Gallery Week

As promised, Jack Summers has been busy taking pictures of the various galleries that will participate in this year’s Gallery Week. This slideshow is the first installment in his introduction to Detroit’s galleries. Jack took pictures of the College for Creative Studies’ Center Galleries. The Center Galleries has nearly 6,000 square feet of exhibition space, and is a mainstay of the Detroit art community.

For more information call 313.664.7800 or email Gallery Director Michelle Perron at mperron@collegeforcreativestudies.edu.

I also reached out to Michelle to tell us a little more about Center Galleries and herself.

thedetroiter.com: When did your gallery open?

Michelle: Center Galleries opened at CCS in 1988 in the Park Shelton Building at the corner of Woodward and Kirby. It moved to its present location on the CCS campus in September 1998.

thedetroiter.com: What is your background?

Michelle: My career began in fundraising for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in the mid-1980s. in 1988 I became director of the now defunct, but legendary, Michigan Gallery on Michigan Avenue (most recently known as Zeitgeist Gallery). After running that program for several years and a short stint working for O.K. Harris Works of Art in Birmingham (the precursor to David Klein Gallery), I spent most of the 1990s in New York City, first as Director of Development and manager of the art collection for Merce Cunningham Dance Company, then as director of Art et Industrie Gallery in Soho. I came back to Detroit in 1998 to join CCS’ Center Galleries.

thedetroiter.com: What is your gallery’s focus?

Michelle: CCS-Center Galleries is a dynamic forum for the contemporary visual, literary and performance arts, and an integral component of the College for Creative Studies. As the College for Creative Studies’ main exhibition venue, Center Galleries presents the work of student, faculty, alumni, local, national, and internationally prominent artists in four gallery spaces for the education and enjoyment of the CCS family and the community at large. Center Galleries’ primary objectives are to enhance the academic programs of the College; to present quality exhibitions and educational programs that explore art, craft, and design, as well as CCS’s rich history and collections; and to engage and educate existing and new audiences.

Center Galleries recognizes a special responsibility to support the academic and teaching missions of the College through close collaboration with academic departments on campus. Off campus, Center Galleries places special emphasis on serving the cultural needs of the people of southeastern Michigan, while simultaneously positioning CCS as an active member of the national art community.

Center Galleries is committed to bringing significant, compelling and quality visual art and design from all over the country to CCS. By combining the work and talents of students, faculty and local and nationally renowned artists in exhibitions throughout the year, Center Galleries seeks to present the art and artists of our own community in a new context and deepen the dialogue about how Detroit and CCS exists in and responds to the national art scene.

Center Galleries’ commitment to education is evident in the myriad programs and events created for CCS students to explore the art world beyond the school environment. These events routinely foster intellectual inquiry and become opportunities for students and the public alike to explore the relationship between culture and artistic practice. Ultimately, Center Galleries creates multidisciplinary exhibitions and educational programming that enables diverse audiences to connect their experience of art to everyday life.

CCS-Center Galleries offers an extensive array of important services and events to the College and the community at large:
- More than 12 annual exhibitions in the Center Galleries spaces
- 15+ exhibitions in the U245 Student Gallery spaces
- Symposia and panel discussions
- Lectures
- Gallery talks
- Performance events
- Literary events
- Film events
- Donor recognition events
- Public lectures and student activities through the Woodward Lecture Series
- Scholarly catalogues on exhibitions
- Community info board (posting area events and artist opportunities)
- Student artist services (including resume building, portfolio assistance, grant writing assistance, etc.)
- public service E-Newsletter for the community (free publicity on area cultural events, mailing list share, etc.)

thedetroiter.com: What is your philosophy about viewing new art?

Michelle: I’m most intrigued when something stops me in my tracks, makes me question my judgment and look twice. Even if at first I don’t like it, it has more resonance for me than something I am easily drawn to. I like to be engaged, but then who doesn’t?