Hey, Detroiters! Welcome back to Culture Canvas.
If you’re still looking for those perfect holiday gifts for your loved ones, I know of a place you can go to find a present that’s local and won’t be found at a retail store.
Irwin House Gallery is hosting its 5th annual “Gifted V” holiday art exhibit through Sunday. The New Center gallery is showcasing more than 150 original works by 40 established and emerging artists such as Anita Sewell, Donald Calloway, Dora Kelley and James Hollerbach.
The pieces include figurative and abstract paintings and renderings, mixed and digital media compositions, photography and sculpture. In an effort to make the artwork affordable for patrons, a majority of the pieces are between $40 and $500. Shoppers have the option to collect their art at the time of purchase or leave the work on exhibit through the end of the show.
Art collector Kirsten Jordan was a guest curator for the exhibit. The up-and-coming curator in Detroit said she tried to stay open-minded when selecting pieces.
“I went about really trying to look at each artists’ work,” Jordan said. “Even if I’m not particularly caring for a certain piece of work, that doesn’t mean someone else may not like it. That was a couple of things that I would take into account when I was accepting or looking through submissions, and just trying to be as inclusive as possible, so that everybody had a piece of a story that represented them in the show.”
Irwin House Director Misha McGlown talked to me about how “Gifted V” got started, how Jordan became involved in the process and how the show encourages art collecting.
Editor’s note: This interview has been slightly edited for length and clarity.
BridgeDetroit: How did you get the idea for “Gifted V” ?
McGlown: We have artists who approach us throughout the year and maybe they just don’t fit into the programming that we’re offering. So, this exhibition gives us an opportunity to bring in a lot of the artists that we don’t have the opportunity to work with throughout the rest of the year and to bring the artist community together in a way that is very diverse and inclusive.
The best part of the exhibition to me is all the artists meeting other artists that are outside of their immediate circle that they wouldn’t ordinarily come in contact with. That’s what I love about doing it every year, and also to create a space to help bring in and cultivate new collectors because the prices of original art can be very prohibitive for a lot of people. And that’s understandable. Everybody doesn’t have, $2,500, $5,000 or $10,000 to invest in art. But for people who love art, who want to collect, who want to get into collecting, everything here is so affordable. It’s a good welcoming space for those new and reluctant collectors.
BridgeDetroit: How did Kirsten Jordan get involved in the show?
McGlown: Each year we bring in a different guest curator, so it gives us an opportunity to build relationships with new people breaking into the arts. I do have gallery assistance, but most of what happens I’m working on single handedly. It’s nice to partner with somebody because with many artists and so many entries, it is a huge undertaking. It’s also an opportunity for a new curator to have this experience, to meet and develop relationships with artists they may not have known before, and just to learn and and grow from. Kirsten has been wonderful. She’s new in the art space and curation space. She’s an engineer by profession, but she’s an avid, very enthusiastic art collector who’s been really bringing in a whole new generation of collectors. She’s super smart and just fun and energetic.
BridgeDetroit: How do you select the artists featured in the exhibit?
McGlown: The whole premise of this show is that we try to get in at least one entry from everyone who submits. Unless it’s just not appropriate or there’s some other reason why we can’t fit it in, there’s probably a 99% chance if you submit, you’re going to get in the show. It’s not juried in the sense that we’re going to turn people away because this is not good enough, or whatever. We really try to get everybody in because we want everyone to have to have an experience of exhibiting in a gallery, to be able to learn and grow from that experience, to get feedback. The artists help and guide each other so much and it’s important as an artist to be a part of an artist community. When artists are just operating in their own little vacuum and they don’t have the benefit of being able to share and have that support of other artists, a lot of times, they don’t continue to pursue it. Being able to be part of an artist community contributes a lot to an artist’s longevity on this path.
BridgeDetroit: Who are some of the newcomers in the show this year?
McGlown: We got 14 new artists that have never done it before. Chase Dearring did this awesome Black Santa, imagining what Santa would look like if he was from the hood. And Zuri Dean; we’ve worked with her before on public art projects, but I think this is our first time showing her in the gallery. Ainsley Harvey is a new artist. This is her first time exhibiting with us and I believe one of her first exhibits, if not her first exhibit. Munson Steed is a publisher, but he’s been exploring creating imagery through AI, so he submitted three AI generated images.
