Mixed Media by Suzanne Hodges

Rudolph Steiner Student Exhibition

Photographs with Text: Jewish Family Services of Washtenaw County

"Photovoice” is the process of putting cameras in the hands of traditionally marginalized community members to allow them to record, reflect on, and share their community’s strengths and concerns. Photovoice participants have the opportunity to capture their current experiences through pictures, with the goal of sparking dialogue and action related to the themes depicted in the photos.

In the fall of 2016, a group of refugees from Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Sudan, and Iran met weekly with a facilitator and translators to engage in a Photovoice project at Jewish Family Services of Washtenaw County. Together they learned about the Photovoice method and about composing photographs, issues of ethics and safety, and visual storytelling. They were then given digital cameras.

Guided by prompts such as “When I first arrived in the U.S…”, “What is most challenging about living here?” “What makes you feel welcome?” and “What does ‘home’ mean?” they were asked to photograph moments in their daily lives that had meaning for them as they worked to make a new home in the Ann Arbor area.

The resulting exhibit consists of 26 insightful photos-with-narratives that will illuminate the experience of adjusting to life in a new land. As you view this Photovoice exhibit, we hope that you will consider what it means to be a newcomer and what role you can play in sharing our community with recently resettled refugees.

Each year, the Michigan Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects (MiASLA) honors the best in landscape architecture in Michigan. MiASLA is excited to showcase entries to their 33rd annual design awards program at the Mallets Creek Branch September 17 – October 26, 2018.  The exhibit features projects from around the state including built projects and planning and research documents.  Projects will be judged by a fellow chapter of ASLA and winning projects will be awarded at the MiASLA Annual Meeting in Kalamazoo on 

In this solo exhibit by Joanne Porter, the artist presents thirty-two watercolor paintings depicting a colorful array of beautiful garden flowers and other natural wonders. As a floral painter, Joanne prefers to work from fresh flowers rather than from photographs. Using many layers of color, her intent is to convey the delicate feel of flowers as well as their richness of color and texture.

For local artists Laura Anne and Sophia Adalaine, using human forms in their art is a way to capture fleeting moments, both real and imagined. It is a way for them to share personal, intangible concepts, such as memories and emotions, and it is a way for them to connect with you, the viewer. 

The artwork in this exhibit was created by the University of Michigan's Faculty Women’s Club: Painting Section for the public to enjoy.The paintings celebrate the places they have been.

(Exhibit runs January 15-February 25) Ann Arbor artists Helen Gotlib and Dylan Strzynski exhibit drawing and mixed-media works that embody the essence of each artists' additive and subtractive approach. Gotlib's process-oriented drawing style is characterized by extreme detail. In her most recent work, Gotlib has made an extensive exploration of a deceptively nuanced and emotional subject – flowers. By following the life cycle of flora but focusing particularly on dried, dead flowers, she's managed to create images of unexpected beauty and emotional power. Strzynski's mixed-media work combines drawing, painting, and influences from his background in printmaking. He's inspired by the woody marine landscape of northern Michigan and rural, western Washtenaw County. Focusing on landscape and vernacular architecture, his work addresses concerns about the environment and poverty by telling stories characterized by mystery and subtle humor.

For well over 10,000 years humans have been working with the extraordinary material of clay. This exhibition features eight artists who have created their own unique expressions with this delightfully malleable substance. Learn where clay comes from and enjoy ceramic work produced with a variety of techniques in this fourth annual exhibition by Nancy Bulkley, Jeanine Center, Joseph Chen, Michael Donley, Jessica Krivan, Mike Krivan, Caron Valentine-Marsh, and Brian Xiao. 

At AADL we think of storytime as an art form. It is a living, changing, interactive experience for all ages. For 75 years, AADL has offered storytime in all its forms to enhance and enrich our listeners’ experiences with literature and language. Take a stroll through our “StoryTimeline” to explore the transformation from book to felt to puppets and more! We are fortunate to serve a community that is always hungry for stories.