DECEMBER 2 • 2021 | 23

OUR COMMUNITY

N

ow in its 41st year, 
Birmingham Bloomfield 
Art Center’s Holiday 
Shop is an annual tradition 
where Metro Detroiters can buy 
unique gifts from more than 200 
top local artists.
Opening Dec. 2 and run-
ning through Dec. 21, the 
3,000-square-foot retail area 
will include an expanded home 
goods section in 2021, plus 
additional baby and children’s 
gift items.
This year, BBAC’s Holiday 
shop, which is free and open to 
the public, will also see a selec-
tion of renowned Jewish artists 
and artists selling Judaica. Here 
are three artists with Jewish 
connections to look for at the 
annual shopping event.

PATTI TAPPER
Jewish artist Patti Tapper centers 
her art around the idea of living 
a colorful life. Since the age of 7, 
she has had a passion for paint-
ing, beginning by work-
ing with pastel paints 
and later transitioning 
to oil paints.
As an adult, she 
received a bachelor of 
fine arts from Bowling 
Green State University 
to continue pursuing 
her love for art on a 

professional level.
In addition to painting, 
Tapper also works with mixed 
media sculptures, but the items 
she’ll have for sale at the BBAC 
Holiday Shop are her vibrant 
earrings made of clay.
“I like to work with bright 
colors,
” says Tapper, a member 
of Temple Israel. “I work in 
polymer clay and usually add 
some metal components.
”
Tapper, who has been making 
jewelry for 20 years, is particu-
larly drawn to the color green, 
especially a chartreuse green 
that she integrated into her 
unique earring designs.
“That’s my favorite color,
” she 
says of the shade.
By adding metal accents like 
gold or silver leaf as well, Tapper 
says her homemade earrings can 
be dressed up or 

down for everyday wear or spe-
cial occasions.
“Polymer clay is awesome 
because it’s a very lightweight 
material,
” she explains. “You can 
do a huge earring and it’s not 
uncomfortable for the wearer, 
which I love.
”
Tapper also has a set of ear-
rings for sale made with both 
metal and pearl.
“I got a kick out of pairing the 
metal with pearls because a lot 
of times, pearls are seen as really 
delicate and dressy,
” she says. “I 
wanted to pair them in a differ-
ent way so people could wear 
them with jeans or with their 
workout clothes, whatever they 
do during the day.
”

MARTHA 
ZAUSMER
Martha Zausmer 
had an unconven-
tional entry into 
the world of art. 
At the age of 52, 
she began her 
career making 
fine art, now 

practicing for more than 30 
years.
“I went back to school,
” she 
says of the transition in her 
50s, graduating at age 60 with 
a bachelor of fine arts from 
Wayne State University. From 
there, she went on to teach chil-
dren’s classes at BBAC, where 
she’ll be selling her Jewish-
themed cards during the holiday 
show.
“Birmingham Bloomfield Art 
Center has been a home away 
from home for me,
” she says. 
“It’s really a place of safety and 
encouragement and good art.
”
Zausmer’s fine-art cards for 
sale come in a series of five 
designed with Jewish symbols. 
“I painted a collage [on them] 

PHOTO CREDIT

Meet three artists with Jewish 
connections participating in 
the BBAC Holiday Shop.

Art for the 
Holidays

continued on page 24

ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Linda Buck’s mezuzahs

Martha 
Zausmer’s 
printed cards

BBAC Holiday 
Show

Dec. 2–Dec. 21, 2021
10 a.m.–6 p.m. Monday-
Saturday; 12 Noon–4 p.m. 
Sundays
1516 S. Cranbrook Rd.
Birmingham, MI 48009

