ArtandThis

Re:View and Art Detroit Now

Re:View Contemporary Gallery is one of the galleries participating in Art Detroit Now's Cultural Corridor Art Crawl, taking place October 2, Friday, 5 pm - 10 pm.

As our next exhibit, Square Blue Residue, opens on October 3, the gallery is holding a special Exhibit Preview for the new exhibit on Friday.

Two great opportunities to check out Dennis Hayes IV's first solo exhibit in Detroit:

Square Blue Residue Opening Reception:
October 3, Saturday, 7 pm - 11 pm

Special Exhibit Preview (part of Art Detroit Now):
October 2, Friday, 5 pm - 10 pm

View works and meet the designers of Disturbed:Sleep

On August 8, Saturday, from 7 pm to 10 pm Re:View Contemporary Gallery will be hosting the Grand Opening of Disturbed:Sleep, a new design collective based in Detroit and Southeast Michigan that produces original works of modern design.  

This one-night event offers a unique opportunity to meet D:S’s seven designers, preview prototypes of the new designs, discuss the works, and inquire about more available pieces and custom design.The main principles guiding D:S’s works can be described as focus on regional design and fabrication, product quality and its relationship to sustainability, originality as a reflection of our world, and the empowerment of new design talent.

 

For more information on D:S, visit their blog at themidnightbrew.blogspot.com. Their online store - www.disturbedsleep.com- will open for business August 8th, 2009, to coincide with the grand opening at Re:View Contemporary. Disturbed:Sleep designers are: Dane Barnes, Mike Ezban & Jana Van der Goot, Ryan Schirmang, Kristen Dean, Todd Rutledge, and Tadd Heidgerken. All work is handcrafted by dormouse of Detroit.

Re:View Contemporary and Disturbed:Sleep

Mark your calendars as Re:View will be hosting the next most exciting event in local Art & Design: the Grand Opening of Disturbed:Sleep.

D:S is a new design collective based in Detroit and Southeast Michigan that produces original works of modern design, offering both original furniture designs as well as custom design services.

Detailed information will be available on their Website soon. Meanwhile, you can check out their blog for information on their project and designers involved.

Gallery Project in Ann Arbor Needs Everyone who Appreciates Art

By Simone DeSousa, Re:View Contemporary Gallery Owner and Director

Most of us in the Detroit area are familiar with the Gallery Project in Ann Arbor. This theme-based exhibitions gallery, led by founders and directors Gloria Pritschet and Rocco DePietro, has done an amazing job in the past years putting together quality exhibits that provided viewers with great snapshots of art being created today.

 

This past Wednesday, as the Ann Arbor Art Fair happened outside, I had the opportunity to stop by Gallery Project to see their current exhibit, “Shrines and Altars”, and chat with Gloria Pritschet about the gallery and their plans for the future.

Gloria told me the gallery is currently conducting a fundraiser, which hopefully will allow the gallery to continue to operate past March of 2010. As many other galleries, Gallery Project is working intensively to make through the tough economic conditions that have deeply affected the art world.

Seeing Gloria and Rocco's complete dedication to their art space project, which has brought so much to the community, moved me to write about their cause and the need for each one of us to support it.

As Gloria described her experience with the gallery as "extremely rewarding", even in the midst of all the financial challenges, I kept thinking about how Art continues to reminds us that our human experience is meant to extend beyond the ordinary, that there is something more to be experienced in every facet of life we encounter.

To make a donotion to help Gallery Project continue to bring great exhibits to our area, just go to the gallery's home page and scroll to the the bottom of the page, A Way To Support Gallery Project.

Gallery Project's mission is to "provide a venue for contemporary art that is culturally aware, individualistic, courageous, and thought provoking." Gallery Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, located at 215 South Fourth Avenue in Ann Arbor, Michigan.  Spring gallery hours: Tuesday through Thursday, noon-6; Friday and Saturday, noon-9; and Sunday, noon-4. The gallery is closed on Mondays.

Simone

Mark Dancey and Volandismo on MetroTimes

A great full-page article on the exhibit Volandismo and Mark Dancey's work came out today in the Arts section of the Detroit MetroTimes (page 30):

"Looking up " (read article)
Mark Dancey's new show is sultry and suggestive
by Travis R. Wright

If you are in town, pick up a paper copy, this article truly captures the experience of this exhibit.

