A&D NEWS

May 7, 2012

Laura Bryant Featured in Knitch Magazine

Laura Militzer Bryant (BFA 1978), the founder of Prism Yarns, a successful hand-dyed yarn company in Florida, was recently featured in Knitch, the Online fashion magazine for knitters. Laura is described as a visionary who is known for introducing new ideas and new lines, most notably her “Stuff” yarns that are a sensory delight.

http://www.knitchmagazine.com/archives/fallwinter-201011/interviews/laura-bryant.html

May 7, 2012

Deanna Krueger in Two-Person Show at Zia Gallery

Deanna Krueger (BFA 2002) is featured, with Carl Wilen, in a two-person show opening on May 4 at ZIA Gallery in Winnetka, Illinois.

Mixed Media Paintings and Works on Paper
Reception: May 4, 5 - 7:30
Exhibit runs May 4 – June 16, 2012

ZIA|Gallery
548 Chestnut St.
Winnetka, IL 60093
847-446-3970

The gallery is two short blocks from the Metra Train Station.

http://www.ZIAgallery.net

May 7, 2012

Surrealist Garden Interactive Tour for iPad

Edward James (a former collaborator with and patron of Salvador Dali) and his collaborator Plutarco Gastelum pent over thirty years in a remote rainforest deep in the Sierra Madre mountains of Mexico building Las Pozas: fanciful structures, stairways, waterfalls and sculptures that resemble a Salvador Dali fantasy come to life.

Robert Ziebell (BFA 1979), in collaboration with Anthony Thompson Shumate, spent over three years photographing and designing the project LAS POZAS: Steps & Fall, and are currently seeking funding through US Artists to create an iPad app. Ziebell and Shumate have created a unique virtual environment through a documentary and video experience that transports the viewer into the garden itself. A series of 360-degree panoramic views of diverse garden features are controlled by you, allowing you to explore over twenty-two locations throughout the site. Guided by an interactive map, you encounter embedded “passages” that lead you from site to site as well as to short, experiential video clips and historical montages about this special place.

By recreating the experience of climbing long stairways that criss-cross one another and wind along the side of a waterfall in a gorge, Steps & Falls recalls the children’s game Chutes & Ladders. You will lose all sense of perspective, time, and space as you explore numerous jungle trails and passageways only to discover that you are right back where you started.

The LAS POZAS: Steps & Falls app will immerse you in the topsy-turvy world of Las Pozas (the pools or wells), an eighty-acre surrealist garden in the rain forest of Mexico.
360-degree panoramic views of garden features are controlled by you, allowing for a interactive experience.

http://www.robertziebell.com
http://www.usaprojects.org/project/las_pozas_steps_falls

May 7, 2012

Melanie Manos Exhibits in New York and Belgium

Melanie Manos (MFA 2008) is featured in upcoming exhibitions in Brooklyn, NY and Mechelen, Belgium.

Exhibition: re/spond/re/peat
Soapbox Gallery
636 dean street Brooklyn, NY 11238
June 8 - 21, 2012

An exhibition of performance scores incorporating the use of language as an invitation for dialogue or action, asking the viewer to respond or repeat. Manos has been asked by the curator Audra Wolowiec (BFA 2002) to create performance/action instructions for building an outdoor library.

Exhibition: INside OUT
Tichelrij 15 Gallery
Tichelrij 15 2800 Mechelen, Belgium
June 27 - July 2, 2012

Group exhibition considering interior/exterior including physical and psychological aspects. Manos will show her video Navigating the Self, and will also do a site-specific installation with mirrors in the interior courtyard of the gallery in collaboration with Belgian artist Hilde Overbergh.

http://www.melaniemanos.com
http://www.manosbuckiuscooperative.com

May 7, 2012

John Merigian: Sculpture Permanently Installed in Grand Rapids

John Merigian’s (BFA 1980) 32 foot tall sculpture, Be Still and Know IV, has been permanently installed in Lacks Park in downtown Grand Rapids, MI. The installation took place as part of Grand Valley State University’s 2011 ArtPrize exhibition. Sponsors for the monumental sculpture included Michael McLoughlin, Robert Darvas Engineering, and Pioneer Construction.

