ArtPeople THE ORIGINAL 070 7- egrf4 7 r?elke/frio-,4 RESTAURANT Jimmy (of New Parthenon) & Leo (of Leo's Coney Island) invite you to enjoy big savings on us! r BUY ONE LUNCH OR DINNER AT REGULAR PRICE, GET THE SECOND FOR 1/2 Off Equal or lesser value EXPIRES 10/15/99 Not good with any other offer One coupon per couple NCHES TART T $495 Available for Private Parties HENTIC CUISINE 7 DAYS WEEK RD LAKE RD. INDS PLAZA WEST BLOOMFIELD D LAKE & LONE PINE 10/1 1999 84 Detroit Jewish News -6000 Multimedia Expressions Marcia Freedman is a painter who enjoys investigating other materials. SUZANNE CHESSLER Special to the Jewish News A rtist Marcia Freedman usual- ly works big, but in October, she also is showing big. Examples of Freedman's artistry will be part of four separate exhibits. Her 48 inch x 48 inch painting Metamorphosis V, part of a series, will be included in the "Body and Soul" exhibi- tion at the Paint Creek Center for the Arts in Rochester, while Metamorphose IV joins works by three other artists at the Sherry Washington Gallery in Detroit. Her sculpture Pod Form will be dis- played as part of "Flora Botanical" at the Belle Isle Conservatory, and her textile piece Gently Used will be in "About Potholders" at the A.C.T. Gallery in Detroit. At Paint Creek and the Washington Gallery, Freedman's muted earth tones done in oils on panel imply a single figure referencing the human condi- tion. For Belle Isle, she's used a mixture of acrylics and oils in shades of crim- son, ocher and deep purple to form a sculpture built of layers over particle board and a chicken-wire form. At the A.C.T. Gallery, the artist has made three-dimensional masks out of recy- cled clothing. Freedman's multimedia expressions go hand in hand with her job as a Detroit teacher. She explores a variety of styles with her students at Western International High School, where she's been assigned since 1981. "Teaching keeps me on my toes, and I think I nurture the kids in the same way that they nurture me," says Freedman, who also has taught draw- ing at Wayne State University, where she received both bachelor's and mas- ter's degrees. "I'm a painter who likes to investigate other materials." Freedman remembers that she always liked to draw and paint and grew up in a household that encour- aged her interest. Her uncles were architects, and so is her brother, Larry Rockind. "I made a serious commitment to be a professional artist as an adult after I received a bachelor's degree in art educa- tion," Freedman says. "My commitment remains intense." Married to accountant Stanley Freedman and the mother of three grown sons, David, Mark and Jeffrey, Freedman has time alone every day after school, when she works in her Detroit studio. She's had the space, which is quiet and close to Western, for eight years. "My work is an investigative process using organic form as a metaphor for inter- nal landscapes and external percep- tions," Freedman explains. "Rooted in the tradition of the figure, it focus- es on psychological inwardness, rela- tionships and the human condition. "Often built of many layers, it is rich in surface and filled with energy. It is a system of mark making, repetition and process between self and materials, revealing an inner dialogue and personal history yet remaining ambiguous and indistinct." Throughout the '90s, Freedman's works have been shown in single and group exhibitions in and out of Michigan. The Cary Gallery in Rochester, Detroit Artists Market and Macomb Community College in Clinton Township are among the nearby centers that have invited her to be an exhibitor. Out-of-state displays have been at the Rutgers University campus in New Jersey, Gwenda Jay Gallery in Chicago and the A.I.R. Gallery in New York. "I've been invited to be part of these shows either by people who have seen my work or my slides," says Freedman, a member of Congregation Beth Shalom. "Every time I show, I Above left: "Metamorphosis V," oil on board, on display at the Paint Creek Center for the Arts. Left. Marcia Freedman in her studio: "Rooted in the tra- dition of the figure, bny work] focuses on psychological inwardness, rela- tionships and the human condition," she says. Her work is on display at four metro Detroit locations during October.