New Giverny, Pamela DayThe Michigan Watercolor Society was founded in 1946 by an enthusiastic group of young artists who envisioned an organization to promote the awareness of watercolor in Michigan. Their aim was to further watercolor education, maintain high standards artistically, while based on the premise of integrity and professionalism, and to be a forum open to all points of view.
A committee of working artists met for months, often lasting late into the evening, to form the policies and a constitution to present to a group of exhibiting painters in our state. Their emphasis on self-discovery and personal content, rather than technique alone, produced the painters who kept the MWCS alive.
The mission of the MWCS is to promote a stronger awareness and interest in watercolor; the advancement of the watercolor media as an art form, through presentation, workshops, juried shows and artist networking; to maintain high standards; and to further education in the contemporary arts.
This exhibition features the thirty award winning watercolor paintings from the Michigan Watercolor Society’s 72nd Annual Exhibition. Juror, Chris Krupinski, made exhibition choices based on a variety of considerations. He chose pieces with a broad selection of subject matter, genre and approach, as well as successful composition and design elements, and those that convey strong personal expressions of one kind or another.
The Berkowitz gallery is pleased to share these remarkable watercolor paintings with the UM Dearborn campus and greater community!
Opening Reception
Thursday, October 10, 2019 5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Event is free to the public. Complimentary wine and hors d'oeuvres provided.
The Stamelos Gallery Center is located on the first floor of the Mardigian Library at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. For more information, see below for contact information. Anyone requiring accommodations under the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act should contact lacotton@umich.edu.
Taketori Tale,
Kyohei Fujita (b. 1921),
n.d.,
Mold blown glass with gold and silver foil inclusions
Gift of Richard and Louise Abrahams,
Collection of UM-Dearborn (Adp39),
Photograph by Kip Kriigel
World renowned artist Kyohei Fujita was born in Japan in 1921. He is known as the father of Japanese studio glass. Many of his works, including this one, were inspired by early Japanese boxes that were richly decorated with lacquerwork and mother-of-pearl inlays, and traditionally used to store Buddhist writings, jewelry, inkstones and brushes. Fujita's celebrated ornamental glass boxes revive conventional Japanese aesthetics in a contemporary form. This breathtaking piece was mold blown with gold and silver foil inclusions. Whenever asked by collectors what to keep in the boxes, the artist usually stated "You should put your dreams in them."
---Laura Cotton, Art Curator and Gallery Manager
