Gallery guide

Price key:
$ = $500 or less
$$ = $500-$2,000
$$$ = $2,000-$10,000
$$$$ = $10,000+

4731
4731 Grand River Ave., Detroit
313-894-4731
www.4731.com
Tues.-Fri., 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Sat. by appointment only
$-$$$

In the ever-changing, ever-expanding world of art, it can be difficult to find someone who’s doing something totally new and different — but art enthusiasts can come one step closer with a visit to 4731. The gallery, which has been open for about a year, has already established itself as a unique showing space. It’s located in a remodeled four-story warehouse on the corner of Grand River Avenue and 14th Street. The high ceilings, exposed pipes and white walls provide a bright, sparse atmosphere that draws attention to the works displayed. Owner Ric Geyer also provides space for artists to show their work and rents studios to artists, musicians and small-business people of all kinds on the upper floors of the warehouse. The gallery has hosted events that range from monthly psychic readings to a Halloween bash.

Oct. 1: Welcome to the Neighborhood - Food, artwork and music, in celebration of new parking lots and new neighbors, Studio 555 (now located at the corner of Warren Avenue and Grand River Avenue)

Oct. 2–17: Af-ter-math n.consequence; result - Paintings and mixed-media images by artist Marvalisa.

Oct. 20-27 Dream Big; The Art of the Maratho - Showcasing athleticism as an art form, with works by numerous Michigan-based artists

Oct. 29: Readings from psychic Kelly Mcleod

Oct. 30: Halloween Masquerade Ball - With music from the group Jackie Blue and art by David Dupuie, the band’s drummer.

Nov. 5-12: DEtroit DEjour - Depicting cityscapes from multiple viewpoints.

 

Alley Culture
In the alley between Trumbull and Lincoln, the red building south of Willis, Detroit
No phone number
Alley Culture Website
Fri.-Sat., 3-6 p.m.
$-$$$

Alley Culture is the labor of love of Sherry Hendrick, one of the original Cass Corridor artists. Located in a vintage, wood-frame, one-story garage in an alleyway of the Woodbridge area, the gallery has a certain charm, with unfinished walls and a wood-burning stove. Alley Culture specializes in grassroots art in all media by contemporary artists. The gallery has sustained itself for nearly a decade through a network of people that includes noted artist Judy Rifka, a mentor of Hendrick’s from her days in New York City. In the mornings, Hendrick’s spouse, the poet and musician Mick Vranich, can often be found outside the gallery feeding the wild pheasants that populate the neighborhood.

Oct. 30-Nov. 27: November Coming Fire: Art for the Apocalypse. Curated by Tom Carey and inspired by such gothic fare as heavy metal and horror flicks.

 

Batista Gallery
756 Livernois St., Ferndale
248-544-4627
batistagallery.com
Tues.-Sat., 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
$$-$$$$

Donna Batista is slowly working her way downtown, starting out in Pontiac in 1995, moving to Birmingham, and then settling last year into this 4000-square-foot building in Ferndale. Batista began showing textiles, but soon moved into African, Indonesian and pre-Columbian art and artifacts. The new space has big windows to light up the front, plus high ceilings throughout, providing an ideal setting for showcasing her aesthetic passions, which of late also include contemporary and visionary art.

Sept. 18-Oct. 16: Tyree Guyton: Singing for our Countries - Recent works on paper by the creator of the Heidelberg Project, based on an installation the artist is creating in Sydney, Australia.

Oct. 23-Nov 26: Chris McCauley: A View Beyond - Landscape paintings in encaustic (a wax-based medium) by the recent Cranbrook grad, plus veteran CCS instructor Susan Aaron-Taylor’s tabletop and wall sculptures that take their cue from the feral.

Dec. 3-Jan. 28: Jim Stella and John Mattson - Work by two visionary artists: Stella, a local whose work has been exhibited internationally and featured in Raw Vision magazine, and Mattson, a resident of San Angelo, Texas, whose work uses found objects.

 

Biddle Gallery
2840 Biddle Ave., Wyandotte
734-281-4779
biddlegallery.com
$-$$$

Owners Karen and Ross Thomas were taking classes at Detroit’s historic Pewabic Pottery when they decided on a whim to open the Biddle Gallery in downtown Wyandotte on the banks of the Detroit River. The gallery remains true to the owners’ love of pottery and ceramics, and also features handmade tiles, jewelry, glass, furniture and fine art by Michigan artists, as well as the occasional outsider from Ohio or Utah.

Through Oct. 9: Calculating the Choices by John Jasso

Oct. 10: New pottery by Rick Pruckler of Whistling Frog Tile

Nov. 1-Dec. 24: Holiday Gift Show, featuring affordable handmade jewelry, tile, pottery, glass and fine art — many items priced at $50 or less.

Every weekend starting Nov. 28, and continuing through Dec. 19, Biddle Gallery will feature a jewelry trunk show by artists such as Carla Hankins of Bag Lady Beads, Kathleen Bolan of Born to Bead, Kathleen Porter, Cindy Land, Julie Kaleel. Also, a weaving demonstration and sale by Michael Daitch and Jim McCutchen of Coat of Many Colors.

 

Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center
1516 S. Cranbrook Road, Birmingham
248-644-0866
Mon.-Thurs., 9 a.m.-7 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
$-$$$

Nestled in a picturesque ravine with a view of the posh Oakland Hills Country Club, the BBAC occupies a tidy brick building; the architecture is pure 1960s suburban junior high school. Indeed, the educational component is central to the BBAC’s mission with ceramics, photography and other studio classes to help creative types get in touch with their inner artist. Exhibitions include some juried and invitational shows, as well as the work of hobbyists, dilettantes and the young and hungry. The recent hiring of John Cynar (who founded Start Gallery in Birmingham and then was with Paint Creek Center for Arts in Rochester) as director of galleries and exhibitions is a major step toward finally establishing the organization as a serious contender on the exhibition front.

