Fall Foward: The Best Events of the 2013 Fall Art Season

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee Two Muses Theatre, West Bloomfield Township Sept. 27-Oct. 20 Nominated for six Tony Awards when it premiered on Broadway in 2005, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is a long one-act musical comedy about a fictional spelling bee at Putnam Valley Middle School. The competition, administered by three oddball adults, pits six unusual (perhaps “bizarre” would be a better adjective) adolescents against each other. The play usually involves some improvisation and audience participation, which can make individual performances even funnier than others. This production, directed by Barbie Weisserman of Farmington Hills, will take place at the Two Muses Theatre space inside the West Bloomfield Barnes & Noble. Reserve your tickets by emailing twomusestheatre@gmail.com.

Material Space The Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center Through Oct. 11 Most of us are familiar with the Birmingham Bloomfield Arts Center (or BBAC for short) as a great place for art classes for children and adults. But they do showcase some inventive artwork as well. Case in point is this month’s exhibit, Beyond, of extraordinary 2-D and 3-D work by Danielle Bodine and Lanny Bergner of Washington state, and Mi-Kyoung Lee of Philadelphia. The BBAC sums up the show thusly: “Their artwork pushes the limits, provoking viewers to think beyond the ordinary and discover the artist’s subliminal message.” The BBAC is at 1516 S. Cranbrook Rd., Birmingham; 248-644-0866; http://www.bbartcenter.org/.

Watch Me Move: The Animation Show Detroit Institute of Arts Oct. 6, 2013-Jan. 5, 2014 Organized by Barbican Centre in London, this international exhibition about the century-old art of film animation is the most extensive show of its kind ever mounted. It will showcase iconic moments in animation history as well as lesser-known masterpieces. Visitors will have the rare opportunity to see an incredible array of animation techniques in more than 100 animated film segments from across generations and cultures. Among the inventors, innovators and artists featured will be Georges Méliès, Chuck Jones, William Kentridge, Tim Burton, Walt Disney and modern studios such as Pixar. Tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for ages 6–17, $15 for groups of 15+, and include a pass to one exhibition-related program at the Detroit Film Theatre. DIA members are free. The Detroit Institute of Arts is at 5200 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-833-7900; dia.org

The Past is Present The Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit Through Jan. 5, 2014 The opening of the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit’s latest exhibition, The Past is Present, coincided with the 80th anniversary of Diego Rivera’s 27-panel mural, Detroit Industry, at the Detroit Institute of Arts. With a look back at the historic events that shaped the Detroit of today, 15 artists were commissioned for this exhibit to offer unique perspectives on the city. From the riots of 1943, the decline of the manufacturing industry, the advent of Motown, and the present urban gardening movement, The Past is Present will feature 15 newly commissioned murals. It’s great to see art that doesn’t shy away from politics, and the image from the show above, The Battle of the Overpass, 1937, by painter Lisa Poszywak, is an example of art that embraces a tough issue bravely. MOCAD is at 4454 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-832-6622; http://www.mocadetroit.org/.

The Michigan Philharmonic’s 2013-2014 Season Oct. 6, 2013-April 5, 2014 Now in its 67th year, the Michigan Philharmonic has gone by a number of names, mostly referencing locales in western Wayne County. Recently rebranded as the Michigan Philharmonic, it still helps meet the cultural needs out where I-275 serves as Main Street. Led by conductor Nan Washburn, who had headed the ensemble for more than a decade, the group’s programming has been described as “adventuresome,” and this year’s season will include The Golden Flute, Highland Pipes, a Holiday Pops show and a Latino-inspired closer for the season called Fiesta! The group performs all over the area, from Canton to Plymouth; for a full schedule of shows, see http://www.michiganphil.org/or call 734-451-2112.

Technology and the Immortal Condition: The Work of Nicholas R. Wilson The Gallery at the Village Theater at Cherry Hill Sept. 3-29 Originally from Trenton, mixed-media artist Nicholas R. Wilson studied fine art and graphic design and now produces unusual, cartoonish but edgy works using a mixture of painting and screen printing on wood box panels. We don’t know much more than that about Wilson, other than his work pretty much leaps out at you and grabs you by the collar. The artist himself says, “Words may not perfectly communicate what we want to say to each other. As music communicates a feeling through sound, art communicates through sight, and the two composed together is what drives my work.” Drop in for a look 10 a.m.-2 p.m. weekdays or during public performances at the theater. The Village Theater at Cherry Hill is at 50400 Cherry Hill Rd., Canton; 734-394-5300; cantonvillagetheater.org. To view more of Wilson’s works, see http://nwilsonphoto.tumblr.com/