94 | SEPTEMBER 26 • 2019 

Arts&Life
art

Art
Milestone

Lynne Avadenka’
s work fi
 nds
homes in four major exhibitions. 

I

t’
s a four-exhibit milestone 
for Lynne Avadenka and 
print art enthusiasts.
In October, Avadenka will be 
represented in four overlapping 
exhibits — two local, one in 
Jerusalem and one touring. 
“Intimations,” her first solo 
show in 10 years, will be on 
view Oct. 4-Nov. 23 at K. Oss 
Contemporary Art in Detroit. 
“PaperWorks,” a group show 
curated by Meighan Jackson for 
the Janice Charach Gallery in 
West Bloomfield, is scheduled 
Oct. 27-Dec. 5.
“Living Under Water,” a 
group show based on Jewish 
thinking about climate change, 
runs Oct. 11-Nov. 28 in 
Jerusalem. “Breathing Mud: The 
Lesson of the Golem,” intro-
duces “AI: More Than Human,” 
which explores ideas of artificial 
intelligence and is touring out-
side the United States.
“It’
s great to be part of these 
almost-simultaneous exhibi-
tions,” says Avedenka, active 
in the Detroit arts community 
since receiving a master’
s degree 
from Wayne State University in 

1981. “An artist works alone, 
but the hope is to have opportu-
nities to share what’
s created.
“Throughout my career, I’
ve 
always looked to Jewish culture 
as a resource, and I’
m always 
interested in the traditional 
sources; but as a contemporary 
artist, I try to find a way to share 
that with a larger audience.” 
The artist, who explores image 
and text with ideas connected 
to book format and content, 
began sharing her skills more 
intensively after 2013, when she 
was named director of Signal-
Return, a Detroit nonprofit 
letterpress print shop and com-
munity arts center. She lives in 
Huntington Woods.
“‘
Intimations,’
 the solo show, 
is a mix of not-so-old and very 
new work,” says Avadenka, 64, 
who was presented with a Career 
Achievement Award in 2016 
from the Fine and Performing 
Arts Department at Wayne. 
“None of the pieces have been 
exhibited in Detroit.”
“Traces,” one series represent-
ed, holds photos of floor shad-
ows she noticed while viewing a 
New York exhibit. The shadows 
were made by jeweled objects 
linked to medieval Jerusalem. 
“The Reunion of Broken Parts” 
shows prints with algebra terms 
she found in an old dictionary. 
The “Empty Cities” grouping 
has prints related to the Book 

SUZANNE CHESSLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

PHOTOS COURTESY LYNNE AVADENKA

details
Lynne Avadenka’
s local exhibits run Oct. 4-Nov.23 
at the K. Oss Gallery, 1410 Gratiot, Detroit 
(kossgallery.com/(248) 559-2232) and Oct. 
27-Dec. 5 at the Janice Charach Gallery in West 
Bloomfield (galleryjccdet.org/(248) 432-5579).

The “Empty Cities” grouping has prints 
related to the Book of Lamentations 
LEFT: Afterward .

Artist Lynne Avadenka