The University of Michigan's North Campus Research Complex (NCRC) is a place for scientists and businesses to develop ideas and projects that can affect real-world change.

The NCRC is also the home of two low-key galleries that run regular exhibitions featuring artists with connections to Michigan (the state and/or the university).

On June 15, 4-7 pm, the NCRC will host a reception for three new exhibits running in the Rotunda and Connection galleries through August 11:

➥ Matthew Zivich, Americana
➥ Cristina Joya, Something Holy
➥ Julianne Orlyk Walsh, Chronicle

Read more about the artists and their works below:

Matthew Zivich, Americana

Matthew Zivich is a professor of art at Saginaw Valley State University. He attended the University of Michigan's art department for a BS in design degree and Indiana University for his MFA degree in painting and sculpture in 1964. While at Indiana, Matthew was a pupil of the late artist, William Bailey, a former assistant to Josef Albers at Yale.

Matthew Zivich has been an active artist in drawing, painting, photography, and sculpture since high school and was first awarded the one-time Leonard Bocour prize for printmaking in graduate school at Indiana. His artworks have been shown in numerous competitive art exhibitions mostly in Michigan with yearly shows in Midland, Flint, Bloomfield Hills/Birmingham, Detroit, and Ann Arbor art centers, galleries, and museums.

The exhibition Americana is a powerful exploration of how the past is remembered and reinterpreted. Zivich’s artwork provides a thought-provoking confrontation of American military history, a genre that may not be seen as popular today. Through his artwork, the artist brings to light the importance of recognizing the impact of history on our present lives and the world around us. Americana uses the traditional genre of historical paintings and reinterprets it to create a contemporary narrative.

Cristina Joya, Something Holy

Mexican-born and Michigan-based ceramics artist, Cristina Joya, has been honing her skills in pottery since 2019. Originally an award-winning graphic designer, Joya blended her design skills with her passion for ceramics and self-discovery. Inspired by studies and teachings of renowned physicians, therapists, and spiritual leaders, she draws her creative power from realizing the importance of the mind-body-spirit connection. Her work has been exhibited at local galleries such as the Janice Charach, Pontiac Creative Art Center, Oakland Community College, and The Community House at Birmingham, where she was recognized with the Bronze award.

Joya’s ceramics artwork comes from the impulse to explore how humans can feel a close connection to an object and the meaning that can be given to it, even if it doesn’t have a specific function. She is interested in the unspeakable and unconscious mechanism that makes us feel attracted to or repelled by an object. For Joya, ceramics represent the alchemy of transforming something raw and dull into a beautiful piece of art, which is a metaphor for how we transform our shortcomings into fuel for our self-discovery journey.

Something Holy is a collection inspired by vessels as an analogy to the human being, which is also a container for thoughts and emotions. The artwork, coupled with loops as ornaments and halo-like details, represents the self-realization, happiness, peace, and completeness we aspire to. The creative process seeks to give the pieces a sacred or ceremonial quality that resembles our personal journey as something holy in a broader and holistic view of human life.

Julianne Orlyk Walsh, Chronicle

Julianne Orlyk Walsh has a master’s degree in architecture from the University of Michigan. She worked as an intern architect at Acock Associates Architects in Columbus, Ohio before returning home to Ann Arbor to join the Medical School as a facilities planner. She is currently a student of Daria Paik at the Ann Arbor Art Center and also takes instruction at the Ann Arbor Potter’s Guild.

The history and evolution of pot-making has always captivated Walsh. From the tools and techniques used centuries ago to the fundamental process and output of today, much has remained the same. Yet, her exhibition Chronicle reflects the very evolution of her artistic process, from her childhood to her beginnings as an adult artist. Her pieces are a testament to the journey of her artistry, from its beginnings to its current state.

Matthew Zivich's "Americana," Cristina Joya's "Something Holy," and Julianne Orlyk Walsh's "Chronicle" exhibitions run June 15 to August 11 at the North Campus Research Complex galleries, 2800 Plymouth Road, Ann Arbor. There will be an opening reception with refreshments and hors d'oeuvres on June 15, 4-7 pm. Entry to the galleries and the reception is free.