54 | JUNE 9 • 2022
ARTS&LIFE
ART
“Embracing Our Differences SE Michigan”
can be viewed at parks in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti.
Art in the Park
SUZANNE CHESSLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER
T
he beauty of nature serves
as the setting for the
beauty of artistic design
during an exhibit with worldwide
representation and a unifying theme
— diversity, equity and inclusion.
The exhibit, “Embracing Our
Differences SE Michigan,” is spread
across two parks in Ann Arbor and
two parks in Ypsilanti, and it will be
up through the end of September.
Sixty vinyl banners (billboard
size at 16 feet wide by 12 feet high)
enlarge images representing ideas by
local and distant artists paired with
slogans submitted independently
by other interested contributors.
While this is the first year the
exhibit is being shown in Michigan,
it follows a 19-year tradition of
similar displays changing annually
in Sarasota, Fla.
At the helm of bringing the
images and ideas to Washtenaw
County are Nancy Margolis and
Evie Lichter, friends who divide
their time between Michigan and
Florida and take part nonstop with
activities in the Jewish community.
“We’re hoping that parents will
bring their children, teachers will
bring their classes, and everyone
will be moved by the art, learn
something from the art and start
conversations about being open
to people who are different from
themselves,” said Margolis, former
founding executive director of
the Jewish Community Center of
Greater Ann Arbor and member of
Temple Beth Emeth in Ann Arbor.
“We’ve had school groups every
day since we started and are
continually scheduling them into
the end of the various school years.
We want to discuss ways in which
diversity enriches our lives.”
The banners address race,
ethnicity, age, sexual orientation
and health concerns. Thirty-four
appeared in Sarasota in 2021; 26
represent the work of Washtenaw
County artists in a range of ages.
“What impresses me most about
the exhibit is the international
flavor,” said Lichter, former
president of the Jewish Federation of
Washtenaw County and a member
of Beth Israel Congregation in Ann
Arbor. “Last year, when the Sarasota
team did an internet call for artists
and phrases, they got about 17,000
responses.”
Art and slogans were submitted
by people representing 123 countries
with a jury choosing the ones
entered into the display.
“We began asking for local
artists and phrases last year, and
one image that was chosen had
been coordinated by an Ypsilanti
art teacher who had five students
working together,” Lichter said.
“
At the center of their picture
(Diversity and Inclusion to the World) is a
representation of a globe surrounded
by youngsters of different heritage
holding various flags. A slogan from
Italy (‘This seat is taken; it’s yours.’)
accompanies the image.
continued on page 56