art
OurTow[i
Suzanne Chessler I Contributing Writer
Meet Barbara Heller:
local art historian,
conservator,
collector — and
art-show juror.
Barbara Heller
Our Town Art Show and
Sale runs 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Thursday-Saturday, Oct. 15-17,
at the Community House
in Birmingham. There is no
admission charge, but there
is a fee for attending Art in
Vogue, an opening-night party
5:30-9 p.m. Wednesday, Oct.
14, when there will be hors
d'oeuvres, music and a fashion/
art presentation. $75-$200.
(248) 644-5832; tchserves.org .
B
arbara Heller surrounds
herself with art.
The director and con-
servator of special projects for the
Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA),
for whom she recently traveled
to Italy on courier responsibili-
ties, Heller also agreed to serve as
one of two jurors for the upcom-
ing Our Town Art Show and
Sale at the Community House in
Birmingham — while remaining
open to possible finds for her own
home.
"I was part of selecting all of
the art that was accepted into this
year's exhibition:' says Heller, who
has served as a volunteer juror for
the Young Jewish Artist Showcase
at Congregation Shaarey Zedek in
Southfield, where she is a mem-
ber.
For Our Town, artists could
submit three slides of work; each
jeweler and sculptor could enter
up to five slides because the work
is three-dimensional and requires
more slides to see what is done in
the round.
"The artwork we chose had to
be aesthetically pleasing, techni-
cally good and hold together com-
positionally; she says. "We looked
at 700 slides on one August day
but never looked at the names of
the artists:'
Heller made judging decisions
with Robert Dempster, owner of
Birmingham's Studio D, which
combines a gallery with concert
space. Entrants were notified in
August whether they were select-
ed for the event, which runs Oct.
15-17. The jurors whittled down
submissions to 345 selections
and will award $10,000 in prize
money.
Our Town, in its 30th year,
showcases all media from tra-
ditional to contemporary and
provides a forum for Michigan
artists to show and sell their work.
Thirty-five percent of the pro-
ceeds from sales are used to fund
Community House outreach pro-
grams for children and families
in need.
In between carrying out judging
responsibilities, Heller accompa-
nied DIA-owned works to the site
of a temporary exhibit, unpacked
the pieces to check that they were
in good condition and planned
some detours to visit friends from
earlier stints in Italy, possibly
looking for items to add to her
private holdings.
"On Oct. 13, Robert and I will
look at the installed art to give
out the award money:' says Heller,
who grew up in Michigan, attend-
ed Cass Technical High School
to study commercial art and had
hoped to be an artist herself. One
of her teachers was the late artist
Irving Berg, who taught at Camp
Tamarack and whose sculptural
pieces are placed on Camp Maas
grounds.
Heller majored in studio art,
art history and French at Olivet
College, in Olivet, Mich., where
a professor encouraged her to
become a conservator because she
was so meticulous.
"Being Jewish, I found that
Christian iconography was the
key to my studies:' she says. "Art
history opened up a different way
of looking at things. In Judaism,
we wrote things down. Christians
used symbols to identify subject
Among pieces included in this year's Our Town: TOP LEFT: Kaye
Weinberger, 3 Ladies TOP RIGHT: Deborah Friedman, Wired 1 CENTER
LEFT: David Roth, Cobo Station CENTER RIGHT: Nancy Kulish, Hug
BOTTOM: David Roth, Marble Staircase
matter.
"Until the printing press was
invented, only the wealthy could
learn how to read and have books.
Christians turned to art and iden-
tified saints by what was depicted,
such as what they were wearing
or holding in their hands. Viewers
would understand the meanings:'
Before working at the DIA,
Heller applied her knowledge
of icons while participating in
an Etruscan dig and during an
apprenticeship to restore art dam-
aged during the 1966 flood in
Florence, Italy.
Although she has had many
fulfilling projects, one of the most
significant was being involved
with the reinstallation of the
DIA collection in 2009, after the
building underwent a major reno-
vation. In planning for the pres-
ervation of the art as structural
changes were being made, she
had to account for climate control,
packing, moving and storing.
A significant singular restora-
tion project had her working on
The Wedding Dance, the 1566 oil
painting by Pieter Bruegel.
While there will not be work
with Jewish content in Our
Town, there will be works by
Jewish artists, including Bruce
Finsilver, Deborah Friedman, Julie
Langensiepen and Steven Tapper.
The price range of all the art is
very wide.
"I've always tried to give back to
the community by volunteering;
says Heller, close to 60, the mother
of two and the grandmother of
four. "If a work of art is juried,
it has reached a certain level of
quality.
"I judge art for my home the
same way I judge art for a show.
I like different styles. I just like
beautiful things:' *
October 8 2015
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