 

West Willis Village Celebrates their Organic and Sustainable Business Communities

By Simone DeSousa, Re:View Contemporary Gallery Owner and Director

For the past years I had enjoyed regularly coming to West Willis street to visit Avalon Breads for their amazing organic baked goods, sandwiches, and coffee.

Today I find myself as a very happy new addition to this vibrant Detroit community as one of the businesses that has recently joined the neighborhood. Our gallery, Re:View Contemporary Gallery, which opened on October 18, 2008, is also the first commercial tenant at the Willys Overland Lofts.

Known as West Willis Village, our neighborhood is composed of a diverse group of great businesses.

  

If your target is to find great food made of organically grown items, offered by a business that is community-conscious, come to visit Avalon. But don't stop there, also step next door into Goodwells Natural Foods and try their famous pocket sandwich. One of my favorite things ever! Their soups are amazing too.

And while you are here, why not enjoy the full array of cool stores? 

Take a couple of steps down and go into Flo Boutique where you'll find the hippest clothing items and accessories. There's no better place to find that truly unique hat you want to buy for yourself or gift to someone special. No need to take a trip to Chicago or New York, it is right here in Detroit.

But don't stop there, take a few more steps and go into Spiral Collective, which is comprised of three different businesses, Tulani Rose, Source Booksellers, and Dell Pryor Gallery. You will not leave empty-handed. This is the best place to find a unique environmentally-conscious gift, a great book, or an art piece by some of the best Detroit artists. 

Just around the corner from Spiral Collective, on Cass, you can find the newest hair salon in the area, Curl Up and Dye. Also on Cass is Textures by Nefertiti, which used to be part of Spiral Collective, and now has its own expanded location on Cass, just a block south at 4201 Cass.

And of course, before you leave, step into Revolution Books, one of the truly pioneer places on the street.

Tomorrow, June 20th, from 10 am to 7 pm, the West Willis Village will be celebrating their organic and sustainable business communities with a full day of activities, including music, performance, art, and, of course, food!

Details of all activities and full schedule can be found on the West Willis Village Event page.

Hope to see you tomorrow!

Simone

5 questions with artist Mark Dancey. Read in the Detroit Free Press today.

On the Play section of the Detroit Free Press today, read Erin Podolski's interview with Mark Dancey.

[Mark Dancey is an artist of rare talent, one who's able to make masterful oil paintings -- with a twist -- as well as snarky pop art illustrations. His name has been synonymous for years with satirical mag Motorbooty and his old band, Big Chief, and with the so-cool-it-hurts silkscreen print work that has had him working for everyone from Soundgarden to the Showtime cable network. His work has been in many group shows, including a current exhibit at the Contemporary Art Institute of Detroit. His oil paintings will be on display at Re:View Contemporary Gallery from Saturday through July 25 in the solo show "Volandismo," his first in Detroit in six years. "This is a show of all round paintings," Dancey says. "I found somebody to make round frames. They're all figurative paintings in forced perspective, so the figure in each painting is seen from a low vantage point. The paintings are actually going to be hung above eye level so that you have to look up at them." Dancey's Web site, illuminado.com, has many examples of his work.

QUESTION: From the way you describe the show, it sounds kind of churchy in terms of the viewer experience. Did you intend that?

ANSWER: They're not giving out the church ceilings to paint like they did a few centuries ago, so we're doing the best we can. When you look up, you think religious. Anytime you're looking up at a picture on the ceiling and you're looking up at that perspective, it automatically gives it this otherworldly thing. Every culture is looking up at the sky and making up some myth, and they want to put heaven in the sky because it's something that's out of reach.]

 

View full interview at FreePress.com.

Volandismo, New Paintings by Mark Dancey, opens at Re:View Contemporary Gallery this Saturday, June 13. Opening Reception from 7 pm - 11 pm.

 

What is behind Volandismo? Mark Dancey has a few things to tell us about his latest project.

By Simone DeSousa, Re:View Contemporary Gallery Owner and Director

On May 3, Krysta Stone, Re:View Contemporary's writer, myself, and Amina Horozic made our way to Mark Dancey's studio for a late Sunday afternoon interview with the artist behind Re:View's upcoming exhibit, Volandismo.

