural bust and was displayed by a hand sculpture. Susan McDonald created a lovely functioning Jacob’s Ladder which stores neatly within her box, and others used the box to hold story books, cards, and even flip books. Jack Summers’ “Zakoom” is an accordion like series of images scanned from comic books. Rose DeSloover’s box, “Domestication of Colors” is similarly laid out, with each page containing her trademark color swatches. Gary Schwartz inserted a tiny etch-a-sketch within which he used to write the words “buy this box” upon it.

Some boxes became tiny worlds within. Shirley Parish transformed hers into a suitcase with miniature items from Detroit and Venice within. Brooke Keesling created a fantastic scene and Michelle Perron offered up a tribute to the Willis Gallery, with a three-dimensional scene referencing Michigan’s up north and the outdoors, against a backdrop with an image of the gallery.

Additionally there are on hand an amazing number of works more political in nature. Our own Vince Carducci contributed a piece carrying a message viral in nature. David Barr’s speaks of the attack on the Bill of Rights, as do both Stephen Magsig and Janet Hamrick – whose exteriors were adorned in their signature styles with interiors addressing civil liberties on the interior. Dolores Slowinski’s box speaks to the true price of crude oil, Steve Collister displays tiny army toys and asks what our leaders played with as children, while Meredith Rae Krell’s imagery asks us to “Fight War Not Wars.” This outpouring of considered political thought is encouraging and speaks to the power of art as a communicator of ideas.

And of course, there’s a lot more to see. I only mentioned a few, a taste if you will. The silent auction starts Wednesday and runs through Friday. A follow up show, featuring a retrospective of the original Willis Box shows will begin the following week. More details below. Come check out the creativity and expressivity of Detroit area artists as they work in and out of the box. – Nick Sousanis
ws@thedetroiter.com

(Full Disclosure: I was asked to distribute five such boxes, and collaborated on my own piece with Leah Keller-Transburg.)

*The “In the Box/Out of the Box” was adapted from the text for my “Block,” another box of sorts, created for the Grosse Pointe Art Association’s upcoming Block Art Auction opening September 15th.

(see Vince Carducci’s companion piece “Still Creative After All These Years” for more on the history behind this)

Silent auction runs Wednesday, September 6 through Friday, September 8. The opening reception and final bidding, will take place Friday, September 8 from 5:30-10 p.m.; bidding will end at 9 p.m. Closing reception will take place on Friday, October 20 from 5:30 – 10:00 p.m.

Willis Gallery Box Show Retrospective 1993 - 1996
September 12 - October 21

GALLERY TALK: Saturday, October 7, 2:00 - 3:00 PM

Motor City Brewing Works
4701 W. Canfield, Detroit
(Between Cass and 2nd)
313-832-2700
Every Wednesday Night, 7-11 pm
(September 6, 2006)

This week, check out Nolan Simon taking center stage on the brewery’s one night showcase. For more on Simon, check out a past review here.

Week in and week out, Wednesday nights have proven to be educational and a valuable experience. For artists this has meant a chance to try out work in mini-shows and given up and comers a shot to be seen. Perhaps just as importantly the atmosphere has been such as to provoke conversations on art and more that have gone on long past closing time. So come check it out, sample (in moderation!) what the owner John Linardos and the good folks at Motor City brew up each day (an undeniable artistry in its own right) and enjoy yourselves. We’ll see you there. – Nick Sousanis
ws@thedetroiter.com

Upcoming
sep 13 john jakary
sep 20 frank English
sep 27 john chwekun
oct 4 anja hoppe
oct 11 joe ferraro

(For more on the man who makes this all possible - bartender/curator Graem Whyte, see our four question feature here.)
(Also check out Rebecca Mazzei’s excellent profile of Motor City and This Week In Art in Metro Times.)

Event August 19, 2006
Gallery 555

By Tom Carbone

On a hot and humid August night, the “Detroit Fashion Week 2006” main event took place in the 2nd floor space of Gallery 555. The folks at 555 are making solid progress upgrading their performance space – while completely irregular in form and finish, the space’s 25 foot ceiling and ancient Detroit factory appearance is looking quite comfortable. This year local designers and fashion students showed together for a single all-encompassing runway presentation which was pared back from last year’s multi-night extravaganza.

