Exhibition
Frames of Reference, Past and Present: Selected Works by Anita Bates
Thursday, Sep. 03, 2026 - Sunday, Dec. 13, 2026
About the Exhibition
This exhibition explores my aesthetic choices over the last 20 plus years. Not truly a retrospective because of its limited scope, the work is more of a survey; selected paintings which represent the various bodies of work undertaken over more than two decades.
Our experiences, the things we have been taught, which help us construct meaning, respond to others and navigate the world, define our cultural frame of reference. Similarly, the artist impacts their audience through the construction of images based on their connections, sensibilities and experiences. This is what I term as an aesthetic frame of reference, hence the title of this exhibition. Recently, I underwent an investigation of why I create the way I do. This inquiry led me to the desire to examine the experiences and emotions which shape my work. What became evident was the fact my paintings capture the colors, textures and memories of a complex upbringing comprised of singularity, ornamentation and trauma.
The works from 2020 through 2026 reflect my perception of the aesthetic choices made by a father who was an eccentric and complicated person, unable to fully be himself and as such, chose to transform our living spaces as a communication of identity. Thus, my aesthetic frame of reference for this work is partly shaped by things like the re-imagining of the entire front lawn of our modest colonial in Detroit’s Green Acres neighborhood; grass replaced with what we were to refer to as, “White, glistening rocks.” Bordering those rocks were several hybrid rose bushes in shades of pink and violet, (colors you will see throughout my later paintings). Our home on Sheffield street was filled with art, “shocking pink” (language specific) plush carpet and velvet furniture, gold things, mirrored walls, an actual working fountain, African masks and white ceilings peppered with gold handprints.
The paintings from 2003 to 2014 explore abstraction of the landscape; translating the physical attributes of land (and sky) as if I were zooming in on a particular surface or what a cross section of a surface might look like. I also began to introduce what artist Al Loving termed as ‘the other edge’ by way of transparent images of my ancestors. In doing this, I was playing with the concept of our connection as humans to the land. Petunia (2003) features a 1939 image of my Grandmother as a 19 year-old and her friend, Valaida Talley. These paintings also highlight what I learned from artist Allie McGhee– the use of disparate materials and chemicals to create visually textured surfaces.
As the viewer, I ask you to take in my work with the understanding that while the genre of abstraction depends a great deal on spontaneity, this does not necessarily mean the act of creating is a thoughtless endeavor where visual aesthetics are ruled by happenstance. This will be the first time I, or anyone for that matter, will view my work as a collection from past to present. I hope it will spark conversation as well as illuminate my process and growth as an artist.
—Anita Bates
Dr. Anita Bates is a contemporary artist and 2019 Kresge Arts Fellow. Her work has been exhibited in several local, national and international venues including the Trout Museum in Appleton, WI, the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit, the N’Namdi Center for Contemporary Art in Detroit, the N’Namdi Center for Contemporary Art in Miami, FL, Dell Pryor Gallery, Detroit Artists Market, the Querini Stampalia Museum in Venice, Italy, A Gathering of the Tribes Gallery in New York, NY, and Ashara Ekundayo Gallery in Oakland, CA.
The artist and her work have been noted and reviewed in various periodicals and publications such as the Detroit News and Free Press, The Oakland Press, Detroit Home Magazine, Art News, Detroit Art Review, Real Art Detroit, BLAC Magazine, TR8T Magazine, Imago Mundi: Contemporary Artists from the U.S.A., and The Romeo Observer.
Dr. Bates’ work has been acquired for the Woodward West Art Collection, the N’Namdi permanent collection, the Luciano Benetton Collection, and Detroit Public Schools Community District Artist Collaborative. Of late, she has expanded her artistic endeavors to curatorial practice, developing exhibitions for the Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center, the Detroit Artists Market, and the Progressive Arts Studio Collective (PASC)- a studio and arts collective dedicated to artists with disabilities.
Ms. Bates holds both a PhD in Education and an M.F.A. in Painting from Wayne State University. She also has an MA in Studio Art with a painting concentration from Eastern Michigan University. The artist’s other accomplishments include a Fulbright Memorial Fellowship in Japanese Education and a King, Chavez, Parks Future Faculty Fellowship from Wayne State University. Currently she serves as an Associate Professor of Teaching and Program Coordinator for Visual Art Education at Wayne State University.
Exhibition Events
Opening Reception
Thursday, Sep. 03, 2026, 5:00pm - 7:00pm
Stamelos Gallery Center
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.
Featured University Art Collection Piece
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
Contact Us
- Stamelos Gallery Center
- 1st Floor, Mardigian Library, UM-Dearborn
- 4901 Evergreen Road, Dearborn, MI 48128
- Directions
- Laura Cotton
- Art Curator and Gallery Manager
- 313-593-5087
- lacotton@umich.edu
- Autumn Muir
- Registrar and Gallery Assistant
- 313-593-3592
- aumuir@umich.edu