Sept. 10-Oct. 8: Show and Tell - Cynar’s first curated show, a collaboration between poets and artists as well as an all-media painting exhibition celebrating the Birmingham Society of Women Painters’ 60th anniversary. Also showing will be paintings by Maria Parnito and Suzanne S. Velick.

Nov. 1-19: Exhibition of work by artists from the Michigan Sculpture Guild.

Dec. 10-Jan. 7: Henry Paine - Original ink drawings from the last 10 years by the political cartoonist for The Detroit News.

 

CCS Center Galleries
301 Frederick Douglass St., Detroit
313-664-7800
ccscad.edu
Tues.-Sat., 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
$-$$$$

Located on the first floor of the former African-American History Museum (now the CCS Academic Resource Building), Center Galleries is a modern museum setting that features the recent and historically significant work of CCS alumni. It is managed by the redoubtable Michelle Perron. Part of the gallery’s mission is to promote the CCS legacy, which, fortunately for viewers, is a distinguished one. Another stroke of luck: Perron’s familiarity with that history, demonstrated in shows that spill over from the gallery’s main space to fill up the surrounding hallways.

Sept. 10-Oct. 23: Reinvention: Rouge Photographs by Michelle Andonian. Black-and-white and color images contrasting the old and new sections of the River Rouge plant by the Pulitzer Prize-nominated photojournalist and CCS grad. Also on view: On the Surface: New Drawings by Steven M. Brown, works on paper by the sculptor, who graduated from CCS in 2003 and is already getting national notice.

Nov. 5-Dec. 18: Subversive Pop: Robert Dowd’s Paintings from the 1960s. The first Detroit survey of the CCS alum who relocated to Los Angeles in the 1960s, where he became famous for his paintings of U.S. currency and postage stamps, several of which were confiscated by the FBI for violating anti-counterfeiting regulations. Also on view is “Testaments,” a new digital-media piece by CCS instructor Robert Andersen.

 

Cass Cafe
4620 Cass Ave., Detroit
313-831-1400
atdetroit.com/casscafe/ccfront.htm
Mon.-Sat., 11 a.m.-2 a.m.; Sun., 5 p.m.-midnight
$-$$

The postmodern look and skylights of this café highlight the work of up-and-coming Detroit artists (who are often employees). The eatery has artists for cooks, artists who wait tables, artists tending bar and artists as customers. Besides a serviceable selection of generally healthy cuisine, Cass Cafe serves up an ever-changing menu of art shows handsomely installed on exposed brick walls on the first floor and the loft upstairs. It isn’t the usual bistro/coffeehouse dilettante dreck — Detroit art world stalwarts, including Bob Sestok, Jerome Ferretti, Gilda Snowden, Sue Carmen and Rick Vian are among the exhibitors.

Aug. 14-Oct. 30: Timlin & Timlin @ Cass Cafe. Hugh Timlin (father of Detroit Artists Market’s Aaron) is a longtime area educator whose recent work walks the line between sculpture and painting; daughter Rachel is an up-and-comer who mines the conceptual vein.

Nov. 6-Dec. 31: Deconstructed Lilies by Meighen Jackson. Lush new paintings and collages exploring floral motifs from the veteran Detroit artist.

 

Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History
315 E. Warren Ave., Detroit
313-494-5800
maah-detroit.org
Tues., 9:30 a.m.-8 p.m., Wed.-Sat., 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m., Sun., 1-5 p.m.
Work not for sale.

A circular inset of engraved, decorative bricks tells the story at a glance. Located beneath the museum’s high, domed ceiling lies an assortment of stones dedicated to great contributors of the black world. Some have only one name, like Cinqué, who led the historic ocean revolt aboard the Amistad slave vessel. Others have several names, like Southern political organizer Fannie Lou Hamer. The museum’s exhibits and programs are designed to reflect achievements by these ancestors and others throughout the African Diaspora.

Sept. 24: Jazz concert with Randy Scott

Through Feb. 27: Without Sanctuary: Lynching Photography in America

Through Dec. 5: The Way I See It: Artistic Recollections by Byron Reed

 

C-POP
4160 Woodward Ave., Detroit
313-833-9901
www.cpop.com

C-POP is in flux. The gallery opened in Detroit in 1990 with great hopes that it would become the hotspot for pop and lowbrow art in the Midwest. Artist and owner Tom Thewes dumped money into the Woodward Avenue space to make it one of the most beautiful galleries around, with high ceilings and windows, exposed brick and great lighting. Thewes offers the best in what is commonly considered "lowbrow" art, or contemporary art that is generally the realm of artists unschooled at the more elite art programs, including tattoo art, lascivious sex art, etc. C-POP shows works by international stars like Tom Ryden, the surrealistic, cartoonish creations of local artist Glenn Barr, and the feminist works of women out for revenge by local artist Niagara. In Los Angeles, Barr and Niagara are art rock stars. In Detroit, C-POP reduces sales prices to move its inventory. As a result, this year the gallery ended regular hours and is open by appointment only. Thewes took on a business partner, the co-creator of the Detroit Electronic Music Festival, Carol Marvin, in an attempt to shore up the business. Despite the gallery’s financial problems, the venue is well worth a visit and never fails to offer some of the best in underground American art.

Through Sept. 26: Thought Crimes & Misdemeanors: New Paintings By BASK

 

Cranbrook Art Museum
39221 Woodward Ave., Bloomfield Hills
248-645-3320
www.cranbrook.edu/art/museum
Wed.-Sun., 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
Museum work not for sale; student work: $-$$

Cranbrook Art Museum is probably the best art gallery in metro Detroit. Part of the Cranbrook Educational Comm-unity — a private high school and college — Cranbrook is celebrating 100 years of existence this year. The institution is well- known for its innovative, challenging and cutting-edge lectures, performances and exhibitions. The museum is a nonprofit venture and shows modern and contemporary art of significance and cultural consequence. Also on display is the work of the student body, which produces some of the finest graduate and undergraduate showings this area has to offer. The space itself has several corridors and corners to get lost inside of, as does the campus — both provide a splendid excuse to wander away for an afternoon. Admission to the museum is free if you’re a member. If not, it’s $6 for adults, $4 for full-time students, $4 for seniors and free for children 12 and younger.

