"Mezuzah":

Mickelson's Judaica includes
mezuzot, humzah and chai
tiles, Kiddush cups and
_seder plates.

"Amphora":

"Kiddush Cup":

CC My Judaica reflects my
spirit and identity.

frAs I do more pottery work,
I learn and grow as a
ceramic artist. 34,

Dorie Mickelson in her art fair booth:

CC' Doing

art shows brings me
in contact with people
I might not otherwise
have met. 13'

Re-evaluating her priorities, Dorie Mickelson switched her focus from the corporate world to the arts.

SUZANNE CHESSLER
Special to the Jewish News

T

he tragedy of 9-11 brought
major changes to the life of
Dorie Mickelson, and some
results of those changes will be on
view July 9-11 in Plymouth.
For 20 years before the terrorists
struck, Mickelson worked in the
corporate world, managing publish-
ing and information technology
departments. After the terrorist
attacks, she decided to change her
career direction and give full atten-
tion to the ceramic projects she loves
to develop.
Mickelson will bring her most
recent pieces — including Judaica
— to Art in the Park, an arts and
entertainment festival in its 26th
year. Among some 400 multimedia
artists from around the country,
Mickelson will show mezuzot, .
humzah and chai tiles, Kiddush cups

and seder plates as well as secular
tableware, functional containers and
decorative items.
"After the terrorist attacks, I took
a long, hard look at my life and re-
evaluated how I was spending my
time," says Mickelson, 45, .a former
Oak Parker who has lived in Ann
Arbor since entering the University
of Michigan as a freshman. "I
thought about the shortness of life
and how tenuous it is.
"I remembered making coiled pots
in grade-school art classes and loving
the feel of the clay in my, hands and
the experience of being able to cre-
ate something both beautiful and
useful out of materials from the
earth.
"I'd always been drawn to creative
and artistic challenges, such as I
found in early and later pottery
classes, and ultimately realized that
art was speaking to me on a very
deep level."

Mickelson bought equipment, set
up a home studio and began work-
ing under the business name Free
Spirit Creations. She read ceramics
periodicals and started applying to
art fairs.
"I'm really excited about the
Plymouth fair," explains the
ceramist, whose schedule has includ-
ed events in Southfield, Farmington
Hills and Ann Arbor. "It is a great
show, the second largest fair in
Michigan following the Ann Arbor
Summer Art Fair."
Mickelson credits her parents,
Thelma Mickelson and the late
Harry Mickelson, for introducing
her to various art forms. Her mom
enjoys painting, and her dad set up a
darkroom and wood shop so the
children could experiment with dif-
ferent projects.
Mickelson, who graduated from
Oak Park High School and had her
bat mitzvah at Congregation B'nai

Moshe, spent six months on a kib-
butz in Israel before earning a bach-
elor's degree in English literature
and a master's degree in Information
and Library Studies.
The artist, whose three older
brothers are all doctors, first worked
in business instead of art because she
thought that art was something peo
ple did just for fun. She pursued her
artistic interests by taking classes at
the Yourist Pottery Studio in Ann
Arbor and the Ann Arbor Art
Center.
"As I do more pottery work, I
learn and grow as a ceramic artist,"
says Mickelson, who gets a lot of
attention with her bowls that hold
earrings. "My artwork reflects my
varied interests and continues to
evolve.
"Currently, I am using a lot of
grounding earth tones, calming blue

CHANGING DIRECTIONS on page 35

7/ 9
2004

33