art

Help Keep Michigan in Pictures Rockin’

Posted on January 14, 2016 by farlane

Rain Comes (Frankfort Rock Gallery), photo by Andrew McFarlane

As you may know, 2016 is my 11th year of making Michigan in Pictures. I really love doing it and am certainly going to keep it up as long as I am able. It does take a bunch of my time that might otherwise be spent working or getting out to see some of Michigan’s beauty, so I’ve been looking for a way to subsidize it that doesn’t involve ads, paywalls, or other annoyances.

Yesterday, I was reading a blog and saw they had a button to support them using a web service called Patreon. I checked it out, and it basically allows readers to become patrons of blogs they enjoy. Seemed like a great idea to me so I have set it up. If you’d like to donate a buck or more a month, I would very much appreciate it! Click here for my Patreon donations.

OK, on to today’s photo. Back in August of 2007, I was out walking with my friend Ken Lake on Frankfort beach. About a mile north of town we rounded a point and came upon a wondrous site – hundreds of balanced rock sculptures comprised of thousands of rocks. It remains one of the coolest works of art I’ve ever seen, and also a total mystery. I’ve still never heard who built these or why.

You can view this photo background bigtacular and see more in my Rock Gallery slideshow.

PS: Here’s a video I shot of these scene. The audio on this is kind of loud and crappy – sorry. ;)

Michigan in Petoskey stones in the Final 20 for ArtPrize 7

Posted on October 5, 2015 by farlane

michigan petoskey stone, photo by Jacob Vanderheyden

The ArtPrize Seven Final 20 has been announced with 3 of the top entries from 2013 once again in the running. Click the link to see them all, incuding this one: michigan petoskey stone by Randall Libby from Manistee. It’s on display at the DeVos Center – here’s the scoop:

WORLDS LARGEST PETOSKEY STONE DISPLAY Using petoskey stone and fossil, a framed two-dimensional display with a square shape that measures approximately nine feet (9ft.) tall by nine feet (9ft.) wide / a depth of approximately 4 inches and a weight near 700lbs. Subject matter- State of Michigan map with all 83 counties. One of a kind Hundreds of hours of labor with hundreds of individual slices of semi-precious stone- this item is sure to compete for top placement in art prize. To see examples of earlier work go to petoskeystoneart.com

View Jacob’s photo background bigtacular and see lots more in his ArtPrize 2015 slideshow.

More of ArtPrize through the years on Michigan in Pictures.

Salute to Michigan’s Workers on Labor Day

Posted on September 7, 2015 by farlane

Detroit Industry, photo by Maia C

A very happy Labor Day to everyone and also a salute the generations of hard-working Michiganders whose struggles helped to build the society we have today.

View Maia’s photo background big and see more in her Rivera Court, Detroit Institute of Arts slideshow.

More Labor Day and more about the Diego Rivera murals at the Detroit Institute of Art on Michigan in Pictures.

Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo at the Detroit Institute of Arts

Posted on March 11, 2015 by farlane

Rivera Court – Detroit Institute of Arts, photo by Trish P.

Crain’s Detroit Business has a report on this Sunday’s DIA opening ‘Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo in Detroit’:

When Diego Rivera and his wife and fellow artist Frida Kahlo were in Detroit in 1932-33, the worst of the Great Depression was upon the country.

A labor march had just taken place in Detroit, and four workers had been killed, said Mark Rosenthal, adjunct curator of contemporary art at the Detroit Institute of Arts, speaking during a media preview of the exhibit Tuesday morning.

Rivera and Kahlo, described by the museum as “an explosive couple” in their own right, arrived on the scene — he carrying a pistol, and she carrying a flask.

He romanticized Detroit, and Kahlo, who suffered a miscarriage while in Detroit, rejected the city, the DIA said.

Yet out of that time came pivotal work for both artists.

Rivera created the “Detroit Industry” murals on the DIA’s walls, which he considered to be his greatest work, Rosenthal said. And Kahlo, encouraged by her husband, began to create the paintings that would typify her career and make her famous.

