The Michigan Daily-Thursday, September 4, 1980-Page 7-E
Local galleries feature artists from
' '
By BARBARA KOFFMAN
The array of art galleries in Ann
Arbor is consistent with this city's
reputation for outstanding cultural
diversity. The market for artists of all
"media" (painting, photography,
sculpture, etc.) is very active here, and
once again, there is a specific group of
people that are the direct benefactors:
Students.
What follows is a "stroll" through
Ann Arbor's various art galleries-a
tour that new students should take
themselves soon after their arrival.
There is a lot to see, and as the
traditional hindsight for all facets of
local living warns: "It is a fast four
years.''
The Alice Simsar Gallery, located at
301 N. Main St., primarily features the
work of contemporary artists in a wide
range of media from the conven-
tial-painting, sculpture, and
lithograph to nontraditional-weaving,
collage, and handmade paper. There is
a variety, likewise, in the age and ex-
perience of the artists represented from
older,internationally known names,
such as British sculptor John Mills, to
young artists with only a moderate
amount of gallery experience behind
them, such as weaver Kathy Hoyer.
Mills' series of bronze portraits are
compelling, while Hoyer's large scale
weaving pieces hang like sculptues and
in their directness and coloring, provide
a fresh, new approach to the media.
Scheduled at the Simsar Gallery for
September is a one-man show of work
by 79-year-old Adja Yunkers, a native
of Russia. Woodcuts done in the 40's and
50's, and a show of miniature works
from the artist's own collection will also
be on display.
One and a half blocks south on Main
Street at 209 N. Main is the Dreyfuss
Gallery. The main display here is pain-
ting, however, an occasional exhibit of
photography, etching or drawing is not
uncommon. Director Peter Dreyfuss,
an artist himself,;has a firm commit-
ment to showing new and unusual work.
Local artists as well as those from New
York, chosen by Dreyfuss, have a bit of
r drawings-so if you feel like Alice and
would like an adventure pop into
Gallery One.
Head toward the Nickels Arcade, and
you'll discover inside that there are two
galleries. The De Graaf Forsythe
Gallery at No. 201 is upstairs. Here you
will find contemporary painting, sculp-
ture, tapestry and prirts by "name"
artist, as well as School of Art faculty
pieces, and a permanent exhibit of pre-
Columbian artifacts, and North
American Indian and Eskimo art. The
work at the De Graaf Forsythe is on the
whole rather sedate, as is its setting,
however the gallery does occasionally
show unusual work, such as that of
three unfamiliar Mexican artists.
Scheduled for September is a show of
paintings and serigraphs by Clayton
Pond. The artist works with a "pop art"
orientation, using figurative subject
matter and sharp, bright colors.
At the other end of the Arcade at No.
229 is the Blixt Gallery, devoted ex-
clusively tp photography. The work
shown alternates between the
traditional and the experimental on a
monthly basis. "We work for a balance
between the well known artists and
those just starting out," Jill Blixt ex-
plained. Hand tinted photographs by
Pat Young seemed so richly colored
,that they seemed to deserve a new
category-maybe "photo-paintings."
Scheduled for September is the work of
Misha Gordin, a native of Russia. His
surrealistic "photo-images" which will
be on view are described by Jill Blixt as
"haunting ... provocative almost to the
point of being scary."
If you walk over to 317 W. Liberty,
across from Leopold Bloom's, you'll see
the 71-year-old Ann Arbor Art
Association, a non-profit institution
which is much more than just a gallery.
The gallery puts on monthly exhibits of
artwork of all sorts, sells work on con-
signment at the Gallery Shop, operates
classes, and rents out studio space.
Director Susan Froelich sees "the basic
function of the Association is to give
younger beginning artists a chance."
The gallery shop handles a wide
Sixteen Hands, located at 119 W.