BridgeDetroit: Why was it important to you to price the artwork under $500?
McGlown: It’s the holiday season. We are trying to encourage people to give art as holiday gifts, as opposed to going to the normal big box stores. If you are gift giving, if you love art, if you know people who love art or should have art in their homes, we want to encourage you to consider giving art as a gift. We want to make things affordable, accessible and approachable for people at all income levels.
When you are first dipping your toe into collecting, it’s normal to be a little hesitant about how much you want to spend, even if you can afford it. You’re not necessarily accustomed to spending your money that way, maybe you’re accustomed to just buying designer handbags or sneakers. I do find once people start collecting, they experience not just coming to the understanding of the possible investment value of the work you’re collecting, but the satisfaction that it brings in their home. That’s the primary reason people buy art. They connect with it. they feel it makes them feel something that they want to feel. They’re less reluctant the next time and then they get hooked, and that’s when it becomes really fun, not just for the artist, but for the collectors as well.
As always, have a great week!
Cheers,
Micah
313 Scene
- After a portion of the Temple Bar collapsed on May 24, forcing it to close, the iconic watering hole is scheduled to reopen today. The nearly 100-year-old bar passed its final state inspection Friday, and now it’s just waiting for regulators to release its liquor license from escrow. (Detroit Metro Times)
- Detroit’s Movement Music Festival has announced an initial lineup for its 2025 Memorial Day weekend event. The first acts to be revealed include British DJ Carl Cox, Chicago’s John Summit, Jamie xx of U.K. indie rock band The xx, and Detroit ghettotech act HiTech, among others. (Detroit Metro Times)
- Detroit artist Austen Brantley was selected to create a new statue of sports icon Joe Louis on the Joe Louis Greenway. Brantley, a self-taught sculptor, most recently created a sculpture of the late Lt. Col. Alexander Jefferson for Jefferson Plaza in Rouge Park. This statue, commissioned jointly by the Office of Arts, Culture and Entrepreneurship (ACE) and the Joe Louis Greenway Planning Team, will focus on Louis’ life outside the ring to honor his work desegregating American golf. (City of Detroit)
- Detroit is now the 10th U.S. metropolis to get a Michelin Green Guide, joining a list that already includes destinations such as New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Chicago. The Paris-based Michelin, which has been publishing its restaurant and tourism review books since the turn of the 20th century, unveiled its English-language version of the Detroit guide last week. (Detroit Free Press)
What’s Going on in the D?
- Cirque du Soleil is bringing its Christmas-themed show, “Twas the Night Before…” to the Fox Theatre beginning Friday. Based on the classic poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas” by Clement Clarke Moore, the show is about a jaded young girl who rediscovers the magic of Christmas. The performance features acrobatics performed by a cast of 26 artists from all over the world. Tickets start at $41.50. The show runs until Dec. 31.
- The Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts is hosting “A Magical Motown Christmas” at 7:30 p.m. Friday. Concertgoers will hear artists perform favorites from popular Motown acts like Diana Ross and the Supremes, The Temptations, Smokey Robinson and more. Tickets start at $29 on Ticketmaster.
- The Redford Theatre is showing three screenings of the Christmas classic, “It’s a Wonderful Life” Friday and Saturday. Director Frank Capra’s film tells the story of a man at the end of his rope (James Stewart) who discovers from a guardian angel what his town would be like if he was never born. Karolyn Grimes, who played youngest daughter, Zuzu, will be in attendance for the screenings. Tickets are $15.
- Nick Cannon is bringing his “Wild ‘N Out” show on tour to Little Caesars Arena 8 p.m. Sunday. Like the MTV show, the night will be full of rap battles, unpredictable improv games and musical performances from Cannon and cast members. The musical guests include Detroit rappers Icewear Vezzo, Babyface Ray and Skilla Baby, as well as Rick Ross and Soulja Boy. Tickets start at $50 on Ticketmaster.