May 7, 2012

Walter Lowe III: Film Festival Circuit

Two years after graduation, Walter Lowe III (BFA 2010) has had his BFA thesis film Protocol of Person and Social Syntax: Lesson One screened in 3 film festivals. The list includes the 49th Ann Arbor Film Festival in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the 24th Virginia Film Festival in Charlottesville, Virginia, and the 2nd Visions Film Festival and Conference in Wilmington, North Carolina.

Here are his words on the experience: “It’s very interesting to see how far a piece of work can take you, even two years after its creation. My thesis has still been gaining me invitations to festivals, and for my most recent screening at Visions, the staff flew me out to the festival, providing complimentary flight and hotel arrangements. It’s this kind of hospitality that really makes me remember the hours spent as a scattered art student, scrambling to put together a big idea before an impending deadline. To have a project travel from my bedroom studio to the big screen is an amazing feeling, and it’s incredibly validating to get this consistent positive response from the people who have seen it. The interesting thing is, I didn’t submit my work to my first festival, the AAFF. In late 2010, I was working on a project with A&D’s own Katherine Weider-Roos, who informed me that she would like to submit it to the event. If I have learned anything from these experiences, it’s that you have to have confidence in your abilities and your work. It may be natural to feel bashful sometimes, but we live in a ‘show me’ world, and you have to be the one to show the world what you’re made of.”

May 7, 2012

Claudia Hershman: Ferndale Exhibition

A series of prints and paintings by Claudia Hershman (BSDES 1964) is on display in a 2 person exhibition at Level One Bank gallery in Ferndale, Michigan. The exhibition will run through May 29th.

Level One Bank Gallery
22635 Woodward Ave, Ferndale, MI 48220

http://claudiahershman.etsy.com

May 7, 2012

Anneli Arms: Recognition for Excellence

Anneli Arms (Architecture & Design 1958) recently was awarded a “Recognition For Excellence” citation for Crocodile Teeth, a print on display at the 2nd Annual National Intaglio Exhibition at the National Arts Club.  The exhibition was sponsored by the NY Society of Etchers and curated by David Kiehl of the Whitney Museum. 

Anneli and her husband, John Arms (1956 graduate of Architecture & Design) live in New York City. 

http://www.anneliarms.com

April 23, 2012

Without Walls: Works from the muraLAB/Breadboard Residency

Work created by Chris Landau (MFA 2006) as part of his muraLAB/Breadboard Residency is now on display at Philadelphia’s Esther M. Klein Art Gallery at the Science Center.

Without Walls at Esther Klein Gallery in Philadelphia explores new modes of public art and muralism through a unique collaborative residency between Breadboard and muraLAB, an experimental hub at The City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program. Six Philadelphia Artists were selected for a six-month residency at NextFab Studio, a high-tech workshop and prototyping center located at the University City Science Center. muraLAB is a laboratory for exploring muralism in the 21st century – as artistic mediums evolve, technologies emerge, and the concepts of real/virtual communities merge. As the world changes, we want to stay true to our roots in muralism. These roots include a dedication to using art to give voice to disadvantaged communities and marginalized populations, engaging communities in deep and meaningful ways, and exploring issues that are timely and relevant to people’s lives.

Exhibition opening: April 27, 2012

http://muralarts.org/interact/blog/without-walls-works-muralab-breadboard-residency

April 16, 2012

Motawi Featured on Arab-American Stories

Detroit Public Television premiered its 13-part series Arab-American Stories at the end of March. Hosted by NPR’s Neda Ulaby, the series profiles Arab-Americans making an impact in their communities, professions, families, and the world at large. The series is a national partnership with PBS, but its production was initiated by the Michigan Arab-American community.

Nawal Motawi, the founder and owner of Motawi Tileworks, is featured in the episode airing on Monday, April 16, at 7:30pm. Filmmaker Sarah Zientarski and her crew spent a day at the Tileworks in late November 2011 filming Nawal and the production staff. “I’m incredibly proud of our staff and what we’ve achieved,” says Nawal, “and I’m delighted that we get to share it with the rest of the country.”

Tune into Detroit PBS Channel 56 on Monday, April 16th, at 7:30pm to see Motawi Tileworks on ‘Arab-American Stories’.

Not in Southeast Michigan? No problem! Watch the series online here, and stay tuned for the national PBS launch later this year.

http://www.motawi.com/