The DIA’s upcoming “Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo in Detroit” exhibit, which opens Sunday, will give art enthusiasts a chance to see who the artists were before they came to Detroit and who they were after, Rosenthal said.

Read on for more and get information about the exhibit that runs Sunday through July 12th from the DIA (including an opening lecture Sunday at 2).

View Trish’s photo bigger on Flickr and see more in her Detroit slideshow.

More museums and more art on Michigan in Pictures.

ArtPrize 2014, now with Fish on Rocks!

Posted on September 16, 2014 by farlane

Catfish, photo by Robert Bradley

ArtPrize returns to Grand Rapids for its 5th year next Wednesday and runs September 24 – October 12th. The 19 day event turns downtown Grand Rapids into a free & open art competition for hundreds of thousands of dollars in prizes. While you can certainly debate the merits of ArtPrize and the art displayed, there’s no question that this is one of the most engaging and immersive art events in the country.

You can check out the 2014 entries right here, look back through the years on their History page, and also see a video from 2013 that captures some on the flavor and fun. The only way to really experience it is to go, something that I heartily recommend!!

This is part of Kevin Sudeith’s Contemporary Petroglyphs installation along the Grand River.

View Robert’s photo background bigtacular and see more in his ArtPrize 2014 slideshow (which I expect will grow in the weeks to come).

Lots more ArtPrize on Michigan in Pictures!

Diego Rivera & Frida Kahlo exhibit coming to the DIA

Posted on May 6, 2014May 6, 2014 by farlane

Detroit Institute of Arts: “Detroit Industry” Murals, South Wall–Detroit MI, photo by pinehurst19475

Michigan Radio Reports that the Detroit Institute of Arts is planning an exhibition that highlights Mexican artists Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo and the year spent in Detroit. Between April 1932 and March 1933, Rivera created the Detroit Industry murals at the DIA and the museum will also show works created by Kahlo during that time.

The show is scheduled to run from March 15, 2015 to July 12, 2015, and you can click through to Michigan Radio for more including a film of Rivera working on the murals. Also check out photos of the Rivera Court murals at the DIA.

About this photo, pinehurst19475 writes: This section of the South Wall depicts line workers assembling tires, axles and wheels with a factory tour in progress. The Rivera murals were recently named a National Historic Landmark.

View the photo background bigtacular and see more in his Wayne State and the Cultural Center slideshow.

More art and more Detroit on Michigan in Pictures.

The Scarab Club

Posted on August 16, 2013 by farlane

Scarab Club Detroit, photo by Vasenka Photography

The Scarab Club explains that:

The Scarab Club was founded in 1907 by a group of artists and art lovers who enjoyed meeting regularly to discuss art and socialize. The desire to form an arts organization in Detroit during the first third of the 20th century was partially intertwined with the birth of automotive design and the evolution of advertising art inspired by the burgeoning automobile industry. Although generally viewed as a heavily industrial city, Detroit’s artistic community thrived from the success of the automobile.

Many of the original founding members of the Scarab Club consisted of automotive designers, advertising illustrators, graphic artists, photographers, architects, and automobile company owners. Scarab Club members inspired each others’ artistic spirit by entering their artwork in the Annual Exhibition of Michigan Artists held at the Detroit Institute of Arts under the auspices of the Scarab Club from 1911 to 1928 and the DIA from 1929 to 1974.

The club’s themed costumed balls, which began in 1917, were a significant social event in Detroit. Life Magazine covered the 1937 Ball featuring a two-page photo spread. The Detroit News and The Detroit Free Press published two pages of photogravures of costumed guests beginning in 1917.

The energy of the Club continues to the present day, hosting events like the costumed Scarab Club balls, art lectures & openings, live music and more. Read on at scarabclub.org where you can check out some of their photos of the building and the artwork and a great timeline of the club. I dug up an old video of one of their costumed balls that was themed “Inferno” that’s pretty cool.

Check out Vasenka’s photo background bigtacular and jump into his slideshow for more great shots from this cultural treasure.

More art on Michigan in Pictures.