CURRENT EXHIBITS

On display February 16-April 13, 2009
1500 E. Medical Center Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 48109

IN PRAISE OF PHYSICAL LABOR: TOOL PORTRAITS
Jaye Schlesinger
Local artist Jaye Schlesinger has dual careers in medical illustration and fine art. Recently she has been concentrating on pushing the limits of the pastel medium and has become known for her highly detailed paintings of common objects. This exhibit consists of archival ink jet prints of her series of pastel tool portraits, which pay homage to human physical labor. Schlesinger exhibits extensively, and in 2008, she was elected as a Master Pastelist by the Pastel Society of America.
Taubman Health Center Lobby, North Gallery, Floor 1. Open daily from 8 a.m.-8 p.m.

CLAY REALISM
Gail Rosenbloom Kaplan
A graduate of the University of Michigan School of Art & Design, Gail Rosenbloom Kaplan maintains a studio in Farmington Hills, Michigan. Her sculptures are built as puzzles; they trompe l’oeil (trick the eye) ― reproducing reality in such a way that one mistakes what is sculpted for what is real. She begins with solid blocks of clay which are meticulously carved and then hollowed. Her assemblages are life sized and strike out at everyday objects from contemporary life. 
Taubman Health Center Lobby, North Gallery display cases, Floor 1. Open daily from 8 a.m.-8 p.m.

SCENES IN THE WILD: NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY
Steve Gettle
For over twenty-five years, Steve Gettle has spent countless hours creating hundreds of thousands of photographs of the private lives of animals. Gettle’s photography has taken him throughout North America, from the woods of northern Canada, to the salt marshes of southern Florida, from the coast of Maine, to the high plateau of the desert southwest. Gettle’s award winning images have been exhibited in galleries and museums all over the world, including the Museum of Natural History in London, as well as The American Museum of Natural History in New York.
Taubman Health Center Lobby, South Gallery, Floor 1. Open daily from 8 a.m.-8 p.m.

WILD SPIRIT IN CLAY
Laurie Sharkus
Working from her studio in Newport, Michigan, Laurie Sharkus fulfills her lifelong passion for art by sculpting animals and capturing their spirits in clay. Each sculpture is an original creation, born from her sketches and made completely by hand. Primitive smoke firing methods using straw, sawdust and leaves, impart a sense of mystery and reality to her creatures. Sharkus has a B.F.A. from Eastern Michigan University and has work in several Michigan fine art galleries. She also participates in many local summer art fairs including the State Street Area Art Fair here in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Taubman Health Center Lobby, South Gallery display cases, Floor 1. Open daily from 8 a.m.-8 p.m.

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STILLNESS IN MOTION: ENCAUSTIC PAINTINGS
Lynda M. Cole
Lynda M. Cole is a member of the artist owned Washington Street Gallery (WSG) located at 306 S. Main St. in downtown Ann Arbor. Cole calls herself a materials artist, being more interested in the combinations of materials and the mood they create than the story the painting tells. This exhibit explores the motion in moire patterns created when two layers of screen interact. The stillness presents itself in the encaustic wax on the top layer of a screen. Even with the motion, the overall sensation is calming.
University Hospital Main Lobby Gallery, Floor 1. Open daily from 8 a.m.-8 p.m.

EPIPHANY GLASS
april wagner & jason ruff
Glassmakers from the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, april wagner and jason ruff utilize a process in their glassmaking technique called fazzoletto ― free form blown glass. This ancient technique was developed and mastered by Italian glass blowers over many hundreds of years. Their work adds a contemporary twist to this ancient technique with complex color theory and a unique way of sculpting solid glass bits onto the exterior of the pieces. For the past 10 years, they have owned and operated epiphany studios in Pontiac, Michigan. Their work is exhibited in galleries worldwide, and featured in numerous private and corporate collections including those of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce, General Motors and Pfizer.
University Hospital Main Lobby Gallery display cases, Floor 1. Open daily from 8 a.m.-8 p.m.

SPOTLIGHT ON SPORTS: OIL PAINTINGS
Jeff Joseph
Over his entire art career, Jeff Joseph has specialized in sports images. Painting on canvas, his works in oil cover a broad range of subjects within the sports genre. His original oils and lithographs are sold in galleries and specialty retail stores throughout Michigan and beyond. An exhibit of his work at the College Football Hall of Fame opens in spring 2009. 
University Hospital Main Corridor Gallery, West, Floor 2. Open daily from 8 a.m.-8 p.m.

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CELL-A-BRATE: MEDICAL PAINTINGS ON SILK
Dr. Nancy Tilson-Mallett
Fabric artist Dr. Nancy Tilson-Mallett lives and works in Cape Cod. Being a practicing physician in addition to a studio artist, Nancy Tilson-Mallet experiences the full spectrum of human emotion through her patients. Internal Medicine and Geriatrics is her area, and she works as a Hospitalist at Falmouth Hospital in Massachusetts. At home in her studio, she enjoys interpreting medical/biological images into silk paintings, with whimsical to serene to shocking effects. Her work has been displayed in a number of medical centers, churches, and government buildings, in addition to features in professional journals and newspapers. She also conducts workshops for cancer survivors to create healing images of peace and beauty for their journey. 
Comprehensive Cancer Center Main Lobby Gallery, Level B2.
Open Monday-Friday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

