Museum has high hopes for new exhibits

Gallery featured exhibit from Fall 2019.The exhibit was illustrations by Lance Jackson and sculptures by Rob Neilson. Courtesy Photo| Jolie Wyse

SVSU’s Marshal M. Fredrick’s Sculpture Museum (MFSM) is looking to the winter semester with high hopes and new exhibits.

MFSM is welcoming two new exhibits this winter. The first exhibit, “Harold Neal & Detroit African American Artists,” will be open from Feb. 1 through April 16.

Andrea Ondish, the museum’s curator of education, said she is looking forward to seeing the exhibits.

“There are so many wonderful artworks and artists that have powerful backgrounds with the Black Art Movement in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s,” Ondish said. “I am looking forward to seeing the actual art in person.”

Ondish said there is something about really looking at the artwork in person compared to online.

“Looking at digital images doesn’t give you the full impact of an actual artwork,” Ondish said. “You get to see the colors, textures, surfaces, brush marks, media choices, etc. It’s the personal artist mark-making and style you experience. It is unique and inspires me as an artist.”

The second exhibit making its way to the museum, “Tradition Interrupted,” will be on display from Feb. 19 until June 18.

This display is an international group that shows how artists can use contemporary ideas and mix them in with aspects of their culture.

“For ‘Tradition Interrupted’ the artists come from varied cultural backgrounds,” Ondish said. “They hail from every corner of the globe. From rugs and mosaics to metalwork and ceramics, they are merging age-old art and craft customs with innovative techniques that interrupt tradition while still collaborating with the past.”

The “Tradition Interrupted” exhibit focused on how you can use ancient techniques to tell a new story.

Ondish said there are multiple ways that this exhibit can contribute to students’ learning at SVSU.

“University professors in departments such as history, social work, science and technology, art, English, sociology, just to name a few departments, can use the artwork as a valuable teaching tool,” Ondish said.

In addition to the new displays, the museum is hosting a photography contest called “Capture A Moment in Time.” The deadline for the competition is Jan. 15 and the winners will be notified by Jan. 31.

The winners will be determined by three jurors, and they can receive prizes for $100 for first place, $75 for second place and $50 for third place.

The three jurors are Hideki KIhata, an art professor and former chair of the art department at SVSU; Thor Rasmussum of THORtography in Saginaw; and Emiliano Vega, who paints murals and more.

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