CURRENT EXHIBITS

On display April 18-June 13, 2011

NEW WORKS IN PASTEL
Mary Jane Erard
Mary Jane Erard is an award-winning pastel artist whose work has been juried into many exhibitions and has won over 35 awards in the past 10 years. She has had over 11 national and international solo shows and is a juried member of the Pastel Society of America and the Degas Pastel Society. Her works are mostly pastel paintings on black textured paper or sanded board employing a dark to light technique. One of her special strengths is a use of color and composition that gives the viewer a sense of movement in the painting. Erard’s works are usually rural landscapes and floral motifs from the US Midwest.
Gifts of Art Gallery – Taubman Health Center North Lobby, Floor 1
1500 E. Medical Center Dr., Ann Arbor, MI 48109
On display April 18-June 13, 2011
Open daily from 8 a.m.-8 p.m.

FIRE & FLUX: PAINTINGS IN ENCAUSTIC
Ariela Steif
Sculptor and painter Ariela Steif is a U-M alumna with a B.A. in History of Art. Her work gathers fragmented and layered imagery that negotiates the edges where boundaries meet and break. These ever-shifting forms are always unfinished and are simultaneously living and dying. This series of paintings is done in encaustic, an ancient process of pigmented beeswax and resin that is applied molten and then burned in with a blowtorch to fuse each layer to the one beneath it. Ariela lives and works in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Gifts of Art Gallery – Taubman Health Center North Lobby, Floor 1
1500 E. Medical Center Dr., Ann Arbor, MI 48109
On display April 18-June 13, 2011
Open daily from 8 a.m.-8 p.m.

THE ART OF NATURE: ART QUILTS
Michigan Quilt Artists Invitational
This is the 13th annual Michigan Quilt Artist Invitational exhibit at UMHS. Curators Mary Andrews of Grand Blanc and Marty Calhoun of Flint Township invited Michigan quilt makers to explore the wonder and beauty of nature. In The Art of Nature, you can experience the seasons, bodies of water, forests of trees and leaves, plants, animals and bugs. Many of them are made from recycled materials and express concern for our wonderful planet earth.
Gifts of Art Gallery – Taubman Health Center South Lobby, Floor 1
1500 E. Medical Center Dr., Ann Arbor, MI 48109
On display April 18-June 13, 2011
Open daily from 8 a.m.-8 p.m.

THE TIE THAT BINDS: BOOK ARTS GROUP SHOW
U-M School of Art & Design students
In this exhibit, U-M Book Arts instructor Barbara Brown has collected a body of work by her students which explores contemporary bookmaking as an art form. Within the contemporary book arts movement there is richness and inspiration to be found in the form of alternative bindings. Within this genre, one might be surprised at combinations of media which have been incorporated to create these pieces — perhaps causing the viewer to question the idea of “book”. Included in the show are artists Brooke Adams, Brianne Burgoon, Jaclyn Benninger, Abigail Bennett, Kassandra Carter, Gabriela Cegelis,  Alyssa Chambo, Hye Yeon Cho, Jazmine Clark, Kathleen Eberts, Meghan Forbes, Nora Green, Haley Hoard, Kimberley Karcz, Minji Lee, Kaitline Marek, Anita Sidler and Laura Thompson.
Gifts of Art Gallery – Taubman Health Center South Lobby, Floor 1
1500 E. Medical Center Dr., Ann Arbor, MI 48109
On display April 18-June 13, 2011
Open daily from 8 a.m.-8 p.m.

RE.FRESH: ANN ARBOR SUMMER FESTIVAL PHOTOGRAPHY
Myra Klarman
Re.Fresh, an exhibit of Myra Klarman's most dramatic images in large scale taken during the 2008 Ann Arbor Summer Festival season, gives us the chance to experience (or re-experience) these peak moments. Klarman is a portrait photographer who lives and works in Ann Arbor, and has been the official photographer for the Ann Arbor Summer Festival since 2006. "These images are my love letter to everyone who is involved with making the festival happen, and to the community who enjoys it as much as I do," says Klarman.
Gifts of Art Gallery – University Hospital Main Lobby, Floor 1
1500 E. Medical Center Dr., Ann Arbor, MI 48109
On display April 18-June 13, 2011
Open daily from 8 a.m.-8 p.m.

