New exhibit emphasizes the artists more than the art
Five Detroit area artists show collaborative works in an exhibition at Whitdel Arts in Southwest Detroit neighborhood. The exhibition, "I don't believe in art. I believe in artists" is curated by 2009 Kresge Artist Fellow Cedric Tai (Detroit). Tai was awarded the opportunity to curate a show after competing in a curatorial program at the Contemporary Art Institute of Detroit (CAID). The program required applicants to organize a prototype exhibition and install it in two days. The artists in Tai's prototype show, Adrian Hatfield (Ferndale), Megan Heeres (Detroit), Justin Marshall (Hamtramck), Isaac Richard (East Detroit), Janine Surma (Hamtramck) and Ian Swanson (St. Clair Shores) were invited to make work in collaborating with the young curator during the creation and installation process. "Cedric wanted us to create hybrid works in a holistic play of action and reaction between him and the artists. The process is unique and innovative," says participating artist Megan Heeres. According to the curator, the show, with its title taken from a quote by Marcel Duchamp, is meant to reflect the influx nature of how artists conceive new bodies of work. "These six artists were handpicked for their diversity of aesthetics, willingness to collaborate and ability to address a unique space with their work," says Tai.
The exhibition is the first for the newly formed Whitdel Arts (located in the gallery formerly known as Ladybug Gallery). There is an opening reception to meet the artists and curator on Saturday, April 24th from 6 – 11 p.m. The exhibit runs through May 22nd, 2010. Gallery hours are 12pm to 4pm on Saturdays or by appointment. Contact info@thecaid.org or (313) 899-2243 ext 151 for more information. To learn more about the artists and their work go to http://www.thecaid.org/believe.html.
On May 8th at 6pm there will be an artist walkthrough of the exhibition where visitors will learn about the artists, their work and the processes used to create the exhibition. An exhibition catalog with contributing writers Sarah Turner and Mary Fortuna will be released during the artist walkthrough on May 8th. The exhibition and artist walkthrough are free and open to the public.
A division of CAID, Whitdel Arts is an 1800 sq ft professional exhibition space that showcases the work of local and international established and emerging artists. The gallery is located at 1250 Hubbard St. at Porter in the basement level of a 31 unit apartment building that provides affordable housing for artists. Located in Southwest Detroit's historic Hubbard Farms neighborhood, the building and gallery opened to the public in the Fall of 2007 with over 700 people from the neighborhood and surrounding communities in attendance. The historic Whitdel Building also includes CAID's Ladybug Studios with ceramic and fine art education studios, a student gallery, and a media lab.