Through March 26, 2005: Treasures of Cranbrook Art Museum

Through Sept. 26: Duane Hanson: Photographs, 1977-1995

Through Nov. 28: Looking Both Ways: Art of the Contemporary African Diaspora

Every Fri., 5-7 p.m., the student-run Forum Gallery hosts openings. Graduate students present their work to their peers and the community. Free, open to public.

 

David Klein
163 Townsend St., Birmingham
248-433-3700
dkgallery.com
Tues.-Sat. 11 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
$$-$$$$

David Klein got his start as a local outlet for New York art impresario Ivan Karp (of O.K. Harris in SoHo), but he quickly established his own identity and began flying solo. Klein now focuses mainly on buying and selling blue-chip art, high-profile (and high-priced) modern masters like Miró, de Kooning, and the occasional Picasso, with the acumen of a Wall Street arbitrageur. One artist Klein has consistently represented is contemporary Detroit figure painter Charles Pompilius.

Sept. 30-Oct. 30 Lester Johnson, 1959-2004 - A retrospective of paintings by the American master of urban street scenes mounted in conjunction with the James Goodman Gallery in New York City and featuring a catalog by respected art historian Dore Ashton.

Nov. 1-Dec. 30 - Changing gallery selections.

 

Dell Pryor Gallery
4201 Cass Ave., Detroit
313-833-6990
Mon.-Sat., 11:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
$-$$

Owner Dell Pryor has been showing art in Detroit for decades. For the past two years, she’s held camp with the Spiral Collective, a multipurpose space shared with three other businesses on the corner of Cass Avenue and Willis Street, a few doors from Avalon International Breads in the Wayne State University area. The small gallery shows contemporary painting, sculpture, handmade jewelry and other media. Pryor is well-connected and brings in local and national artists, usually in the prime of their careers — although she makes a point to include emerging talent.

Through Sept. 30: Rhythm and Verse, featuring the work of 10 women, including large paintings and mixed-media works on paper.

October, dates TBA - An exhibit of photography from Detroit and national photographers.

 

Detroit Artists Market
4719 Woodward Ave., Detroit
313-832-8540
detroitartistsmarket.org
Wed.-Sun., 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
$-$$$

Founded in a Grosse Pointe garden in 1932 by a group of ladies who lunched, the Artists Market has been a premier place for local artists to make their debut for nearly 75 years. The cutting-edge work in this gallery is primarily by younger artists from southeast Michigan and beyond; virtually every Detroiter of note has a DAM show on his or her résumé. The gallery’s current space is airy and well-appointed with high-tech fixtures — even if it is a bit cramped. Director Aaron Timlin is energetic, resourceful and exceedingly ambitious, so he does a lot with what he has to work with.

Sept. 10-Oct. 17: 2004 Biennial. A curated exhibition that offers a snapshot of the current scene with recent work by Kristin Beaver, Matthew Blake, Steven Matthew Brown, Enis Sefersah, Wennie Huang, Rick Vian and Yeqiang Wang.

Nov. 5-Dec. 23: 68th Annual Holiday Show. Featuring more than 50 Michigan artists working in all media, with a special patron preview dinner on opening night.

 

detroitcontemporary/Contemporary Art Institute of Detroit
5141 Rosa Parks Blvd., Detroit

Local bohemians and avant-garde art and music lovers were crying a river when detroitcontemporary art gallery announced its closing earlier this year. The venue was the creation of local curator and artist Aaron Timlin, who is now director at Detroit Artists Market. Timlin announced recently that detroitcontemporary is set to be the new home of the Contemporary Art Institute of Detroit, a 25-year-old arts nonprofit that Timlin and local artists brought back to life in recent years. CAID will take up residence at 5141 Rosa Parks and will soon begin programming and events. CAID is run by a committee, of which Timlin is the president. Other luminaries on the board include WDET DJ Liz Copeland and local art journalist Nick Sousanis. Timlin says the programs at CAID will be very similar to the offerings at the former detroitcontemporary, including cutting-edge local art exhibits and sculpture-garden events with the gallery’s chickens walking around the fish pond juxtaposed with jazz and rock shows and throw-down funk and reggae dance parties. Rock on. Look for CAID’s upcoming shows at caidonline.org.

 

Detroit Institute of Arts
5200 Woodward Avenue, Detroit
313-833-7900
www.dia.org

The DIA is undergoing massive change. A year ago, the fifth largest museum in the United States with the third best collection of American art began a $91 million renovation and expansion project under the leadership of museum director Graham Beal. The project has left two thirds of the museum’s collection closed.

With closure of the exhibit space looming, Beal challenged his curators to think outside the box and devise a creative way of displaying the museum’s best works. The result is "Remix,"10 galleries around the museum’s main halls that exhibit American and European paintings, sculpture and furniture from 1300 to the present.

The reorganization places paintings from the 1990s next to work from the 1780s, huge abstract and modern paintings next to 17th century baroque works, a 1980s pop piece of furniture next to royal French antiques, and so forth, to a varying degrees of effectiveness. There are moments of both brilliance and garishness throughout.

Some placements create a hodgepodge feel; yet a great contrast is created by placing Bouguereau’s The Nut Gatherers near Van Gogh’s thickly painted Bank of the Oise at Auvers. Bouguereau and Van Gogh were both European contemporaries painting in the 1880s and 90s, but the two works are so different: one very traditional and realistic, the other abstract and cutting-edge for its time.

DIA curator of American Art Jim Totis says the remix "doesn’t make people feel easy," but that’s part of the point. It not only shakes up traditional rules of displaying art, allowing museum curators to experiment, but it also allows viewers to "look at how the world has changed," Totis says.