Washington St., is the only
cooperatively run gallery in the city. It
is a gallery for crafts and eight mem-
bers comprise the group, each
specializing in a different area. The
group includes quite an ethnic variety:
ceramicist George Tudzarov from
Bulgaria, paper cutter Pi Ping Savage
from Taiwan and iishar Miranda from
Morocco, among others. Tudzarov em-
phasized the uniqueness of each piece,
as well as the advantage of the personal,
touch to each item. Especailly noteable
were woodworker Joe Hippler's ex-
cellently crafted, velvet-lined jewelry
boxes and Rose Anna Tendler Worth's
copper etchings.
There are also several places to
check out for folk art: Baobab at 113 S.
Fouth Ave., Middle Earth at 1209 S.
University, David Ackley at 215 S.
State, for primitive art. These
establishments, however, neither
rotate exhibits very frequently, nor
work with contemporary art. If you like
African art, bolas, Latin American tex-
tiles, Indian paper art and the like,
these galleries offer an interesting
range of items to browse through.
Also, don't miss the Rackham and
Slusser Galleries, located in the
Rackham Building and art school,
respectively, which often have shows
by art school students, along with an
occasional faculty exhibit.
It goes without saying that there are
more artists than galleries. The
owners, therefore can pick and choose
among media, styles, trends, and in-
variably the work in a gallery will in
some way reflect their own tastes in
art. Galleries are somewhat like record
shops; some will suit you, some won't,
but it is up to you to explore each one.
Certainly don't be intimidated because
it is ART-you have every right to
either hate it or love it, or even not care
for it one way or the other.
Doily Photo by DAVID HARRIS
"THE PROPHET," by Michael Barkin was displayed at DeGraaf Forsythe
Gallery. Ann Arbor's galleries feature a wide array of works by local,
national and international artists.
CAMPUS MUSEUMS:
r and artifacts abound
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a- V k
By PAUL ENGSTROM
Lazy Sunday afternoons are museum
afternoons. Relax. Slow down. Take a
break from the University's grind and
stroll through one of the University's
three major museums. The Kelsey
Museum of Archaeology, the Natural
Science Exhibit Museum, and the
Museum of Art offer a variety of
exhibits and are especially suited for
the financially conscious students; ad-
mission is free.
Tucked between the LSA Building
and the Helen.Newberry Residence on
State St., the Kelsey Archaeological
Museum is the smallest and most in-
timate of the campus museums. The
mysteriously intimidating victorian ex-
tierior is only a facade, for inside, the
inuseum is light, airy, and somewhat
modern.
One of the Museum's finest displays
i the Roman coin exhibit of the late
Republic and early empire (32-31 B.C.-
164-165 A.D.). In another nearby room
lie encased Coptic carved bone inlays
from boxes of furniture dating from 2nd
to 6th century A.D. Carved wood and
bone inlays from pulpits and doors of
mosques dating 11th to 14th century
A.D. are exhibited as well.
GLASS EXCAVATED by the Univer-
sity between 1924 and 1955 in Karanis,
Egypt is encased in still yet another
display across the room from the car-
ved wood and bone inlay exhibit. Ex-
tensive Roman artifacts-papyrus,
wool, rope, and wood-were preserved
in dry Karanis sand. The luminous
quality of the glass vessels on display is
amplified by the special back lighting.
These flasks, bowls, and jars date from
2nd to 4th century A.D. to 250 to 450
A.D.
As students walk through the
museum, they will notice the han-
dmade, painted pottery, the marble
sculpture, the tapestries, and the
funerary inscriptions, which are a
"must-see" for any Latin student.
In late September and early October
the museum will sponsor a 19th century
archaeological photography show. The
exhibit will, feature photographs of ex-
cavations in Rome and the special
techniques the photographes used in
taking the pictures.
LOCATED ON THE other side of
campus is the Natural Science
Museum. Two black pumas flank the
entrance of this triangular shaped
building at the corner of Geddes and
North University. Every year more
than 50,000 guests tour the museum
which features prehistoric life, geology,
mineralogy, astronomy, and an-
thropology exhibits on the first and
second floors. In addition, displays of
Michigan plant and animal life and of
the lives of Native Americans are
exhibited on the third and fourth floors,
respectively.