PARIS, IN QUOTES: COLOR PHOTOGRAPHY
Sandy Schopbach
When she is not in Ann Arbor, you can usually find Sandy Schopbach in Montmartre, France. Working there as a translator, interpreter, tour guide and freelance journalist, she also finds time to take photographs and publish books, including children’s books. She also has a one woman show entitled, France: Moments out of Time. Images from her book, Paris in Quotes, with photos illustrating quotes about the City of Light, are featured in this exhibit.
Comprehensive Cancer Center, West Gallery, Level 1. Open Monday-Friday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

ANN ARBOR CLOSE UP: PHOTOGRAPHY
Pat O'Malley
Pat O’Malley is a Detroit native whose work spans more than six decades. His first photographs were taken with an Argus C3 on the streets of 1940’s Detroit. Mr. O’Malley’s work consistently represents the substance and realism of modern cities and has been featured in the Detroit Institute of Art’s Michigan Artists Exposition and the Best of Photography Annual 1998 and 2001 editions. Several of his photographs are part of the permanent collection of the DIA. 
Comprehensive Cancer Center, East Gallery, Level 1. Open Monday-Friday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

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GIFTS OF SPRING: HANDBLOWN GLASS & CERAMICS
Kimberley Emmert
Inspired by nature and brought to life with earth and fire, Kimberley Emmert’s pieces in glass and ceramics celebrate spring. Her handblown glass pieces have a landscape, almost Monet-like theme, and the designs are often whimsical and floral. John Emmert, Kimberley’s husband, assists her work in their studio in Linden, MI. In addition to art making, Kimberley teaches classes at home and also works in the studio at the Flint Institute of the Arts.
Taubman Health Center Lobby, North Gallery display cases, Floor 1. Open daily from 8 a.m.-8 p.m.

SYMPHONY OF QUILTS
Michigan Quilt Artists Invitational
Welcome music lovers to the 11th annual exhibit of the Michigan Quilt Artists Invitational. Curators Mary Andrews of Grand Blanc and Marty Calhoun of Flint have invited fiber artists from around the state to create a small quilt exploring the facets of music. The quilts express different nuances of many varieties of music from classical to country to rock and roll.  In fiber art, the exhibit celebrates the grandeur of music in nature as well as musical instruments, composers, singers and bands.
Taubman Health Center Lobby, South Gallery, Floor 1. Open daily from 8 a.m.-8 p.m.

THREADS OF LIGHT: FIBER ART
Laurie Wohl
Internationally known fiber artist Laurie Wohl unweaves canvas to create symbolic shapes – wings, trees, prayer shawls, veils, windows, scrolls and ladders. She embeds spiritual narratives in these delicate pieces through form, color, texture, calligraphy and her own iconographic language, imbuing the pieces with the spirit and mystery of ancient textile traditions. Her Unweavings® fiber art have been on long-term loan to the United States Embassies in Beirut, Vienna, Tunis, Cape Town, and Pretoria. Wohl has studios in both New York City and southwestern Wisconsin.
University Hospital Main Lobby Gallery, Floor 1. Open daily from 8 a.m.-8 p.m.

ANIMALS & PEOPLE: PHOTO COLLAGE JEWELRY
Dawn Estrin & George Wilson
Combining forces and a common interest in themes such as art, romance and humor, Dawn Estrin and George Wilson create a unique vision of what jewelry can be. Wilson is a master toolmaker, and he makes special tools for the creation of the jewelry, as well as inventing designs and building models for them. Estrin creates the imagery for the jewelry. Working in Photoshop, she montages different images together to create a fantasy or story, many inspired by humankind’s relationship to the natural world. Their work, known as Bijou Graphique, is represented by over 300 galleries and museums in the U.S., Canada and Australia. They are currently working on a new project of jewelry for pets.
University Hospital Main Lobby Gallery display cases, Floor 1. Open daily from 8 a.m.-8 p.m.

SNIP SHOTS: CUT PAPER NARRATIVES
Mary Gaynier
Mary Gaynier, of Toledo, Ohio, began experimenting with cut paper in 2001, and has since had over 50 exhibitions of her work. Often compared to the traditional German art form, Scherrenschnitte – scissors cutting, where paper is cut with scissors into intricate, delicate folk art designs, her work speaks in different ways from different distances. At a distance one might see a more abstract rhythmic pattern, and then up close be surprised to find a scene of a bustling city or a child at play.
University Hospital Main Corridor Gallery, West, Floor 2. Open daily from 8 a.m.-8 p.m.

ART FROM AN EGGSHELL
Tina M. Boes
With a vision and a high speed drill, Tina M. Boes sets to work creating unique and inspiring heirloom quality art out of real eggshells. Since her start in 2001, the art that she produces from her studio in her hometown of Muskegon, MIchigan is now widely recognized and has been published worldwide. She has won many awards for her stunning detail and designs. Boes is founder and president of a non-profit international organization dedicated solely to the art and education of carving and sculpting real eggshells. 
Comprehensive Cancer Center Main Lobby Gallery, Level B2.
Open Monday-Friday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

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CANCER HEALING QUILTS
Fiber Artists at Loose Ends
The Fiber Artists @ Loose Ends created the fine art quilts in this exhibit to provide education and a pleasing environment for patients, visitors, scientists and staff at the U-M Health System. Under the theme of plants and animals that are used in chemotherapy treatments, each fiber artist brought her own individual style, interpretation and experience to the idea of cancer healing. Each quilt has an accompanying artist statement and description of the subject matter of the pieces, including scientific information about the natural subject’s medicinal applications for cancer patients.
Comprehensive Cancer Center, Level 1 Gallery. Open Monday-Friday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

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