It’s a crash course, or greatest hits, of art over the last 700 years. The curators might further improve on the exhibit by hanging art from many countries and genres organized by decade, so that viewers might see the art that was created simultaneously by African tribes and European impressionists, but there is sufficient juxtaposition in what is showing.

Unfortunately, the museum’s stellar collection of American art, mostly paintings, is on a traveling exhibit across the United States after returning from Europe. But in addition to "Remix," the museum has on view a selection from its Asian, African, Egyptian, Greek and Roman art collections — the public has been upset that the mummies are not on view, but the DIA is working on it, says DIA spokesman Peter Van Dyke.

The renovation is scheduled for completion in 2007; when it’s done the museum will have a new 35,000-square-foot addition to the east wing, and better organization for easier movement by museum visitors.

In the meantime, as Totis says, "If you can’t travel to Europe and to Asia and all over the world, you can experience all those cultures here at the DIA."

Through Dec. 5: The Photography of Charles Sheeler: American Modernist This exhibition is the first major retrospective to focus exclusively on the photographic work of Charles Sheeler, one of the master photographers of the 20th-century. Of special note are Sheeler’s legendary views from the Ford Motor Company’s Rouge complex commissioned by Edsel Ford in 1927.

Through Spring 2004: Yono Oko’s Freight Train on the DIA South Lawn. This outdoor sculpture installation, one of Yoko Ono’s most ambitious works, is a German boxcar riddled with bullet holes and set on a short segment of railroad track. A light emanates from inside the car, casting rays through each hole. Music created by the artist plays from within the structure.

Dec. 12-Feb. 27: Murano: Glass from the Olnick Spanu Collection This exhibition presents a comprehensive examination of Venetian glass-making in the 20th century. Organized chronologically, it features 300 examples of blown glass and explores the nature of modern, artistic Venetian glass in terms of its distinct characteristics and its relation to international design.

 

Elaine L. Jacob Gallery
480 W. Hancock, Detroit
313-993-7813
www.art.wayne.edu/gal_elj.html
Tues.-Thurs., 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Fri., 11 a.m.-7 p.m.
$-$$$$

Wayne State’s newest gallery is already making a name for itself by presenting art exhibitions that encompass interesting, provocative and challenging works of regional, national and international importance. The gallery doors open up to a beautiful, clean, bi-level spacious room with high ceilings and lots of window light. The alcove offers a private, almost meditative and inspiring experience for art students, connoisseurs and amateurs alike.

Through Oct. 22: Cuba from the Inside Looking Out I: Faculty, Students and Alumni from the Instituto Superior de Arte.

Nov. 5-Dec. 10: Cuba from the Inside Looking Out II: Contemporary Cuban Art in American Collections

 

G. R. N’Namdi Gallery
66 E. Forest Ave., Detroit
313-831-8700
grnnamdigallery.com
Tues.-Sat., 11 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
$$-$$$$

George N’Namdi has galleries in Chicago’s West Loop and Chelsea in New York City in addition to this location in Detroit’s Cultural Center, making him a veritable one-man franchise. The Detroit space is located in a modest, one-story building next to an auto shop. Inside, the space opens up into three large salons triple the size of N’Namdi’s old Birmingham digs. The gallery specializes in contemporary and modern African-American master artists, with a few ethnic “others” thrown in. Artists represented include international names like figurative painters Jacob Lawrence and Robert Colescott and abstract artist Ed Young (for years a major figure in Paris’s African-American expatriate community); artists associated with Detroit include Allie McGhee.

Sept. 10-Oct. 23: McArthur Binion: Simplism. New abstract paintings in multimedia from the native Detroiter who lives and teaches in Chicago.

Nov. 5-TBA: Deborah Muirhead. Multi-layered expressionistic works by the Guggenheim Fellow who is based in Connecticut.

 

Habatat Galleries
4400 Fernlee Ave., Royal Oak
248-554-0590
www.habatat.com
Tues.-Sat., 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
$-$$$

You’d hardly guess an internationally acclaimed contemporary glass gallery is tucked inside this industrial complex off 14 Mile Road in Royal Oak. There are four Habatat locations spread across the country; this one is home to elegantly displayed glass works in a variety of styles and techniques, from enormous, weighty sculptures to delicate things of beauty. Habatat has been bringing artists and collectors from around the globe here for more than three decades. The gallery, run by founder Ferdinand Hampson and his family, has moved around, but this current address is spacious enough to accommodate at least two shows at once, plus an impressive standing collection. Habatat’s owners have earned their reputation, having curated more than 100 shows at galleries and museums the world over. Each spring, Habatat hosts an international invitational show, bringing some of the biggest names in glass to the area. Most pieces are priced in the thousands, but the gallery is open to anyone interested in the art of glass.

Through Oct. 9: Experience Michigan Glass - Including works from 16 Michigan artists.

Oct. 16-Nov. 13: Erwin Eisch - German artist Erwin Eisch comes out of retirement to show a series of his famous glass heads.

Starts Nov. 20: Toots Zynksy - Glass artist who fuses together intricate arrays of glass threads in bright colors.

Starts Dec. 11: Masters of Murano - Featuring several Italian artists, this will coincide with an exhibit at the Detroit Institute of Arts.

 

Heidelberg Project
Heidelberg Street, Detroit
heidelberg.org
Work not for sale.

Detroit’s only outdoor art gallery, Tyree Guyton’s Heidelberg Project remains one of the most profound and beloved works of public art in the city. His vibrant dots mark a triumph over blight. See it for yourself.

 

Hill Gallery
407 W. Brown, Birmingham
248-540-9288
Tues.-Sat., Noon-5 p.m.
$$-$$$$

Tim and Pam Hill’s cool white cube of a gallery is inconspicuously situated on the downtown Birmingham bypass. The Hills are famed folk art connoisseurs and well known for their longtime support of modern sculpture, which is reflected in the gallery’s offerings. A typical installation might include a massive rough-sawn timber sculpture by Mark di Suvero sitting next to a small whirligig by some self-taught unknown. The large wall in the center of the gallery is movable, allowing the space to change to suit the tastes of its eclectic owners.

