Louise Wilde, British, b. 1973. Animated Prints, 2023. On loan courtesy of
the artist.

Louise Wilde: Animated Prints

March 1, 2024 - April 30, 2024

Security Credit Union Gallery

British artist Louise Wilde loves to make things move, a seemingly counterintuitive desire when her medium of choice is printmaking (a still-image on paper). But, using pre-cinematic frame-by-frame techniques Wilde creates whimsical animations. By spinning printed imagery on a disk at just the right speed she creates the illusion of movement. Wilde works with traditional and experimental printmaking methods to make these disks, using etching, photo-lithography, screen printing, and laser-engraving to illustrate playful characters. The unique visual effects these print methods produce contribute to the ominous and dream-like quality of Wilde’s animations. 

The artist starts with traditional and digital drawings that are edited together to devise a moving image sequence. The stills from this sequence are then applied to discs using the aforementioned printmaking methods. The visual illusion this creates is similar to that of a flipbook, where images presented in rapid succession showing progressive phases of a motion can appear to move because our minds retain a visual impression of the preceding image as a new image appears.

When Wilde was a master’s student at the Royal College of Art, London she explored cameraless frame-by-frame animation processes like scratching into and painting directly onto frame stock. After several years working on digital animation productions, the artist craved a return to more tangible, traditional and experimental drawing approaches, and rediscovered her love for intaglio printmaking. Observing the work of old world artists inspired Wilde to experiment in animating her prints. In the artist’s own words, she says:

“When I first saw the way Rembrandt created alternative print states from the same
etching plate by drawing into, burnishing away, inking, and wiping the surface, I could see a direct correlation between etching and experimental filmmaking. Both processes feel familiar yet exciting.”

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Mario Moore, American, born 1987. The Drum Rolls on, 2021. Oil on canvas 66 x 48in. Collection of Nancy and Sean Cotton

Revolutionary Times

January 21, 2024 - April 14, 2024

Hodge Gallery Temporary Exhibition Gallery

Revolutionary Times draws from three bodies of work by detroit-native Mario Moore; presenting paintings, silverpoint drawings, and works on paper that focus on American history and current connections to the past. The exhibition begins with his 2021 series New Republic, looking at the role of how Black Union Soldiers saved the nation during the Civil War. By placing contemporary figures in historical contexts, Moore outlines the similarities between the past and our country's current racial and political divisions. Through depictions of anti-slavery abolitionists, his 2022 series Midnight and Canaan explores the relationship between Detroit and Windsor, Canada, and their intertwined history related to the Underground Railroad and the prospect of freedom. His newest series, produced in 2023, looks at the relationship between the Detroit fur trade and the use of Black enslaved bodies for the export and transport of products. In each work Moore is re-inserting Black struggles and triumphs into the canon of art history. The series are tied together by the hard work, labor, liberation and ingenuity of Black citizens that have revolutionized those time periods in comparison to contemporary problems the United States faces as a nation.

Funded by a grant from The McCombs Family Flint Fund of the Community Foundation of Greater Flint

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Shirley Witebsky American, 1925 - 1966,  Sea Star, ca. 1950 Etching on paper, 13 1/4 × 9 in. (33.7 × 22.9 cm), Gift of Jane M. Bingham, 2018.154 

Atelier 17: A Legacy of Modernist Printmaking

January 18, 2024 - April 28, 2024

Graphics Gallery

In 1927 artist Stanley William Hayter opened an experimental printmaking school and studio in Paris. Located on 17 rue Campagne-Première, it became known as Atelier 17 (French for workshop). Unlike other studios at the time, Hayter emphasized collaboration between artists and urged them to explore experimental and innovative printmaking techniques. The studio was open for sixty years and during that time the artists who worked there pushed the boundaries of printmaking. The art of engraving was revitalized, new developments in etching were explored, and the printing process was revolutionized. One of the major achievements of the studio was viscosity printing, a method that uses multiple inks of different consistencies on a single plate. This method allowed for endless color variations and artistic experimentation.

The technical experimentation that Hayter fostered at Atelier 17 put the workshop in the vanguard of a development that was to become increasingly important in 20th century art. This exhibition includes artists who studied at the Atelier during their career, focusing on artworks made with the new techniques that were developed out of the studio.

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David Bennett, American, born 1941. Twisting Aries Dancer, 2004 Blown glass, bronze 86 × 48 × 25 in. Courtesy of the Isabel Foundation. Photo credit: Douglas Schaible Photography. L2017.29

Fragile Bodies: The Figure in Glass and Clay

October 21, 2023 - June 30, 2024

Harris - Burger Gallery

Of the countless subjects rendered throughout the history of art, none have been more popular than the human body. Fragile Bodies: The Figure in Glass and Clay explores artwork from the FIA’s permanent collection by contemporary artists who have taken the human form as their subject. Whether they are accurately replicating the proportions of the skeleton, its musculature, and details, or presenting something more fluid and abstract, each artist captures one of the most enduring themes in art. 

Whether they are modeling faces out of clay or creating arms, legs, and torsos with molten glass, each artist represents the human form in their own unique manner. The artworks in this exhibition—male and female, clothed and nude, young and old—illustrate the human form’s powerful symbolic potential to embody an idea, to express an ideal, or to embrace that which is vulnerable and human.

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Japanese Vase with Dragon, ca. 1900, Taisho period (1912-1926). Porcelain, silver and lacquer 8 13/16 × 4 5/8 in. (22.4 × 11.7 cm). Gift of Angela E. Garrett in memory of her daughter, Julie A. Garrett 1981.45

Decorative by Design: 250 Years of Japanese Objects

September 16, 2023 - April 14, 2024

Ann K. Walch-Chan Gallery

For centuries little formal distinction existed between all types of Japanese art—from ceramics to sculpture and basketry to paintings. One art form was not more distinguished than another and everything played an equally vital role in the embellishment of people and spaces. The objects in this exhibition range in functionality; however each item reflects the importance of decoration. Whether they are highly detailed, minimalistic, or somewhere in between they each illustrate the concept of kazari, or the art of decoration and ornamentation. Stimulating the senses through viewing, using, or adorning a work of art, kazari highlights the dynamism of Japanese art and illustrates how the mundane world can be transformed into something extraordinary when aesthetics are considered. This exhibition features artwork from the 18th through 20th century from the FIA’s permanent collection and includes objects that were created for the Japanese market as well as for export to Europe and the United States. 

Please note due to unforeseen circumstances this exhibition is closing one week early on April 14, 2024. 

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Desiree Kelly. American, born 1990. Shields, 2018. Oil and spray paint on traffic sign 35 × 35 in. Museum purchase with funds from the Collection Endowment 2019.13

Made in Michigan

August 19, 2023 - June 2, 2024

Dow Gallery

The artworks in this exhibition were created by artists who were either born in Michigan or spent an extended period of time living and working in the state. It shows the depth of Michigan artists who have depicted landscapes, industrial scenes, and the human form through both realism and abstraction.

Michigan has had a long history of fostering creativity through its various teaching and cultural institutions. These efforts began in the late 19th century when Michigan’s cities became increasingly industrialized. Detroit, Flint, Grand Rapids, and other cities were becoming manufacturing centers, attracting thousands of immigrants from Europe, Canada, and surrounding states. In just a few years, fields gave way to factories, and many Michigan’s cities became sophisticated, urban centers. The powerful individuals who were shaping this new society, confident in its future, sought to extend their interests and influence into all aspects of life, including education, politics, and culture. In this climate of change the first signs of an emerging art community could be seen. Today, this tradition continues as contemporary artists emerge from or move to Michigan.

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