Special displays include Great Lakes
Indian artifacts, such as quill boxes,
sweet grass boxes, moccasins, and
weavings. There are also exhibits of
fossils, bones, and charts of the
Paleozoic, mezozoic, and cenozoic
periods.
Museum personnel give hour-long
guided tours (15 cents per person), 45-
minute long planetarium shows (15 cen-
ts per person), and various oral presen-
tations Monday through Friday. Satur-
day morning tours are available as
well.
Back on State Street is the Museum of
Art: Housed behind the classic pillars of
Alumni Memorial Hall, the Iuseum's
collection includes works of Western
Art from the middle ages to the present
and Asian, African, and Oceanic art, as
well. The museum's Asian art collec-
tion is quite extensive.
INSIDE, AMERICAN paintings line
the walls of the main gallery and rotun-
da. The Asian galleries are to the left
and right. Ahead and to the left is the
museum shop where you can buy
catalogs from certain special
exhibitions, posters, postcards, and
books.
Full-time students who contribute
$5.00 to become a "Friend of the
Museum" receive a 10per cent discount
at the museum shop, invitations to
openings, announcemnts, the "Friends
Newsletter," the Museum Bulletin, and
selected exhibition catalogs.
On the second floor, the North, South,
and Central Galleries usually house
rotating exhibitions either from the
permanent collection or the special
exhibitions on loan. The large West
gallery, however, contains selections
from the permanent collection by such
artist as Syrlin, Jean-Baptiste, Duerer,
Moore, Diebenkorn, and Wathol.
"L'Etudiante" (1950), an oil painting
by University Professor Gerome
Kamrowski, also hangs in the West
Gallery.
The Museum of Art and the Natural
Science Exhibit Museums are open
Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5
p.m. and Sunday, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. The'
Kelsey Museum of Archaeology is open
Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4
p.m. and Saturday and Sunday, 1 p.m.
to 4 p.m.
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CONSTRUCTION WORKERS ATTEND to the aging Museum of Art building,
anchoring the corner.of State St. and South University since 1910. Built originally
as the Alumni Memorial Hall, it has displayed art exhibits since 1946.
experience, although they are not yet
"famous." Judging from paintings of
"imagist" Adgar Cowans and the
photographs of Pat Young, Dreyfuss
has an eye for individuality and well
though out innovation. Cowans' Masked
Dream Series shows study and ex-
ploration into the qualities of light,
color and texture, creating intriguing,
subtle images. Young's sensitive hand
tinting of photographs is-equally
evocative.
East one block to 113S. Fourth you'll
find Clare Spittler's Gallery One. The
work shown includes painting, sculp-
ture, graphics and crafts. Unlike the
other galleries, at least one represen-
tative piece from each artist remains
here on permanent display. The
rotating one-man special exhibits are
placed in the front room and then
moved to the space downstairs after a
month. A woodcut exhibit by Barbara
Young combined a variety of textures
with a softness of colors to achieve con-
templative, quiet images. Spittler feels
that "the world is grim enough-we
don't need to be reminded of this in
art." The work in the gallery reflects
this conviction. As one wanders through
the hodge-podge array of ceramics,
jewelry, weaving, etching, painting,
and sculpture, a certain lighthearted,
playful approach is consistent
throughout. Colors, shapes and sizes
are delightfully fanciful, and the work
is by local artists. The September
special exhibit will be paintings and
variety of reasonably priced crafts,
pastels, paintings, drawings, weavings,
jewelry and more. This is a community
oriented, comfortable spot to wander
around in; coffee is available in the
back, and students are encouragead to
stop in. In the fall there will be a two
man show of pottery by I.B. Remsen,
and prints by Kim Kettler.
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A11ID YR TIIYG E jX --X tAR LI~
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Ann Arbor Civic Theatre
announces its
51st Season
1'
1980-1981 Playbill
Show Dates
Title
Author
Sept. 24.27 Our Town *u'uv. IoVAr nW P' ' 'oA .nUIV 3u mUe rII
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