Sept. 18-Oct. 30: American Folk Art in Wood, Metal and Stone - A selection of folk art sculptures that exhibit a modernist feeling.

Nov. 12-Dec. 31: Life Understood - Group show of contemporary sculpture heavyweights, including Mark di Suvero, Ursula von Rydingsvard, John Duff, Donald Lipski, Richard Nonas and others.

 

Izzy’s Raw Art
2572 Michigan Ave., Detroit
248-207-7547
izzysrawart.com
Wed.-Fri., 2-7 p.m.; Sat., 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
$

Izzy’s Raw Art Gallery is pretty much what you’d gather from the name. Located in Corktown, the gallery shows “outsider” art, work that can be considered intuitive, art brut or — just raw. There aren’t too many galleries in the area that cater to this kind of work, but artist and Director Karl Schneider is working on creating a welcoming home for raw art in Detroit. Schneider was one of the founders of the Zeitgeist gallery and performance space down the street. The majority of the exhibiting artists at Izzy’s are from Michigan; most of the work is sold for less than $300 and sometimes for as little as $35. The multi-use space also hosts yoga from 7-8 p.m. on Wednesdays and pilates from 7-8 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Through Oct. 30: C.R. Snygg and Gary Schwartz - Snygg is showing several metal sculptures meticulously wrapped in yarn and strips of fabric. Schwartz, who teaches animation at CCS, has kinetic sculptures demonstrating movement and dimension in a way that captures the “touchable” technological deconstruction of a flip-book, while still garnering an “aw shucks” reaction.

Starts Nov. 6: Second Annual Sister Sister Women’s Invitational - Art by women.

 

Johansen Charles Gallery
1345 Division St., Detroit
313-586-9499
Tues.-Fri., 10 a.m.-2 p.m.; Sat., 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
$-$$

A delightfully eclectic, by-the-seat-of-your-pants type of place, Johansen Charles eschews all the trappings of a stark, snobby gallery. Instead, this Eastern Market space is home to colorful contemporary artwork, ethnic artifacts and performances by local musicians and poets in a laid-back atmosphere. After doing your shopping on a Sat. afternoon, be sure to stop by to greet the owners and the gallery’s mascot, an adorably friendly little dog.

Oct. 2: Benefit for Laura Gavoor Foundation

Nov. 6-Dec. 4: Aaron Ibn Pitts - Local mixed-media artist

Nov. 27: Punany Poets from HBO’s Real Sex

 

Lawrence Street Gallery
22620 Woodward Ave., Suite A, Ferndale
248-544-0394
www.lawrencestreetgallery.com
Tues.-Sat., Noon-5 p.m.
$-$$

With its wide collection of art — ranging from abstract oil paintings to more functional pieces of pottery — the Lawrence Street Gallery in Ferndale has something for every taste. Established in 1987 as an artists’ cooperative, this artist-owned gallery is home to the work of its 30 co-owners, as well as guest-artists who are approved by the gallery’s selection committee. The result is a diverse but substantial art collection that rotates on a monthly basis. Prices are reasonable (most pieces are in the $200-$700 range, but some are as little as $50) and visitors can chat with the two artists-on-duty as they peruse the gallery’s wares. Offerings include friendly watercolors, experimental paintings, unique beaded jewelry, a variety of ceramics, black-and-white photography — but the exhibits change every month, so there’s almost always something new to see.

Through Sept. 25: Portals - Paintings, prints and photography from founding member Laura Whiteside Host; and Observations, mixed-media paintings from Marilyn Blinder.

Sept. 28-Oct. 29: Editions: Printmaking ’04 Competition and Exhibition - Opening reception is Oct. 1, 7-10 p.m.

Nov. 2-27: Parallel Dream - Joe Crachiola’s digital photography, and Alice Frank’s mixed media wall sculpture. Opening reception is Nov. 12, 7-10 p.m.

Nov. 30-Dec. 30: Celebrate Clay, a juried ceramics show. Opening reception is Dec. 3, 7-10 p.m.

 

Lemberg Gallery
23241 Woodward Ave., Ferndale
248-591-6623
lemberggallery.com
Tues.-Sat., 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
$$-$$$$

Lemberg has undergone several permutations over its 25-year history, though the accent has consistently been on the contemporary. Corrine Lemberg now runs this modest-sized modern gallery — located a couple of doors down from Revolution — along with Darlene Carroll, the former director of Detroit Focus Gallery. Many top Detroit artists show here, including Stephen Magsig, Wendy MacGaw, Janet Hamrick and Susan Goethel Campbell. There’s also modern work by national names, such as New Yorkers Jane Hammond and Kiki Smith.

Sept. 11-Oct. 23: Maurice Golubov: Works on Paper, 1925-1985 - A 60-year survey of work by the pioneer American geometric abstractionist who lived from 1905 to 1987.

Oct. 30-Dec. 4: Robert Gniewek: Recent Works - The first Lemberg solo exhibition by the Dearborn-based photorealist painter who also shows at Meisel Gallery in New York.

Dec. 18-Jan. 29: Annual winter group show of gallery artists, including Cranbrook painter-in-residence Beverly Fishman, Jane Hammond, Wendy MacGaw, Magsig and others.

 

MONA
7 N. Saginaw St., Pontiac
248-210-7560
detroitmona.com
Thurs.-Sat., Noon-6 p.m.
$-$$

Contemporary art seekers in the metro area can find both an eclectic collection and a wide price range at the Museum of New Art (MONA) in Pontiac. The gallery offers an innovative and edgy selection of painting, sculpture, sketches and everything in between for public viewing and shopping. Collectors can also visit the two other galleries located on the first floor of the building occupied by the museum.

Oct. 2-30: Piss off! - A collection of international artists, fueled by a heavy dose of attitude and described as “a sort of intramural road rage.”