MUSICALLY INFLUENCED COLOR PHOTOGRAPHY
Harry Sargous
Harry Sargous is a musician and photographer living in Ann Arbor. He was a professor of music (oboe) at the U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance for almost 20 years. His photographs have always been musically influenced. For several decades he worked in black and white both in silver and platinum, and now he works in color in the digital medium. Elegance of line and form has always been important to his work, and now with high dynamic range imaging, he explores this elegance in added dimensions.
Gifts of Art Gallery – University Hospital Main Corridor, Floor 2
1500 E. Medical Center Dr., Ann Arbor, MI 48109
On display April 18-June 13, 2011
Open daily from 8 a.m.-8 p.m.

EVENING BAGS FOR THE MIDWESTERN WOMAN
Valerie Mann
Saline-based artist Valerie Mann works in a variety of media, using her background in painting, sculpture and printmaking to build her pieces. Her farming background and love of the outdoors inform her choices of materials and ignite her ideas. The Evening Bags for the Midwestern Woman series of mixed media sculptures was initially inspired by vintage handbags but soon became a fun avenue to explore ideas about women and the fashion world at large with a sense of humor and flavor of the Midwest.
Gifts of Art Gallery – University Hospital Main Corridor, Floor 2
1500 E. Medical Center Dr., Ann Arbor, MI 48109
On display April 18-June 13, 2011
Open daily from 8 a.m.-8 p.m.

On display April 18-August 15, 2011

MOMENTS IN MOTION: BRONZE SCULPTURE
Norma Penchansky-Glasser
Dance has been a continual inspiration for Norma Penchansky-Glasser. In bronze sculpture, she explores the gestural quality of a single moment in the continuous movement of a dancer. The subtle variations in position and movement that the figure finds, both in rehearsal and performance, have inspired her to freeze a moment and capture not only the stress and strain, but also the relaxation of the human form in dance.  These transitory moments are what she strives to realize in her sculpture.
Gifts of Art Gallery – Comprehensive Cancer Center, Level B2
1500 E. Medical Center Dr., Ann Arbor, MI 48109
On display April 18-August 15, 2011
Open M-F from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

THE BLOOMS OF MATTHAEI: ART QUILTS & PHOTOGRAPHY
E. Brooks Hinerman
E. Brooks Hinerman's floral art quilts are a combination of her experience with making art quilts and her love of nature photography. She uses her floral photographs as patterns for her art quilts, and the results exhibit both naturalness and grace. All of the photographs used as patterns in this exhibit were taken at the U-M Matthaei Botanical Gardens in Ann Arbor. Hinerman is based in Saline, Michigan.
Gifts of Art Gallery – Comprehensive Cancer Center, Level 1
1500 E. Medical Center Dr., Ann Arbor, MI 48109
On display April 18-August 15, 2011
Open M-F from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

On display June 20-August 15, 2011

PATHWAYS: ART QUILTS
Paradigm Fiber Artists
Paradigm is a group of artists from southeastern Michigan dedicated to the concept of quilt as art. Most members are professional artists: teaching, lecturing and selling their work. Although most of the art is textile based, members use many techniques in the production of their work. This work ranges from quilts, to assemblages, collage, sculptures and dolls. Members meet regularly to share ideas, critique each other’s work and organize group projects and exhibitions. They have worked together to produce artwork for the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, Ronald McDonald House and the Ann Arbor District Library. Members of the group are Mary Andrews, Jill Ault, Mary Bajcz, Cindy Geist, Mary Gentry, Sonja Hagen, Sue Holdaway-Heys, Pat Holly, Gretchen Jackson, Carolyn King, Linda Larsen, Joan Potter Thomas and Carol Wineman.
Gifts of Art Gallery – Taubman Health Center North Lobby, Floor 1
1500 E. Medical Center Dr., Ann Arbor, MI 48109
On display June 20-August 15, 2011
Open daily from 8 a.m.-8 p.m.

A COLORFUL LIFE: HAND BLOWN GLASS
David Helm
A retired Skilled Trades Auto Worker, David Helm went back to school at the College for Creative Studies for a degree in glass blowing. As he creates each handmade blown glass piece, Helm focuses on visual depth as the glass reflects, captures and magnifies light. He designs his pieces to be colorful, and he says that the thrill and beauty of making glass objects is unlike anything else. “The slightest lapse in the intense concentration necessary to create in the art form can cause failure of all your hard work and effort. However, the controlled flick of the wrist or puff of air in the pipe can make an outstanding work of art.”
Gifts of Art Gallery – Taubman Health Center North Lobby, Floor 1
1500 E. Medical Center Dr., Ann Arbor, MI 48109
On display June 20-August 15, 2011
Open daily from 8 a.m.-8 p.m.