As always, I like to talk with my fellow audience members before the show. Sitting next to me was Roman Hall a young fashionably dressed real estate agent attending in support of his girlfriend – the very attractive aspiring runway model Christian Johnson, both from Detroit. Noticing Roman’s impeccably chosen outfit I began to notice what the other younger men in the crowd were wearing. Many of these men wore coordinated hats, shirts, trousers, and shoes that clearly required a great deal of effort to assemble. Part of the look is the “brand new” aspect of the clothing; the way the fabric looks, lies, and wrinkles in a way that can only be had from clothes that are just a few hours old. These young men are extremely fashion conscious and I dare say will remain so as they get older and dress more mainstream.

The show kicked off when the 150 plus guests were seated. The runway cut a diagonal path through the room at floor level making for the greatest number of front row seats possible. The music was just right for this event, serving to keep the large crowd involved.

Standouts from the show were Robrena Davis’ summery light pieces – one of note was made up of a brown halter-top and a mid length floral patterned skirt.
Dana Keaton a.k.a. DivaGroove wrapped up the runway event with a diverse collection that included some very elegant and sexy nightclub outfits. As a mainstay in the Detroit fashion scene Dana continues her high level of quality works.

All together the show presented too wide a range of clothing types and would have benefited from a more focused theme or direction. It is important that the best of the best continue to show together leaving the rest to come up to standard. Detroit has to make a special effort in fashion one show and one event at a time. A distinction also has to be made between fashion consulting and fashion design; simply dressing models in ready to wear clothing cannot be presented as design. And as for the stripper outfits with team logos? Well, I enjoy beautiful women wearing virtually nothing as much as the next person. However, I don’t see how this type of thing is creative or beneficial to the cause.

In short the event was well organized and the dedicated designers shown through as expected, let’s continue to support them, they have earned it.

Tom Carbone is the Arts Calendar Editor of thedetroiter.com and an avid supporter and contributor to the worlds of fashion and device.

The Contemporary Art Institute of Detroit is currently seeking candidates to fill committee positions. The volunteer positions are for seats on the following committees: Exhibition, Program, Development, Facilities, and Community Relations. Committee roles and responsibilities and their relationship to the board of directors are listed below. Inquires should be made to board chair, Nick Sousanis. Please e-mail info@thecaid.org or snail mail a resume with a cover letter identifying the committee(s) of interest to: CAID Committee Seat, 5141 Rosa Parks Blvd, Detroit MI 48208 or e-mail . For further information about CAID please visit the website at www.thecaid.org. Or read the article in Model D magazine.

For the committee positions the CAID is seeking candidates working in or studying the visual and performance arts, marketing & pr, architecture, design and/or those who express and exhibit an interest and passion for the arts. Committee meetings are held once a month for an average duration of 2-3 hours. As a member of a committee, individuals will be responsible for assisting in the further development and expansion of CAID’s programs and its facilities to assist in the Contemporary Art Institute of Detroit’s mission of becoming a major contemporary arts center in the region.

Contemporary Art Institute of Detroit Committee Responsibilities

Exhibition Committee

Plan and assist in implementing the exhibition schedule for each year. Oversee exhibition planning and installation. Assign exhibition coordinators to each exhibition.

2006 Duties – Finalize 2007 Season and begin draft for 2008 season

Program Committee

Assist in developing, implementing and managing a schedule of events and educational programming including concerts, festivals, film screenings, DJ dance nights, art classes, artists’ critiques, lectures, forums and more. Plan and oversee other programs developed in conjunction or in partnership with other events and organizations both locally and abroad.
2006 Duties – (1) Create an online radio station to begin broadcasting local and international musical and video artists, interviews and more by July 2006, (2) develop an international artist exchange/residency program, (3) work with other organizations including businesses, hospitals, cities and others in establishing art and music programs including public art installations such as murals and public sculptures and performances, hospital art installations and other art and music programs.