Nov. 6-27: The Children’s Hour - Children in contemporary art, from Sally Mann to Loretta Lux.

Dec. 4-31: Going Dutch - Exciting new photography from the Netherlands, among others Rineke Dijkstra, Hellen van Meene and Teun Hocks.

 

Maniscalco Gallery
17728 Mack Ave., Grosse Pointe
313-886-2993
maniscalcogallery.com
Tues. 10 a.m-9 p.m.; Wed.-Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
$-$$$

Two artists, a dog, and a baby greet patrons as they enter Grosse Pointe’s Maniscalco Gallery, located on Mack Avenue just north of Cadieux Road. At this cozy, colorful gallery, owned by artist Robert Maniscalco and his wife Amanda, guests can visit with the Maniscalcos’ son and dog while they peruse cases of jewelry, shelves of glassware and walls of paintings. Visitors can order commissioned works (portraits are Maniscalco’s specialty) or have art framed. The gallery showcases the work of local and international artists; the most recent was a father-son portrait show, featuring some of Maniscalco’s own works as well as those of his father.

Oct.15-Nov. 20: Urban Trails - Features “cowboy” art.

Nov. 26-Jan. 3: Boyko Asparuhov - Bulgarian artist working in imaginary-expressionist style.

 

Meadow Brook Art Gallery
Oakland University
208 Wilson Hall, Rochester
248-370-3005
www.oakland.edu/mbag
Tues.-Sun., Noon-5 p.m.

No work is for sale at this educational facility, nestled in Oakland University’s department of art and art history. For more than 40 years, Meadow Brook Art Gallery has hosted six exhibitions a year, running five to six weeks each. All exhibitions are free and most are accompanied by a full-color catalog and lectures, symposia or performances. This year, MBAG has focused exclusively on contemporary art and mostly Michigan artists. The senior thesis exhibition of OU graduating studio art majors happens each April.

Through Oct. 10: The Secret Life of Suburbia, an exhibition by Deborah Sukenic - A reflection on the joys and dichotomies of living the suburban life.

Oct. 16-Nov. 14: Passage, Inference and Surface, paintings by Wendy Roberts and Nolan Simon. A collaboration between the gallery and Meadow Brook Theatre. The theater is staging ART by Yasmina Reza, the play about a guy who buys an all-white painting and the reactions of his friends. The artists showing at the gallery are abstract painters who subscribe to the “less is more” philosophy.

Nov. 20-Dec. 19: Super Sized - Douglas Bulka, paper care specialist at the Detroit Institute of Arts, has curated a show of eight artists from New York and Michigan for an exhibition of extra-large drawings. Artists include Susan Cambell, Larry Cressman, Tony Hepburn, John Newman, Gordon Newton, John Richardson, Joseph Stashkevetch and Stephen Talasnik.

 

The Padzieski Art Gallery
15801 Michigan Ave.
at the Ford Community and Performing Arts Center, Dearborn
313-943-2350
dearbornfordcenter.com/artgallery
Prices N/A

The Padzieski Art Gallery is the type of place you might not readily associate with Dearborn. This might have something to do with a certain automaker … but Dearborn is steadily becoming a place where you can find compelling cultural events; the Padzieski Gallery best represents this. Though small in space, the art presented is usually larger than life. From digital art to Arab-American art to community art, the gallery offers an alternative to the mainstream; this month, you’ll even find comic book art. Opening ceremonies usually include refreshments and an opportunity to meet the artists.

Through Nov. 6: From Wham! tramck To Yipes!ilanti - A festival of local comic art, music and video.

Nov.18-Dec. 18: Artistry and Craftmanship, A Holiday Market

 

Park West Gallery
29469 Northwestern Highway, Southfield
1-800-521-9654
www.parkwestart.com
Mon.-Wed., 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Thurs.-Fri., 10 a.m.-9 p.m.; Sat.-Sun., 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
$$-$$$$

Park West Gallery conducts auctions of fine art by the masters. There are several prints, lithographs and paintings on display at the gallery’s sprawling Southfield location. Each piece is marked by what it was appraised at, usually in the thousands, and at times, the tens of thousands. In addition to the collection, which is massive and supplanted regularly, the gallery hosts extensive exhibitions of works by the likes of Salvador Dalí and Toulouse-Lautrec in its 63,000-square-foot facility of 23 exhibition galleries. They also do custom framing and restoration, and the company’s affiliates conduct art auctions on cruise ships.

Through Oct. 13: Marcel Mouly - One of the last living artists to study with Pablo Picasso, Marcel Mouly commands the respect of the international art world. Collectors will have the chance to acquire original Mouly paintings.

Oct. 14: Rembrandt: An Exhibition & Sale - Etchings and engravings from the great master of the Baroque Age.

 

Pewabic Pottery
10125 E. Jefferson, Detroit
313-822-0954
pewabic.com
Mon.-Sat., 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
$-$$$

Pewabic was founded in 1903 by Mary Chase Perry Stratton, one of the leading lights of the American Arts & Crafts Movement. The pottery was originally known for its unique iridescent glazes and handcrafted ceramic artistry, examples of which can be found in historically significant buildings in Detroit and elsewhere. Still located in the Tudor Revival building in Indian Village it has occupied for nearly a century (now a National Historic Landmark), the architecture features stucco and brick with leaded glass outside, antique wood floors, weighty ceiling beams and crown moldings inside. These days Pewabic offers all manner of contemporary and modern ceramics from around the nation, as well as classes, exhibitions and design studio services.

Sept. 10-Nov. 5: Teapots, a Favorite Form for Use and Fancy. Invitational exhibition of over 20 artists from across the nation featuring functional and expressive variations on the concept of the teapot. Also in the Stratton Gallery, Julia Galloway, a solo show of highly ornamented glazed porcelain vessels from the noted New York ceramist.

Nov. 13-Dec. 31: Earthly Treasures Holiday Show. More than 40 artists presenting a plethora of objects from Christmas ornaments and menorahs to luxurious ceramic sculptures and other gift ideas to satisfy a complete range of spiritual and material holiday needs.

