46 | OCTOBER 21 • 2021 

ARTS&LIFE
ART

A

fter being closed for 
19 months, and briefly 
open for appoint-
ment-only visits in October 
and November of 2020, JCC’s 
Janice Charach Gallery is finally 
reopening its doors to the public 
for good. Since 1990, the gallery 
has been a home for Jewish art-
ists and exhibitions and beyond.
The 5,000-square-foot gallery 
at the 

Jewish Community 
Center of 
Metropolitan Detroit 
in West Bloomfield 
is celebrating the 
reopening with a 
new exhibit, “delecTable.
”
Beginning Oct. 24 and 
remaining on display through 
Dec. 9, the all-ceramic juried 
tableware show will feature the 
works of 40 Michigan-based 
artists.
The theme of the exhibit: 
What can be found on a 
plate, a question that can be 
answered in many creative 
ways.
“This show will show-
case the best ceramic 
work in Michigan,
” 
explains gallery director 
Kelly Kaatz. It’s a show 
more important than 
ever, she says, as local art-
ists haven’t had a chance to 
showcase their work in nearly 
two years because of the ongo-

ing COVID-19 pandemic.
Partnering with the Michigan 
Ceramic Arts Association to 
put on the show, Janice Charach 
Gallery’s “delecTable” exhibit 
will include a mix of traditional 
ceramic art and ceramic art 
that pushes the boundaries of 
the norm. Some works, Kaatz 
explains, will be wheel-thrown, 
while others will be giant sculp-
tural pieces made of porcelain, 
some of them neon colors.
Every item in the exhibit will 
be for sale. “Probably half of 
the artists do art fairs and show 
their work all around Michigan 
and the Midwest,
” Kaatz says. 
“But some of the artists in the 
show haven’t made much in the 
last couple of years, so this show 
really pushed them to create a 

TOP: Work by Jeff 
Ham 
RIGHT: “Curse 
Blessing” by Chrys 
Bonnay Lewis

Charach Gallery 
Reopens

Closed for 19 
months, JCC’s 
Janice Charach 
Gallery reopens 
with ceramic 
show.

ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY 
CONTRIBUTING WRITER

DETAILS
“delecTable”
• Janice Charach Gallery at the JCC
• Opening reception: 1-4 p.m. 
• Sunday, Oct. 24
• Free

