The third annual (tentative) Detroit Artist Collective holds its opening reception July 10 in the Padzieski Gallery at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center in Dearborn.
Artist Kayla Stafford poses by her mixed media on canvas work “Major Arcana” during the July 10 opening reception for the third annual (tentative) Detroit Artist Collective exhibition in the Padzieski Gallery at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center in Dearborn.
DEARBORN – Swirls of color and creativity captured attention July 10 during the opening of the (tentative) Detroit Artist Collective in the Padzieski Gallery at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center.
The third annual exhibit, which runs through Aug. 23, features the work of 23 local artists.
Artist Kayla Stafford, originally from Lincoln Park and currently living and teaching in Dearborn, said this show features the collective’s core members who have been with them from the start and have been active participants.
“And, so, we wanted to kind of show extra appreciation to them and feature them in this show,” she said.
Stafford said the exhibit showcases the variety of work that its members do.
“In this show we have 2-D, 3-D and different mediums, and more of the painting and sculpting art, and so we just want to showcase the variety of artists, the different levels of artists,” she said. “We have artists who are self-taught, and artists who went to art school for years and years.
“Our collective is geared towards everybody, so we are really open to anybody joining in and anybody being part and getting opportunities from it.”
Stafford said there is a wide array of people represented in the show, with most from the metropolitan Detroit area.
Artist Evan Condron, an Allen Park native currently living and teaching in Dearborn, said the work on display is diverse, yet still works well together as a unit.
“It’s the group of artists that have been working with us for the past three years, so it’s good to see all of their stuff in one place,” he said.
Condron said the artists were encouraged to display the work that best represents them.
As an art teacher, he said he likes to work with a lot of different media, and has degrees in both drawing and print making.
“I do a lot of illustration, and I’ve started to do a lot of painting in an illustrative style,” he said. “I’m a middle school art teacher, and eventually I’d like to do a children’s book.”
Artist Amanda Reyes Aquino and her children pose by her ceramic “Childhood Kingdom” mugs during the July 10 opening reception for the third annual (tentative) Detroit Artist Collective exhibition in the Padzieski Gallery at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center in Dearborn.
Artist Amanda Reyes Aquino, who had two original mugs on display, said she has been doing mostly ceramics lately.
“I dabble in a lot of different crafts, so I’ve definitely just been developing ceramics in the last two years or so,” she said.
Aquino said she finds it challenging to find time to work on her art since she has a 4-year-old son and a 2-year-old daughter, but her son likes to paint ceramics with her, so she’ll make stuff for him to paint, or he’ll play with clay next to her.
She said she also enjoys drawing, illustration, embroidery, cross-stitch, fiber arts and knitting.
Artist Sarah Leonard of Detroit, who has a T-shirt with original art on display, said she has been drawing since she was a kid and started doing apparel three years ago.
“So, I make art to go on things, and apparel is one of those,” she said. “I did a few projects in college and I vend at local art events, so I’ve been making shirts to sell there.”
Leonard said she thrifts all of her base T-shirts to re-use materials, but she makes sure they are good quality shirts and 100 percent cotton.
She said she uses DTF, direct-to-film transfer, to place her designs on fabric. The design is printed onto a special film, coated with adhesive powder and cured, and is then heat-pressed onto fabric.
Artist Sasha Corder said the Padzieski Gallery is privileged to have the third annual (tentative) Detroit Art Collective show in its space.
“I think their collective is much needed in our arts community right now,” she said. “I know that they’re really focused on resource sharing, so any opportunities that one has they share with the other, any equipment that one has they share with the other, any information they have on open calls or other paid opportunities they share as a group, which I think is really valuable right now because finding that information in our community is really hard, so there is this weird transition where we really have to connect as artists.”
Other artists represented in the show include Samantha Russell, Angelo Aquino, Daniel R. Michelsen, Diana Fleysher, Craig Blackmore, Gloria Pridemore and Jewel Powell.
Also included is the work of Erin Kruczek, Senomneart, K. Copeland, Citrine LaCroix and Grey Stone.
In addition, the work of Martina Sanroman, Mary Hodges, Sara Pezzella, Emskript, Bearlobos, Angela “Ark” Kelly and Maria Alashwal are on display.
Artist Evan Condron stands next to his untitled acrylic on canvas painting during the July 10 opening reception for the third annual (tentative) Detroit Artist Collective exhibition in the Padzieski Gallery at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center in Dearborn.
Artist Sarah Leonard poses by her “Rainbow Friends” T-shirt design during the July 10 opening reception for the third annual (tentative) Detroit Artist Collective exhibition in the Padzieski Gallery at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center in Dearborn.