 

Pr1mary Space
2750 Yemans St., Hamtramck
313-870-9470
pr1maryspace.com
Thurs.-Fri., 6-9 p.m.; Sat., noon-5 p.m.
$-$$

Pr1mary Space is keeping art alive in Hamtramck. The year-old gallery is tucked away in a small, nondescript brick building off Joseph Campau — the surrounding area is hardly a mecca for fine arts. The gallery is the essence of minimalism: gray cement floor and stark white walls, all unadorned except for the current show. However, the stripped-down, urban feel works well for Pr1mary Space, which is dedicated to post-pop illustrative paintings from local and national artists. Many of the works have the feel of an ultra-hip comic book or a cutting-edge cartoon. It’s also decidedly affordable; depending on the show, you could walk away with original artwork for less than $100. New shows begin at 6 p.m. on the first Sat. of every month.

Through Sept. 25: Golden State - Featuring six artists from California.

Oct. 2-30: Fawn Gehweiler - A solo show from an artist who imbibes her brightly colored, cartoonish images with a dark tone.

Nov. 6-27: Trish Grantham - Artists from Portland, Ore.

Dec. 4-Jan. 29: Bucks and Beaks - With more than 25 artists showing works featuring birds and antlered animals.

 

Pontiac Creative Arts Center
47 Williams St., Pontiac
248-333-7849
Tues.-Fri. 10 a.m.-5 p.m., when classes are in session; classes are Wed.-Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
$-$$$

While the nonprofit Creative Arts Center in Pontiac has no permanent collection, except for a few paintings (not for sale) by the center’s founder, Dr. Harold Furlong, the center hosts a number of events throughout the year in its airy gallery space. These range from annual African-American and Hispanic art shows to exhibits featuring the work of local public school students. When the works on display are for sale, they can range in price from $30 to several thousand dollars, says Carol Paster, executive director.

The center, which is housed in the 106-year-old Pontiac Public Library building, also offers classes in drawing, painting, ceramics, dance and drama for a variety of age groups and skill levels.

Nov. 3-27: Michigan Watercolor Society. - Opening reception is Fri., Nov. 5, 6-8 p.m.

December, date TBA - Decorated Christmas trees and original arts for sale.

 

Redd Apple
River Park Lofts, 227 Iron St., Detroit
313-567-0712
www.reddapplegallery.org
Mon.-Fri., 4-7 p.m.; Sat., 9 p.m.-midnight.
$-$$

Katrina Redd’s new gallery is located in an old brick warehouse converted to a loft space, just a couple blocks from the Detroit River. The space is small, about 1,800 square feet, and only a year old, but Redd pulls in as many artists and performers as the space can handle. She’s shown work from about 25 artists on the gallery’s tall, exposed brick walls; paintings from the current exhibit climb almost to the ceiling. Even if nature doesn’t call, don’t miss the mini-gallery in the bathroom. The pieces are generally affordable, from $150 to $500, with a handful costing as much as $10,000. Redd’s gallery also hosts weekly poetry sessions, a book club, theater, cooking classes, yoga and other seminars. There are regular musical performances, ranging from hip hop and R&B to African dance and drum.

Through Sept. 30: I am a Negro So What?! - A series of paintings from Patrick Dodd.

Oct. 15-29: The Naked Muse Project - An erotic art show of mixed media display of art celebrating the nude body through painting, photography and sculpture.

Dec. 3-31: Black and White Exhibit — 1965 Rendition - Mixed-media group show, all in black and white.

 

Revolution Gallery
23257 Woodward Ave., Ferndale
248-541-3444
revolutn.com
Tues.-Sat., 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
$$-$$$$

The gallery that shifted the center of gravity of the local art scene to Ferndale, Revolution has set the pace for commercial art spaces in Detroit for a decade. Meg LaRue, who bravely helped launch the gallery, is gone, but director Paul Kotula (an outstanding artist himself) and assistant director Sandra Schemske continue to offer some of the most challenging art around. The large space with high ceilings features contemporary art with an emphasis on the challenging and the cosmopolitan. Exhibiting artists, both homegrown and out-of-towners, have also been featured in Whitney Biennials, awarded MacArthur genius grants and otherwise garnered international acclaim.

Sept. 11-Oct. 23: Patrick Burton: Dedication - Bejeweled paintings with ornamental motifs that mix folk art and popular culture, plus a pinch of gender-bending. Also Jae Won Lee: accrescere, sculptures and drawings in porcelain, hair, thread and paper that evoke stark horizons and existential thresholds.

Oct. 30-Dec.11: Michael Lucero: New Work - The internationally recognized New York sculptor presents postmodernist works in clay and yarn, using flea-market knickknacks as the foundation.

Dec. 18-Jan. 29 - Group show with details TBA.

 

Robert Kidd Gallery
107 Townsend St., Birmingham
248-642-3909
robertkiddgallery.com
Tues.-Sat., 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
$$-$$$$

There are numerous similarities between Cranbrook Art Academy in Bloomfield Hills and the Kidd Gallery, located across from the Townsend in downtown Birmingham. Both Bob Kidd and director Ray Fleming are alumni (the former studied fiber, the latter painting). The decor is vintage Knoll International — sleek teakwood cabinetry, chrome fixtures and marble countertops, with Eames loungers and a Harry Bertoia sound sculpture. Kidd is a mainstay of the Birmingham/Bloomfield set thanks to a trove of contemporary artworks to suit a wide range of tastes, punctuated with the occasional trophy name, such as Larry Rivers.

Sept. 10-Oct. 1: Ricardo Mazal: New Paintings and Drawings - Recent works of expansive abstraction by the New Mexican artist.

Oct. 15-Nov. 28: Joseph Piccillo: New Works - Recent works by the multitalented artist that negotiate the line between abstraction and realism.

