Blog Post
Gifts of Art's summer exhibitions keep on giving
by christopherporter
With eight different exhibits in its summer presentation, Gifts of Art continues to be an important part of the University of Michigan's creative ecosystem. The exhibitions, which run through September 9, serve as an important facet of the hospital, bringing the gallery experience to patients, staff, and visitors.
Blog Post
Immersive India: Rasa Festival celebrates arts and cultural from the subcontinent
by christopherporter
Building a month-long festival from the ground up is challenging enough when it focuses solely on one artistic discipline, such as music.
But last year's inaugural Rasa Festival was a multidisciplinary party with performing, visual, literary, media/films, and culinary arts from India, presented in various Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti venues.
Blog Post
Local Legends: "One-Shot Stanger: The Photos of Eck Stanger" at AADL
by christopherporter
Local legend says Egbert ("Eck") Stanger, a 1930s copy editor for The Ann Arbor News, was hired as the paper's first staff photographer because he was the only staffer who knew how to read the German instruction manual for the newspaper's only camera.
Blog Post
Book Covers: Live Painting with Marlo Broughton at AADL
by christopherporter
Marlo Broughton, aka MarloBro, is an artist and designer whose work ranges from pop culture to social issues like police brutality to love and friendship. He's been involved with Detroit's creative scene since 2007 and steadily built his portfolio in the city’s streets and galleries. His work has been featured in numerous exhibitions in the area and he works with agencies including 1XRun, Playground Detroit, and the Detroit Institute of Arts.
Blog Post
Refuge and Isolation: Ypsi Alloy Studios' "Sanctuary" at Ann Arbor Art Center
by christopherporter
Ann Arbor Art Center’s Sanctuary exhibition features some pieces that focus on the meditative aspect of the titular concept, but other works confront the “double-edged sword” of what "sanctuary" means, lending to the gallery’s successful interpretation of a broad theme.
Blog Post
The Photography of Art: Donita Simpson’s "Context Is Everything" documents Detroit artists
by christopherporter
Donita Simpson is racing to record and archive images of the Detroit art scene’s most important and enduring artists as she writes the first draft of the city’s contemporary art history. A generous selection from the award-winning portrait photographer’s years-long project is on view in Context Is Everything at Connections gallery in the University of Michigan's North Campus Research Complex.
Blog Post
Found-Object Art, Found: "Materials on Hand: The Art of Ellen Wilt" at Stamps Gallery
by christopherporter
The U-M Stamps Gallery’s exhibition Materials on Hand: The Art of Ellen Wilt brings together a remarkable variety of works executed over the Ann Arbor artist's long career.
Blog Post
Both Sides Now: “See Through: Windows and Mirrors in Twentieth-Century Photography” at UMMA
by christopherporter
See Through: Windows and Mirrors in Twentieth-Century Photography at the University of Michigan Museum of Art focuses on one of the most thought-provoking conundrums of art photography.
Blog Post
Art Matters: Jenny Robb of the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum
by christopherporter
As curator of the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum (BICLM) at Ohio State University, Jenny Robb may have one of the coolest jobs in the country. With its current holdings of original cartoons, books, manuscripts, and comic strips in the millions, the BICLM is the largest cartoon art library in the world. Started in 1977, the library is primarily a research collection for American cartoon art, but with the addition of three exhibition galleries in 2013, the BICLM is now a destination for comic fans as well.
Blog Post
Art & Artifacts: "Unrecorded: Reimagining Artist Identities in Africa" at UMMA
by christopherporter
Right: Osei Bonsu, Parlor piece, ca. 1950, wood. University of Michigan Museum of Art, Gift of Margaret H. and Albert J. Coudron, 2001/2.33. Photography: Charlie Edwards.