ANNUAL EMPLOYEE ART EXHIBITION
UMHS Employee Artists and Volunteers
Each year Gifts of Art presents an exhibition of artwork by staff of the University of Michigan Health System. This eagerly anticipated event showcases the exceptional talent and creativity of the people who work at UMHS. This year's exhibition will be juried by Arts Alliance President, Susan Froelich. There are ribbon awards for Best in Category and Best in Show, and a People's Choice award will be determined by the votes of visitors to the exhibit. Winners will be announced at the Artist Reception and Award Ceremony on Tuesday, July 12, 2011 from 11:45 a.m.-1:00 p.m. in the exhibition gallery. This will be a Zero Waste Event.
Gifts of Art Gallery – Taubman Health Center South Lobby, Floor 1
1500 E. Medical Center Dr., Ann Arbor, MI 48109
On display June 20-August 15, 2011
Open daily from 8 a.m.-8 p.m. 

NEW CUT OUTS: ENAMEL ON SHAPED PANEL
Mark Piotrowski
Mark Piotrowski, of Bay City Michigan, is both art educator and working artist. He has taught art at every grade level from elementary to college. His current work involves shaping Masonite and medium-density fibreboard (MDF) panels with a jig saw, preparing them, and then drawing on linear elements with an enamel wash. Once the layout is complete, then the process of breaking the large shape down and making color decisions begins. Piotrowski earned his Bachelor Degree in Art Education at Eastern Michigan University and his Master’s Degree in Fine Arts at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. His work has been on display throughout Michigan and is found in many business and personal collections.
Gifts of Art Gallery – University Hospital Main Lobby, Floor 1
1500 E. Medical Center Dr., Ann Arbor, MI 48109
On display June 20-August 15, 2011
Open daily from 8 a.m.-8 p.m.

VISIONS OF BAY VIEW: COLOR PHOTOGRAPHY
Robert W. Cleveland
Retired automotive advertising photographer Robert W. Cleveland’s mastery of technique now serves his own artistic expression. The play of light on architectural forms, the feeling of tranquility from a warm seat on a Victorian porch, the joy that arises from a spray of flowers, these feelings, as well as the feeling of harmony and peace that comes from a beautifully composed image, are what Cleveland hopes to share with his viewer. These photographs are of Bay View, Michigan, northeast of Petoskey on Little Traverse Bay. Bay View was founded in 1875 as a Methodist summer gathering place — a Chautauqua — where cultural, social and religious development was encouraged. His color photographs illustrate Mary Jane Doerr’s book on its social history, Bay View, An American Idea.
Gifts of Art Gallery – University Hospital Main Corridor, Floor 2
1500 E. Medical Center Dr., Ann Arbor, MI 48109
On display June 20-August 15, 2011
Open daily from 8 a.m.-8 p.m.

HINE'S EMERALD DRAGONFLY PROJECT
Betsy Youngquist & R. Scott Long
The mixed media beadwork of Rockford, Illinois artists Betsy Youngquist and R. Scott Long reflects a fascination with the intersection of humans, animals and mythology. Stemming from a life-long love of all creatures great and small, Long and Youngquist weave together the human and animal spirit through a surrealistic lens. This project shows the entire life cycle of the Hine's Emerald Dragonfly (the only federally listed endangered dragonfly) including the egg, nymph and adult stage. Dragonflies have resided on Earth for around 300 million years. The only remaining habitat of this insect is in four states: Michigan, Missouri, Illinois and Wisconsin. During the past dozen years, the artists have exhibited their work at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, the Smithsonian Craft Show in Washington, D.C., the VIDA Museum in Borgholm, Sweden, and the Racine Art Museum in Racine, Wisconsin.
Gifts of Art Gallery – University Hospital Main Corridor, Floor 2
1500 E. Medical Center Dr., Ann Arbor, MI 48109
On display June 20-August 15, 2011
Open daily from 8 a.m.-8 p.m.