Dec. 10-Jan. 15: Robert Schefman: New Paintings

 

Scarab Club
217 Farnsworth St., Detroit
313-831-1250
scarabclub.org
Wed.-Sun., Noon-5 p.m.
$-$$$

Founded in 1907 as a social club for artists and patrons, the Scarab Club moved to its current building behind the Detroit Institute of Arts in 1928. The weighty ceiling beams of the second-floor lounge bear the signatures of some 230 artists who have visited through the years, including Marcel Duchamp, Diego Rivera and Norman Rockwell. After several years of clubby isolationism, a new staff appears intent on bringing the organization back into the public eye with a full complement of workshops, lectures and shows. Typically, the work shown is primarily by members (who tend to be rather conservative), but the new changes promise more variety.

September, dates TBA - Silver Medal Exhibition, open-call exhibition juried by the dean of Detroit painting Robert Wilbert.

October-November, dates TBA - Day of the Dead invitational exhibit of Mexican arts and culture put on in collaboration with the Mexican Consulate and Casa de Unidad.

November-December, dates TBA - 91st Annual Gold Medal Exhibition of work by Scarab Club members juried by Hamtramck artist and collector Pat Glascock.

 

Severance
2714 Riopelle St., Detroit
313-832-3744
www.s3v3ranc3.com
Sat. 10 a.m.-2 p.m.; open by appointment only Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
$-$$

Although it’s relatively young, Severance is gaining notoriety and strength. Recently, the gallery played host to a retrospective of Mark Arminksi’s work, throwing a two-day bash to be remembered. The gallery is also a living space for the proprietors, injecting a certain feeling of the familiar to the large, two-floor space in Eastern Market (there’s also a skateboard ramp on the second floor). The gallery shows mostly contemporary mixed media from local artists, and occasionally presents fashion shows.

Through Oct. 18: The Cartoon World Of Martin Hirchak - Bright and colorful cartoon-inspired art.

Oct. 23: Severance Fall Fashion

Nov. 20-Dec. 19 Chien Mechant (Beware Of Dog) - Canine inspired art by Mare Kohle; partial proceeds go to dog rescue groups.

 

Sherry Washington Gallery
1274 Library St., Detroit
313-961-4500
sherrywashingtongallery.com
Tues.-Fri., 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
$$-$$$$

Don’t let the size of the small, recycled office space on the first floor of the historic L. B. King Building fool you; the tall, self-assured Sherry Washington is a player in the downtown art world. She represents a solid roster of artists, including former National Endowment for the Arts advisor Benny Green, CCS painting professor Gilda Snowden and longtime Detroit school system administrator Shirley Woodson. The emphasis generally leans toward the expressionistic with lots of vibrant color, and is weighted heavily to native Detroiters.

Sept. 21-Nov. 1: Group Exhibition. Work by gallery regulars Benny Andrews, David Driskell, David Fludd, Richard Mayhew, Gilda Snowden, Nancy Thayer and Shirley Woodson, who are connected by their concern with color.

Nov. 6-Dec. 31: Richard Lewis: The Art of Jazz. Paintings that depict the beauty and rhythms of jazz music, up beat and down.

 

Susanne Hilberry Gallery
700 Livernois St., Ferndale
248-541-4700
susannehilberrygallery.com
Tues.-Sat., 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
$$-$$$$

For some two decades this temple of high-modernist culture was ensconced in an austere polished concrete space in the 555 Building in Birmingham. Hilberry moved to Ferndale three years ago with the blooming of galleries that established Ferndale as a destination for art mavens. The gallery showcases contemporary art by internationally known artists, with a complement of Detroiters who can show right along with the best of them. The minimalist aesthetic still rules at the new space: The interior is unadorned, and a blast of natural light in the main galleries and the dealer’s own renewed vitality mean things are better than ever. Don’t miss the sculpture and beautiful contemplation yard out back.

Sept. 17-Nov. 6: John Corbin and Chris Hyndman - A collaboration with independent curator Mitch Cope (formerly of Tangent Gallery), presenting two painters who share an affinity for systems theory. Corbin uses molecular structures and genetic code to map family relationships, where Hyndman deconstructs tartan plaids to investigate social and political networks.

Nov. 12-Dec. 31: Robert Wilbert - New paintings that delicately balance academic style and modern sensibility by the man who taught half the Detroit art world how to hold a brush.

 

Tangent Gallery
715 Milwaukee St., Detroit
313-873-2955
tangentgallery.com
Hours N/A
$-$$$

Tangent Gallery is located in a former offset lithography shop near I-75 and the Boulevard in gritty Milwaukee Junction (the neighborhood where aspiring rapper Eminem stamped out automotive piecework in the movie 8 Mile), making it a fitting venue for art in this postindustrial age. The cavernous main gallery has 20-foot high walls and plenty of open space, with the rough edges left in for Motown authenticity; a smaller gallery upstairs allows more intimate viewing experiences. One exhibit featured Cranbrook architects who deconstructed an entire Birmingham bungalow and installed it in the gallery in pieces.

September-December: Exhibition schedule TBA.

 

Zeitgeist Gallery
2611 Michigan Ave., Detroit
313-965-9192
zeitgeistdetroit.org
Sat., 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
$-$$

On the edge of Corktown, with the hulking shell of the old Tiger Stadium looming in the distance, Zeitgeist Gallery displays art from the fringe. Founded in 1997, the space was once home to underground theater but is now exclusively focused on art — but it’s not your typical “find something pretty for the foyer” gallery. The works tend to be more provocative. Current exhibits are shown in the main gallery, but the other half of the building, dubbed the bar gallery, contains a collection of works acquired from the late artist and art dealer Jacques Karamanoukian. Beer and wine are served in the bar.

Sept. 25: 2nd Annual Broken Clock Festival - Experimental music, with performances from Frank Pahl, Joel Peterson, Roger Hayes and Chris Pottinger.

Through Oct. 23: The Edge of Dissolution - Solo show from Roger Hayes

Oct. 30: A group exhibit with a political theme, just in time for the elections.