The full interview with many details about the artist's background, development of  techniques, and aesthetic intentions is now available at Re:View's Web site: http://www.reviewcontemporary.com/shows/volandismo_interview.html

"Detroit’s Mexicantown during the annual Cinco de Mayo celebration weekend is a sea of colorful flags, cars in gridlock, and festive music. It’s an atmosphere rich with culture and urban grit and as residents reveled in the cultural celebrations in Clark Park, I made my way through police tape and detectives to Mark Dancey’s house and studio to discuss his latest works for the show Volandismo. “This feels like a scene from The Wire,” I thought to myself while walking up to his porch. And while witnessing this scene from his perch in his second floor studio of his home, Dancey tells me he had been thinking the same. And so began my discussion with Dancey about how classic oil painting and pop culture meet in the form of his latest paintings." [Begins Mark Dancey's interview with Krysta Stone]

Dancey's solo exhibit opens at Re:View Contemporary next Saturday, June 13. Not to be missed!

A few posts on Mark's influences will be available in the days leading to the upcoming opening.

Simone

Check out an advanced screening of a new film / help young writers!

By Krysta Stone, Re:View Contemporary's Writer

 

On Thursday, May 14^th, at 7:30pm at the historic Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor, 826michigan and Google will present a special advanced screening of the new film Away We Go, starring John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph and directed by Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes.

 

Sounds cool right? It gets better! The film was co-written by renowned author Dave Eggers and his wife Vendela Vida, and Mr. Eggers will be in attendance for the film and a Q&A session after the screening.

But wait, it gets even better! The entire event is a benefit for non-profit tutoring and writing center 826michigan. ‘826’ may sound familiar to you as the national non-profit founded by Mr. Eggers himself! 826michigan is the local 826 chapter and provides absolutely FREE programming including tutoring, writing workshops, in-school programs, writing ‘field trips,’ assistance with student publications and so much more to students, educators and schools in Southeast Michigan, Ohio and who knows…maybe even beyond! The programming is imaginative, creative, fun, educational and …oh yeah, FREE.  Frankly, I volunteer to help at 826 because it’s the best way to attend the workshops I wish I could take! 

 

Purchase a ticket for the Away We Go sneak preview online at http://www.826michigan.org/store and mark your calendar for May 14^th at 7:30pm at the Michigan Theater.

 

Advanced tickets can also be purchased in person at the Liberty Street Robot Supply and Repair, 826michigan’s storefront, at 115 East Liberty St, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104.

Community garden is....community Art!

By Simone DeSousa, Re:View Contemporary Gallery Owner and Director

 

This past Saturday, April 18, was one of the nicest days we’ve seen in the city in a long time…It was also the day over 70 enthusiastic hard-working volunteers gathered on the corner of Second and Willis between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. for the North Cass Community Garden Clean-Up.

 

   

  

  

According to Annmarie Borucki, Fund-raising Manager at University Cultural Center Association(UCCA), the crew was able to fill over 250 bags of trash, which ultimately filled over 30 cubic yards of dumpster space, cleaning up 0.35 acres of garden site. 

 

 

 

 

The demolition on the site began on Monday and within 3 weeks, we will start building the garden. I was fortunate to be able to be part of the Saturday event, and, of course, brought my camera to snap a few shots.   

 

The group was invited to gather at Motor City Brewing Works after 11 am for salad, pizza, and refreshments (yes, water), where we were able to view, and hear, details about the plans for the gardens and other highlights of projects in the area. Sue Mosey, president of UCCA, got a round of applause for her dedication and visionary work in this area of the city.

 

 

Very exciting for Detroit, and very exciting for us at Re:View Contemporary Gallery, one of the recent additions to this great Detroit neighborhood. Since this past October, when we opened the gallery, I have been repeatedly inspired by the energy flowing through the various projects supported by UCCA.

I had been quite busy in the first couple of weeks of April preparing for the opening of our new exhibit, New Physical Consequences, so by the time I tried to apply for a plot, they were all sold out…! I am on the waiting list.

 

If you are interested in learning how to support this project, and other great community initiatives in Midtown, please visit UCCA’s Web site.

 

The UCCA 2nd and Willis St. urban agriculture garden is an opportunity for both the UCCA and the surrounding community to utilize an undeveloped space in a natural way.  This urban agriculture garden will reclaim the specified site in the midtown area of Detroit.

The garden will provide a space where the community can create produce, establish ownership, and facilitate the areas connectivity.  The immediate intentions of this design are to provide a safe, comfortable, and easily maintainable space where the people of the community have the opportunity to grow vegetables, flowers, and herbs.  In addition, an area devoted to open space provides room for socializing and relaxing, mural art, decorative fencing, and strategic green/growing walls add the element of a creative and unique space.

View Community Garden PDF (courtesy of UCCA)

 

View more images of this event on Re:View Contemporary's Facebook page.

 

Simone