Development Committee

Assist in grant writing and identifying new grant and sponsorship opportunities. Ensure that grants and annual fund requests are submitted for state, city, foundation and/or individual support. Assist with membership management ensuring benefits are received, planning the annual membership meeting and identifying new opportunities for increasing membership and membership benefits. Assist in raising additional funds for new programs or major purchases such as real estate or large equipment purchases.

Facilities Committee

Oversee general upkeep and operations of the building and equipment. Work with Staff to ensure utilities are paid and building and equipment maintenance and repair needs are met. Continue to work with architects and developers with plans for expanding the facility and renovating and redesigning the current gallery/theatre.

Community Relations Committee

Oversee website development, production and distribution of announcements, press releases, e-mail notices of exhibitions and special events. Serves as liaison to the community. Develops and enhances relationships with other organizations and community groups.

By
Leyland DeVito

In Detroit-based artist Mark Dancey’s new Iluminado Mythographic Lunar Calendar, the stories of thirteen moon-related goddesses from cultures all over the world are illustrated in Dancey’s bold, graphic style. It’s quite an eclectic trip through world mythologies as such figures as the more familiar Diana of Roman lore is shown alongside lesser-known lunar ladies like Mama Quilla, the mother of the Incan people, and Chang E, the Chinese woman-turned-toad.

“I find the stories from mythology fascinating, inspiring, and funny,” Dancey explains of his new calendar via e-mail. Dancey’s calendar combines these lunar legends with a consistent structure that follows the cycle of the moon more closely than our irregular Gregorian calendar. A lunar calendar, Dancey reasons, could be useful in keeping in sync with many natural cycles that also coincide with the moon, such as the tides.

It also means you get one extra picture.

“I like calendars and I decided to use this twenty-eight days-per-month system because it is uniform—every month is the same— and because it yields thirteen months, which means thirteen illustrations instead of twelve,” Mark says. “Because it’s a lunar calendar, I thought the illustrations logically should have something to do with the moon, and because I wanted it to be in the tradition of the pinup calendars of the past I thought the subjects should be female, so it followed that they should be goddesses of the moon.”

The calendar is the first project in a planned series that will illustrate the stories of world mythology, which will include comics and paintings, created from his southwest Detroit studio. Mark has been a Detroiter since 1992, when he moved from Ann Arbor “being partial to the underdog” and “in search of the cheap space and romantic ruins that Ann Arbor did not possess.”

“Detroit is like some gem you find in the thrift store that you can have for a song,” Mark says of his city.

While in Ann Arbor, Mark attended the University of Michigan in pursuit of a Psychology education. He got his training in art working on The Gargoyle, the campus humor magazine. “I learned by doing it and absorbing advice from helpful colleagues,” he says. “Drawing cartoons for The Gargoyle and learning how to put a magazine together set me on my present course.” Later he joined the rock band Big Chief, where he served as both the band’s guitar player and graphic designer.

After offering his graphic design services to other bands’ album covers as well as running the magazine Motorbooty, Mark decided to quit the rock and roll life and focus on being an artist instead. “I finally decided to stop dividing my time and concentrate on making pictures, realizing that I would never do anything distinctive with my guitar but that I had a chance to make good pictures if I stopped touring the world's dives with the band,” he explains. The decision allowed him to learn new techniques, and in 2003 showed a body of work at the CPOP gallery that was radically different than his previous work, featuring classically painted female nudes. (For a review of that show, please click here.)

“Before I tried painting I had one style, which was basically just all I could do,” he says. “After several miserable attempts to translate that graphic style into paintings I came to realize that the paintings really ought to be something different than the graphics, that they really ought to use light and shadow and color and texture and all the possibilities of oil paint, so I had to learn how to do that, and the result was quite different than the graphics.”

As an artist, is it more important to have your own style or show an aptitude for a wide variety of styles? “Why not try something different?” Mark says. “It keeps it interesting for you and the people who have to look at your stuff.”

The Iluminado Mythographic Lunar Calendar is available at Mark Dancey’s website www.iluminado.us

Leyland DeVito is studying illustration at Detroit's College for Creative Studies. He can be reached at flyingtreemonkey@aol.com.