The Alfred Berkowitz Gallery is proud to host its annual open competition. This exhibition showcases and celebrates Michigan artists and promotes the resources of the University of Michigan-Dearborn to diverse audiences. The competition is open to all media and artistic styles.
Opening Reception
Thursday, August 2, 2018, 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Juror Jan Brown to speak and present awards at 6:00 p.m. Event is free to the public. Complimentary hors d'oeuvres and beverages provided.
Without Boundaries, Merlo Bern, acrylic on paper
Exit, John Diephouse, digital photography
A life-long resident of Michigan, Jan Brown began early to show a spark of art talent. She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Michigan State University with an emphasis in printmaking and later, a Master of Arts from Eastern Michigan University with a focus on classroom teaching. Jan taught elementary education for thirty five years and was named Teacher of the Year in the Wayne/Westland school district in 1991.
After retiring, Jan devoted herself full time to her artwork, and she has been working within the realm of abstract expressionism since 2010. Having previously been very representative in her work, abstraction freed Jan to explore color, texture, and composition on numerous levels.
For Jan, art is an endeavor to reach a satisfaction from inside. Examining all media, she sees a common thread to good art — it challenges the artist and the viewer. Jan has exhibited her award winning artwork extensively across the state. She was featured in Acrylic Artist magazine in 2016.
Guardians, Christina Haylett, mixed media
Dusk, Claudia Hershman, mixed media on canvas
The Alfred Berkowitz Gallery is located on the third floor of the Mardigian Library at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. For further information, see below for contact information. Anyone requiring accommodations under the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act should contact (313)-593-5087.
Jacob Lawrence (1917-2000), Serigraph print, 1974
Gift of Gilbert M. Frimet,
Collection of UM-Dearborn (1980.065)
Photographed by Tim Thayer
This powerful serigraph print from the permanent collection was created by Jacob Lawrence (1917-2000), one of this century's most widely acclaimed artists.
Lawrence was born in Atlantic City, New Jersey, but moved to Harlem, New York, at 13. He is among the few painters of his generation who grew up in a Black community, received instruction primarily from Black artists, and was influenced by the experiences of Black individuals.
Lawrence's artwork portrays the lives and struggles of the Black community, capturing their experiences through several series focused on figures such as Toussaint L'Ouverture, Frederick Douglass, and Harriet Tubman, as well as themes related to life in Harlem and the civil rights movement of the 1960s. His style is characterized by vibrant colors and abstract forms.
In the 1940s, during a time of widespread segregation, Lawrence broke racial barriers by becoming the first Black artist whose work was acquired by the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
He stated, "If at times my productions do not express the conventionally beautiful, there is always an effort to express the universal beauty of man's continuous struggle to lift his social position and to add dimension to his spiritual being."
Researched and written by:
Julianna Collins, Stamelos Gallery Center former intern, UM-Dearborn art history/museum studies graduate, Class of 2025
